Safari health, safety and travel insurance

Start with a travel-health appointment

This guide summarises public health guidance; it is not medical advice. CDC advises visiting a doctor at least a month before your trip to get any vaccines or medicines you may need, and Kenya Wildlife Service’s visitor questions point travellers to professional advice on vaccinations and malaria prevention. Some vaccines need a course of doses, so earlier is better.

Take your itinerary to the appointment. Advice can differ between a city stop, a lowland park and a mountain, and between Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, so the clinician needs to know exactly where you are going and when.

Do I need malaria tablets for a safari?

For most safari routes, CDC recommends prescription medicine to prevent malaria. Depending on the medicine, you start taking it several days before the trip and continue during and after it, so discuss the choice with your doctor.

Medicine is only part of it. CDC advises an appropriate insect repellent, and for protection lasting several hours against mosquitoes and ticks it suggests one containing 20 per cent or more DEET. Long sleeves and trousers in the evening, and a mosquito net where your camp provides one, help too.

Which vaccines should I think about?

• Make sure your routine vaccines are up to date before every trip.
• CDC says all international travellers should be fully vaccinated against measles, including an early dose for infants aged 6–11 months.
• Yellow fever: CDC recommends the vaccine for most travel in Kenya and for Uganda, but generally not for Tanzania. Border rules depend on your route, as our entry requirements guide explains.
• Rabies: CDC notes that dogs infected with rabies are commonly found in Kenya and that rabies is present in some wildlife. Never approach or feed animals.

Staying safe in the parks

Most safety rules are about wildlife. Kenya Wildlife Service asks visitors to remain in their vehicles except in designated areas, to keep at least 20 metres from wildlife and to move slowly and quietly, because startled animals can react dangerously. The Mara Conservancy allows visitors out of the vehicle only at designated points, and Tanzania National Parks stresses that Ruaha’s wildlife is truly wild and should be given a safe distance.

On foot, the rules are stricter. The Uganda Wildlife Authority asks gorilla and chimpanzee trackers to keep 10 metres from the animals and not to track if they are unwell, because primates catch human infections. Our responsible wildlife viewing guide collects these rules by country.

Altitude, sun and long days

On Kilimanjaro, Tanzania National Parks advises choosing an itinerary with acclimatisation days, ascending slowly and staying hydrated, and notes that more days improve the chance of reaching the summit. On ordinary game drives the sun and long hours in a vehicle matter more: Kenya Wildlife Service suggests a hat, sunglasses and layers you can add and remove.

What should safari travel insurance cover?

Buy insurance when you book, so cancellation cover applies from the start. Safari parks can be far from a hospital, so check the policy covers medical treatment and evacuation from remote areas, and that it covers what you plan to do: gorilla or chimpanzee trekking, walking safaris, a balloon flight or a mountain climb may need to be named or added.

• Does the policy cover emergency medical evacuation from a national park, and to which hospital or country?
• Are the activities on your itinerary covered, and is there an altitude limit for a climb?
• What is the excess, and does the policy cover cancellation for the reasons that matter to you?
• Does it cover cameras, binoculars and other valuables while you travel?
• Is there a 24-hour assistance number you can call from East Africa?

Keep the policy number and assistance line with your travel documents, and share them with someone at home. Your written quotation from us sets out what our safari itself includes.

Everyday health on the road

• Keep prescribed medicines in your hand luggage, in their original packaging, with a copy of the prescription.
• Pack a small first-aid kit: plasters, antiseptic, pain relief, rehydration salts and anything your clinician suggests.
• Drink plenty of water during long, dry game drives, and ask each stay whether its tap water is safe to drink.
• Wash or sanitise your hands before eating, especially on travel days with roadside stops.
• Wear a hat and sunscreen even when it feels cool: the sun is strong near the equator and at altitude.

If you feel unwell during the trip, tell your guide straight away, and keep your insurer’s assistance number with you. A fever during or after travel in a malaria area needs prompt medical attention, so mention your travel to any doctor you see after you return.