Last updated: 03/07/2024
Known as the land of a thousand hills, Rwanda is famous for its stunning scenery, unique wildlife, and vibrant culture. Each year, millions of people from around the world make their way to East Africa to experience this beautiful country for themselves.
For many, traveling to Rwanda comes with a high price tag. To protect themselves financially, many visitors opt for travel insurance in case they need to cancel their plans. In addition, while Rwanda currently has no specific travel insurance requirements, their tourism board strongly encourages all visitors to have medical coverage for the duration of their trip.
Squaremouth breaks down the best travel insurance benefits for travelers with an upcoming Rwandan adventure.
In 2022, the average trip to Rwanda cost travelers roughly $12,500, making it one of the most expensive destinations in the world.
Trip Cancellation, a popular travel insurance benefit, can cover travelers if they need to cancel their plans for a covered reason. Travel insurance policies with cancellation coverage can reimburse travelers 100% of their nonrefundable trip costs, which can include flights, hotels, safari tours, and other excursions.
Many policies that include Trip Cancellation also include the Trip Interruption benefit, which covers travelers if they need to return home early from their trip. With this benefit, they can be reimbursed for their unused trip expenses. Some policies will also reimburse any additional transportation costs needed to return home.
The most common covered reasons for Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption are related to injuries and illnesses. Other covered cancellation reasons may also include terrorism, inclement weather, or a natural disaster, among others.
One of the main reasons travelers purchase insurance for their trips is to get medical coverage while they’re abroad. This is especially true for destinations like Rwanda, where tourists partake in safaris, primate treks, and other tours that take visitors to remote locations, leading to extensive and potentially expensive transportation to hospitals and treatment facilities
A key component of travel medical insurance is the Emergency Medical benefit, which will cover a traveler’s hospital bills, x-rays, ambulance rides, and other important physician services. Coverage limits vary depending on the policy, but for those traveling to Rwanda, Squaremouth recommends a policy with at least $100,000 in Emergency Medical coverage.
Most travel medical insurance policies also include Medical Evacuation coverage, which covers the cost of transportation to the nearest adequate medical facility in the event of a medical emergency. If you need treatment while in the wilderness, the cost to get to a hospital quickly and safely could be extraordinary. For this reason, we recommend those visiting Rwanda find a policy with at least $250,000 in Medical Evacuation coverage.
While Rwanda is becoming an increasingly popular destination among nature lovers and adventure seekers, finding direct flights to Kigali International Airport can be challenging. Many travelers will also have to continue their trip from the airport to reach their final destination. Longer, multi-leg journeys increase the risk of delays, so it’s recommended to get a policy that includes delay protection.
Comprehensive policies will usually include the Travel Delay benefit, which will reimburse travelers the cost of food and accommodation if their delay meets their policy’s minimum criteria. Most travel insurance policies will also include Missed Connection coverage, which can cover expenses in the event a delay causes a traveler to miss a connecting flight.
In addition to delayed flights, comprehensive policies also include coverage for luggage. Both Baggage Delay and Baggage & Personal Items Loss benefits will reimburse travelers if their luggage is delayed, lost, stolen, and damaged at any point during their trip.
Click here to begin your search for Rwanda Travel Insurance.
Quickly emerging as one of East Africa’s most popular destinations, Rwanda has endless adventures on offer all-year round.
Destination Rank: 100
Percentage of Squaremouth Sales: 0.07%
Average Premium: $805.72
Average Trip Cost: $10,008.48
Squaremouth Analytics compares thousands of travel insurance policies purchased pre- and post-pandemic to identify changes and trends in the travel insurance industry.
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Steven Benna, Lead Data Analyst: sbenna@squaremouth.com