Travel essentials. Updated November 2026. 7 min read.
You now need three pieces of paper for Kenya: the Kenyan government's health policy to get in, evacuation cover to get you to Nairobi, and a travel policy to get you home. They do different jobs, they cost very different amounts, and one of them is not travel insurance at all. Here is what each does, what each costs, and what to check in the wording.
The short answer. Kenya's inbound health insurance, about $44 plus fees on eCitizen, is an entry requirement and not travel insurance. A flying-doctor plan, from about $16, flies you from the bush to a Nairobi hospital. A comprehensive U.S. travel policy, usually about 4 to 10 percent of your trip cost, pays for medical care, evacuation home, cancellation and lost bags. If you might change your mind for a reason the policy does not list, only Cancel For Any Reason cover pays.
The three layers in one table
| Policy | What it does | What it does not do | Cost and where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya's inbound health insurance | Meets the entry rule; basic cover for three months, with minimum benefits of $50,000 | Replace evacuation cover or fly you home | About $44 plus fees, about $52 at checkout, on eCitizen |
| Flying-doctor evacuation cover | Flies you from a park or airstrip to a Nairobi hospital | Pay your hospital bill (unless you add inpatient cover) or fly you home | From about $16 for 15 days in Kenya, from AMREF Flying Doctors |
| Comprehensive U.S. travel insurance | Medical care, evacuation home, trip cancellation and interruption, baggage, supplier failure | Pay if you cancel for a reason the policy does not list, unless you add Cancel For Any Reason | Usually about 4 to 10 percent of the trip cost, from U.S. insurers |
Layer one: Kenya's inbound health insurance
Since October 6, 2026, every visitor, children included, must buy Kenya's inbound travel health insurance on the government's eCitizen platform before the eTA is issued. At the time of writing it costs $44 plus processing fees, about $52 at checkout, and covers you for three months with minimum benefits of $50,000. The High Court upheld the requirement on October 7, 2026. Foreign policies were reportedly not accepted in its place, so your U.S. policy does not replace it.
It is a basic policy to get you through the border. It does not replace medical evacuation cover, it will not fly you home, and it does not refund a cancelled trip. Buy it, keep the confirmation with your eTA, and buy the other two layers as well. Our entry requirements page has the full eTA steps.
Layer two: flying-doctor evacuation to Nairobi
If you break an ankle in the Mara, the problem is not the hospital bill; it is the five hours of road between you and the hospital. AMREF Flying Doctors' Maisha plans for tourists pay for unlimited evacuation flights to Nairobi within the cover period, from wherever an aircraft can land. At the time of writing the plans are:
| Maisha plan | Covers | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Bronze | 15 days, Kenya | $16 |
| Silver | 30 days, Kenya and Tanzania | $24 |
| Gold | Adds Uganda and Rwanda | $32 |
| Platinum | The widest tourist plan | $80 |
| Maisha Plus | Adds inpatient benefits of up to $200,000 | $35 to $100 |
What we include: every trip we run includes emergency evacuation cover through a flying-doctor service, which gets you from the bush to a Nairobi hospital. Ask us which plan is on your booking and what it covers for your dates. It is not travel insurance, and it does not fly you home.
Layer three: a comprehensive U.S. travel policy
Our Booking Conditions require comprehensive travel insurance for every traveler, covering medical treatment, emergency evacuation and repatriation, and we strongly recommend cancellation, baggage and activity cover too. We do not sell insurance. What to look for:
- Medical cover of at least $100,000. Nairobi's private hospitals are good and are not cheap.
- Medical evacuation of at least $250,000, and $500,000 if you are older or have health conditions. This is the part that flies you home on a stretcher or with a nurse.
- Trip cancellation and interruption for the full non-refundable cost of your trip, including flights.
- Baggage and delay cover, and supplier failure cover in case an airline or lodge goes out of business.
- A pre-existing condition waiver, which most insurers sell only within 14 to 21 days of your first trip payment.
- Adventure riders for climbing Mount Kenya above 4,000 m (Point Lenana is 4,985 m), scuba diving on the coast and any other activity your policy excludes.
Credit cards often include some travel cover, but the limits on medical and evacuation are usually far below these figures, and many card policies do not cover medical care abroad at all. Read the card's benefit guide before you rely on it. As a cost guide, Squaremouth reports that safari travelers in 2026 paid an average of $1,617 to insure a $25,169 trip, a little over 6 percent.
Three questions to ask before you buy
These are the questions we hear most from travelers comparing policies. The honest answers, at the time of writing:
- Will my policy pay if I simply change my mind? No, not a standard policy. Changing your mind, or deciding you would rather not travel, is not a covered reason. Only Cancel For Any Reason cover pays, and only if you bought it in time.
- Does my policy cover every place on my route? Usually, but read the exclusions. Some policies exclude areas under a government travel advisory, so check your route against the wording, and before you book, check the current U.S. State Department advisory for Kenya. If anything is unclear, ask the insurer in writing.
- Am I covered if something was already known when I bought the policy? Often not. Many policies exclude events and conditions that were known at the time of purchase, which is one more reason to buy early, add a pre-existing condition waiver if you need one, and read the clause.
Cancel For Any Reason, explained
Cancel For Any Reason, CFAR, is an upgrade on a comprehensive policy. It refunds 50 to 75 percent of your non-refundable trip cost if you cancel for a reason the policy does not otherwise cover, including simply deciding not to go. The conditions are strict: you usually have to buy it within 14 to 21 days of your first trip payment (insurers call it the initial deposit; with us, it is your first monthly payment or your payment in full), insure the full trip cost, and cancel at least two days before departure. It is the one cover that pays when your reason for cancelling is your own.
Our cancellation terms
Our Booking Conditions cover events outside our control, such as severe weather, natural disasters, government action or airline closures. If such an event means we cannot run your trip, you can choose a later trip or a refund of what you have paid, minus supplier costs we cannot recover, which we show you. If you decide not to travel while we can still run the trip, our normal cancellation charges apply: a full refund minus a $250 per person administration fee and unrecoverable supplier costs at 91 days or more, 50 percent at 61 to 90 days, and 100 percent at 60 days or fewer. Date changes 91 days or more out cost $50 plus any supplier charges. There is no deposit: you pay in full or monthly.
Which policy pays: three scenarios
| What happens | Who pays | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| You break an ankle on a walk in a Mara conservancy | Flying-doctor cover flies you to Nairobi; your travel policy pays the hospital and any flight home | Tell your guide; the camp calls the flying doctors; call your insurer's assistance line as soon as you can |
| Your flight to Nairobi is cancelled and you miss your first night | Your travel policy's delay or missed-connection benefit | Get the airline's written confirmation; keep receipts; we rebook the first night and transfers |
| You cancel six weeks out because you have changed your mind | Only Cancel For Any Reason cover, at 50 to 75 percent | Email us to cancel; claim from your insurer with our cancellation invoice |
| You cancel because you fall ill before you fly | Your policy's cancellation cover, if illness is a covered reason | Get a doctor's letter; tell us and your insurer the same day |
How to claim
- Call your insurer's 24-hour assistance line before treatment where you can; they can pay a hospital directly
- Keep every receipt, medical report and prescription, and photograph them
- Report theft to the police within 24 hours and get the report number
- Report lost bags to the airline before you leave the airport
- Ask us for written confirmation of changes or cancellations; insurers ask for it
- Claim promptly; most policies have time limits
