South Africa Travel Insurance is essential for anyone traveling to South Africa, whether for vacation or work.

South Africa is located on the southernmost tip of the African continent and is visited by many tourists year-round. An interesting fact is that an independent country called Lesotho is located entirely inland within South Africa and shares no borders with any other country - a rare feature in the world.

As South Africa is located in the Southern Hemisphere, its weather is opposite from the Northern Hemisphere, where most of tourists will be visiting from. When visiting South Africa, keep that in mind when packing clothes and other accessories.

South Africa has both private and public health care systems, but the public health care system is understaffed and underfunded and will not provide the level of health care you might expect. Therefore, you will have to use the private health care system.

If you are planning to travel to Kruger National Park or other wild areas, make sure to bring insect repellent and malaria pills and to cover your wrists and ankles.

South Africa is a country of adventure. This naturally means you'll find yourself exposed to risks. Inuries are more common among tourists hiking the Table Mountain in Cape Town than Mount Everest. As the water along the coastal areas is usually rough, there is a possibility of drowning and hypothermia death. Therefore, you should consider swimming and surfing only in clearly marked areas.

If you are visiting remote areas, you may need to be evacuated to a larger city where adequate care can be given. Therefore, sufficient travel insurance is highly recommended.

Road safety, especially for women, can be a concern in specific areas. Therefore, it is best to cover up properly and travel in groups to the extent possible.

When going for a holiday in South Africa, you should take hepatitis A/B and typhoid vaccines and other routine vaccines such as MMR, DTP and varicella. Consult your doctor to see if any additional vaccines are necessary for you. However, there is no known risk of yellow fever in South Africa.

Tropical thunderstorms have been known to strike South Africa. The country’s east coast along the southwestern portion of the Indian Ocean is the most likely region to experience these storms. Be sure to purchase a travel insurance policy that includes hurricane coverage to protect yourself and your loved ones in the event of a tropical cyclone.

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DISCLAIMER: The information within this article is intended as a broad summary of benefits and services and is meant for informational purposes only. The information does not describe all scenarios, coverages or exclusions of any insurance plan. The benefits and services of an insurance plan are subject to change. This is not your policy/certificate of insurance. If there is any discrepancy between the information in this article and the language of your policy/certificate wording, the language of the policy/certificate wording will prevail.