From the savannah to the sea, learn how travel insurance can help Americans traveling to Africa.
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For information relating to policies purchased prior to October 23 2024, please check the Policy Wording provided with your purchase. You can contact us if you need this sent to you again. For plans purchased after October 23 2024, please see below.
Home to mesmerizing wildlife, extraordinary natural grandeur, tribes rich with tradition, and contemporary urban centers, a trip to Africa is often considered to be a once-in-a-lifetime vacation by American travelers.
Whether you adventure to ancient ruins in Egypt, search for the Big 5 on safari, trek through leafy jungle abundant with primates, get soaked by the spray at Victoria Falls, or learn to roast coffee in a mountain village in Ethiopia, every traveler will find their own kind of fun on this abundantly diverse continent.
As you prepare for your adventure, we encourage you to consider travel insurance* for Africa, as you may experience the unexpected.
International travel can bring all kinds of unexpected surprises - like watching a lion make a kill while on safari in South Africa’s Kruger National Park or spotting mountain gorillas while climbing a volcano in Rwanda.
Some surprises aren’t so great, though. Nobody wants to think about things like canceled trips and medical emergencies, but these things can happen. You might come down with malaria symptoms and need to see a doctor. Or perhaps you fell and broke your ankle while climbing through the forest terrain of Odzala National Park in Congo Brazzaville and need to be evacuated to a hospital. You may wish then you had travel insurance for Africa.
World Nomads has four plans to choose from, and when you get a quote you can compare the options to determine the best international travel insurance for your needs.
From white water rafting down the Nile River in Uganda to going for a bush walk with San Bushmen in Botswana’s Makgadikgadi Pans, the African continent is filled to the brim with thrilling adventures. World Nomads covers more than 250 activities for Americans traveling to Africa and includes things like scuba diving in the Quirimbas Archipelago off the coast of Mozambique, undertaking a volunteer project in a local school or wildlife rescue center, and hiking Mount Kenya.
Before you get a quote for your travel insurance for Africa, it’s smart to have an idea of which activities you’d like to do on your trip. Each insurance plan covers different activities so a rough itinerary can help you select the best insurance for your adventure.
For example, if you plan to dune buggy across the sands of the Namib Desert or go bungee jumping in the Zambezi River, all World Nomads travel insurance plans-- including the Standard Plan-- will cover you. However, if you dream of taking a hot air balloon ride over the Maasai Mara or of cage diving with sharks in South Africa, you’ll want to upgrade to the Explorer or Epic Plan to get full coverage.
Before you take off on your African adventure, we recommend that you make an appointment with Runway Health-- an online travel clinic and our non-insurance service partner. The telehealth service offers online consultations 24/7 and can help you obtain necessary vaccinations or medications, such as malaria prevention and medication to help with altitude sickness and traveler’s diarrhea.
We also recommend packing a few basic supplies for your trip, as some basic things aren’t always available, especially in rural areas on the continent. Strong mosquito repellant to help prevent malaria, sunscreen (it can be hard to find outside of South Africa), and bandages, are a good place to start.
Water and food sanitation vary widely across the continent. Water is usually safe to drink in Cape Town and the Western Cape, but it generally isn’t safe to drink throughout the rest of the continent. Make sure to drink bottled or filtered water outside of those regions. Malaria is prevalent in many areas so if you suspect that you have malaria symptoms, get tested at a local clinic. That is something that most clinics can test for and treat—and is more commonly understood than if you were to seek medical treatment for it back in the United States.
Health care varies widely across the African continent and typically looks quite different than what you’re used to in the US. Emergency care and the right equipment are often hard to come by. If you have a medical emergency when traveling in Africa, you can call the 24/7 emergency assistance team and they can refer you to a place that offers the level of care that you need. They can also help communicate with your local medical team if there is a language barrier.
Maybe you fell and injured yourself while hiking Morocco’s Atlas Mountains and your attending physician (and the 24/7 emergency assistance team) determines that it’s best for you to go home to the US to get medical care. The repatriation coverage that is included in your travel insurance for Africa may cover the costs to get you there.
Nobody plans for lost bags, but it happens. If you’re heading to South Africa for a surfing vacation, you may have packed your favorite surfboard. When you land in Durban and realize that the airline lost your bag, your travel insurance for Africa may reimburse you for the cost to replace your belongings (up to plan limits, conditions and exclusions apply).
