Last updated: 03/07/2024
Frequently at the top of lists ranking the world’s best safari destinations, Botswana is home to incredible nature, wildlife, and landscapes. While there are currently no travel insurance requirements for Botswana, getting your trip insured is strongly recommended by travel experts and the country’s tourism board. When traveling to Southern Africa, we recommend a comprehensive travel insurance policy that includes the following benefits:
From airfare to tour packages, traveling to Botswana can get very expensive. According to Squaremouth data, trips to Botswana cost travelers more than $18,000 per group on average in 2022.
Having a travel insurance policy with cancellation coverage is a smart way to protect your trip investment, and it’s no surprise that more than 70% of travelers opt to do so. With the Trip Cancellation benefit, travelers can be reimbursed if they fall ill, get injured, or experience other covered disruptions prior to departing for their trip.
Policies with Trip Cancellation also include Trip Interruption coverage, which can provide travelers reimbursement if unexpected events cause them to return home from their trip early. This benefit applies to travelers that have already departed for their trip and have unused, nonrefundable trip costs.
Common covered reasons include unforeseen illness, injury, or death of the traveler, a traveling companion, or a non-traveling family member. Other covered cancellation reasons may also include terrorism, inclement weather, or a natural disaster, among others. With this coverage, travelers can receive up to 100% reimbursement for their insured trip costs.
The country’s main tourism attractions are its game reserves, hunting, and safari tours. This means that many tourists will be exploring remote areas of Botswana, far from the country’s hospitals. Due to the distance from treatment facilities and the higher than average cost of medical care, Squaremouth recommends a travel insurance policy with high medical coverage.
The Emergency Medical benefit is a key component of any travel medical insurance. This benefit can reimburse travelers for the costs of medical treatment in the event of an illness or injury during their trip. If a traveler gets sick or injured while in Botswana, this benefit can cover physician services, ambulance expenses, and other costs of treatment. Given the potential high costs of treatment, we recommend a policy with at least $100,000 in Emergency Medical coverage.
In addition, the Medical Evacuation benefit can transport a traveler to the nearest adequate hospital in the event of a medical emergency. For example, if a traveler experiences an emergency while on a safari, this benefit can cover the costs of an evacuation. Due to the significant costs of an air ambulance, we recommend Botswana visitors find a policy with at least $250,000 in Medical Evacuation coverage.
Botswana is a landlocked country with limited direct flight options. The vast majority of global tourists will likely need to take multiple flights in order to make it to their destination, increasing the chances for travel disruptions. Fortunately, there are insurance benefits that offer protection for travelers that experience delays that impact their trip.
With the Travel Delay benefit, travelers can get reimbursed the cost of food and accommodations expenses incurred during a delay. A policy’s Missed Connection benefit can also reimburse travelers if a delay causes travelers to miss a connecting flight on route to or from their destination.
In addition, most comprehensive travel insurance policies come with both Baggage Delay coverage and Baggage & Personal Items Loss protection. Both benefits will offer reimbursement to travelers if their baggage gets damaged, delayed, or lost at any point during their trip.
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A paradise for nature lovers and wildlife enthusiasts, Botswana attracts travelers from around the world to visit its national parks and game reserves.
Destination Rank: 78
Percentage of Squaremouth Sales: 0.17%
Average Premium: $1,172.60
Average Trip Cost: $18,552.72
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Steven Benna, Lead Data Analyst: sbenna@squaremouth.com