All tour companies require passengers to get travel insurance for Africa overland tours for good reason. It’s not just a liability issue for the company but also because accidents can and do happen on these type of trips.
For instance, overlanding in Africa is just not the same as backpacking through Southeast Asia. I also believe overlanding Africa to be much different than anywhere else (South America etc). This is partly due to the rugged nature of a camping trip in this part of the world but also because travel insurance for Africa overland tours is often needed for issues related to rather extreme activities and tropical diseases – hello malaria!
And they do happen…
Why You Need Travel Insurance for Africa Overland Tours
I’ve had to deal with a lot of accidents during my time working as an overland tour leader. One guest broke his back in a quad bike accident, while another slipped a disc in her back when the truck went over a big bump in the road. Another guest needed to be evacuated from Serengeti National Park for malaria treatment and the list goes on and on.
I’m not trying to scare you. I myself have travelled all over the world for more than 12 years and for much of that time, I did not have any travel insurance. But every-time I go back to Africa? I pick some up. You just never know what’s going to happen in this part of the world and the old cliché rings true that it’s best to be safe than sorry.
But WAIT – there’s something really important you should know about travel insurance for Africa overland tours.
You Need to Pick the Right Travel Insurance Company
As a tour leader, it was often my responsibility to help passengers with their travel insurance and this was always true in the case of emergencies. I had previously worked in personal accident insurance so it was no surprise that many travel companies refused to assist my clients when they needed help.
It might have been in the conditions, exclusions or T&C’s but either way, some of these companies looked for every reason you can imagine to turn down the claim. Thankfully, there were exceptions to this rule.
In my experience, World Nomads was the most reliable company that offered travel insurance for Africa overland tours. They covered backpacking, adventure activities and even the likes of climbing Kilimanjaro. However, I mostly appreciated how they were easy to contact and the agents always seemed to go out of their way to assist.
Anyway, that’s my two cents and first hand experience as a tour leader when it comes to travel insurance for Africa overland tours!