If you’re lucky, your bags just took a detour and will eventually make their way to you. Even a delayed bag can be stressful though. If this happens, you may still be reimbursed for a change of clothes and toiletries until you and your bag are reunited.
If the airline has lost your luggage, the first step is to contact them. If the airline isn’t able to help you locate your lost bag, the second step is to contact Blue Ribbon Bags, our non-insurance service partner that will track and expedite the return of your undelivered baggage by the airline. Make sure to have the file reference or record locator number and Property Irregularity Report on hand when you call Blue Ribbon Bags so you can file a lost luggage claim.
Safety varies widely across Africa. The best thing you can do is have a sense of awareness around yourself, your surroundings, and your belongings. Leave the flashy jewelry at home to avoid unwanted attention and store your credit cards and valuables in a safe in your accommodations.
Take care in crowded areas like markets and bus stations. Keep your bags in front of you and avoid flashing valuables like smart phones if possible. In most major cities, like Nairobi and Kampala, it is also best to avoid walking at night— we encourage you to take motorized transportation instead.
If anything does happen, make sure you make a police report. You’ll need that if you have to make a claim for those stolen goods.
When you’re searching for the best travel insurance for Africa, make sure it has coverage for trip cancelation, trip delay, and trip interruption. If it does, you might be able to get reimbursed for unused, prepaid, non-refundable travel expenses if something unexpected happens.
Sometimes situations happen that disrupt your plans once you’re already in Africa. Certain countries in Africa experience frequent political unrest. If possible, avoid traveling during elections when tensions may be high, and protests and unrest can break out. However, you may find yourself in Nairobi and unexpected protests break out that make you miss your flight to the Swahili Coast for your Lamu vacation and your sunset dhow excursion. If your flights and boat ride are non-refundable, your travel insurance for Africa may reimburse you.
World Nomads travel insurance could also help if you’re already on your trip and something happens. For example, you may need to go back to the United States early if an immediate family member has an unexpected medical emergency or dies.
Africa is a long way from the United States. If you want an additional safety net for your adventure that you’ve been dreaming about for years, consider purchasing CFAR (cancel for any reason) as an add-on to your Explorer or Epic Plan during the time sensitive period. Whether you simply change your mind or need to cancel your vacation for any reason not covered by the insurance plan, CFAR allows you to cancel and get back a portion of your prepaid, non-refundable trip expenses.
Before you leave the United States, we encourage you to check out the US government’s travel warnings for each country you plan to visit. Weather, safety, and political situations can change at any time, and this is where they list any current advisories.
If you purchase travel insurance for Africa, it’s a good idea to save the 24/7 Emergency Assistance phone number and your plan number in your cell phone so you don’t have to search for that if an emergency happens.
With 54 nations and over 2,000 languages, cultural customs, transport, and everything in between in Africa are different country-to-country. We recommend that you read up on each place you intend to visit ahead of time. Also, keep in mind that most African countries are more culturally conservative than the United States. Modest dress is recommended in rural areas—a great rule of thumb is to cover your knees and shoulders out of respect for local culture.
Whether you’re heading to Ethiopia, Morocco, South Africa, or Tanzania, do some pre-trip reading for destination inspiration—you’ll be wowed by how much there is to do beyond a safari vacation. And speaking of safaris, we encourage you to look for ethical wildlife and cultural experiences, so your experience doesn’t harm the environment or people involved.
Check out our tips for photographing wildlife and keep those camera batteries charged to make sure you’re ready for those gorilla, lion, and other wildlife shots!
*All information we provided here is a brief summary. It does not include all terms, conditions, limitations, exclusions, and termination provisions of the plans described. Please carefully read your state specific plan documents for a full description of coverage. Travel insurance is included as part of your travel protection plan which contains both insurance benefits and non-insurance assistance services. Material included on this page does not represent, nor is it specific to, United States Fire Insurance Company or travel insurance benefits provided on United States Fire Insurance Company’s travel protection plans.Protect your hard earned vacation from unexpected cancellation.
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Whether you need medical or dental assistance or advice, emergency evacuation or travel assistance, our team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year before and during your trip.
Wherever you are, we’re here 24/7 to help you in any emergency.
Are you in need of emergency assistance right now?
Contact Generali Global Assistance:
Telephone:
+1 954-334-8143 (Collect outside the US)
+1 877-289-0968 (Toll-free in the US and Canada
Before your trip, check the latest government advice for any travel alerts for your destination.