01All northern circuit
Serengeti · Ngorongoro · Tarangire · Manyara · Kilimanjaro · Arusha region
Full coverage of the classic safari and trekking zone. Medical planes can land on bush strips at most camps within 90 minutes of dispatch.
Arusha · Tanzania
Est. 2015
Our Story
Who We ArePhilosophy · VisionOur Safari StoryA decade in the bushWhy Tanzania RewildedThe differenceOur Guides12 FGASA-certifiedOur Vehicles7 Land CruisersThe Roof of Africa
Kilimanjaro OverviewFive climate zonesChoosing Your RouteMachame · Lemosho · RongaiBest Time to ClimbJan–March · June–OctoberPreparing for the ClimbFitness · Gear · TrainingAltitude & SafetyAMS protocolsEvery Lens
The Great MigrationMara River crossingsBeach HolidaysZanzibar · Pemba · MafiaCultural ToursMaasai · HadzabeMountain TrekkingKilimanjaro · MeruHoneymoonsDesigned for twoFamily & FriendsAll ages welcomeChapter I
A decade in the bush
Founded in 2015 by guides who grew up tracking leopards on foot. Built for travellers who know the difference.
Read our storyChapter II
Summit on foot
Africa's highest peak, summited with our most experienced climbing guides. No shortcuts, full preparation.
Plan my summitChapter III
Authored for you
Every journey custom-built. Browse the most-requested shapes or begin with a blank page.
Begin your journeyChapter IV
Every season, every region
From Serengeti plains to Zanzibar reefs — we work only in regions we know by foot, by season, by name.
Explore TanzaniaChapter V
The practical book
Seasons, visas, vaccinations, weather, tipping. Nothing glossed over. Written by people who live here.
Read the guideAMREF FlyingDoctors
Africa's oldest and most respected air-ambulance service. For $16 per person, a temporary membership provides unlimited emergency evacuation from anywhere in Tanzania to Nairobi. Every serious traveller should have it.
Scroll · Explore coverage
$16
two-week tourist cover
Per person, full Tanzania coverage
67
years operating
Africa's oldest air-ambulance service
24/7
emergency dispatch
Operations centre never sleeps
1,000+
evacuations annually
From remote camps and climbs
The quiet safety net
Why Every Traveller Has It
What it is
AMREF Flying Doctors is the air-ambulance arm of AMREF Health Africa — a non-profit that has operated across East and Southern Africa since 1957. The Flying Doctors service was spun out specifically to handle medical evacuations from remote African locations to hospitals capable of treating serious injuries. In Tanzania, that almost always means Nairobi.
Why it matters
Tanzania is a remote country. The Serengeti is seven hours by road from the nearest trauma hospital. Kilimanjaro's summit camps have no vehicle access. Ruaha is 300km from any surgical facility. In a medical emergency — a fall, altitude sickness, a snakebite, a vehicle accident — ground evacuation is often impossible or dangerously slow. AMREF Flying Doctors is the difference between a difficult situation and a tragedy.
How the tourist plan works
For $16 per person, a two-week Tourist Plan covers any emergency air-evacuation from Tanzania to Nairobi's Aga Khan Hospital. No claims process, no paperwork at the time of the emergency — the team dispatches the plane on the strength of your membership number. We enroll every guest automatically. If you'd like to enroll yourself for extended travel, it takes three minutes online.
Coverage regions
Where AMREF Flies
The Tourist Plan covers every destination in Tanzania we send guests to — and the Extended Plan adds six neighbouring countries for regional travellers.
01
02Southern circuit
Ruaha · Nyerere · Mikumi · Udzungwa · Selous region
Longer flight distances but comprehensive coverage. Most southern camps maintain dedicated airstrips with 24-hour emergency access.
03Zanzibar & coast
Zanzibar · Pemba · Mafia · Dar es Salaam · Pangani
Full coverage of the archipelago and coastal mainland. Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam have commercial airports enabling rapid dispatch.
04Mount Kilimanjaro
All routes · All altitudes to summit zone
Specialist altitude-sickness response. Evacuations typically by helicopter from porter-accessible evacuation points, then fixed-wing to Nairobi if required.
Which plan you need
Three Membership Tiers
01
Tourist Plan
$16/person · 2 weeks
For visitors. Covers any emergency medical evacuation from Tanzania to Nairobi's Aga Khan Hospital during the two-week period. Unlimited flights. We enroll every guest automatically — it's included in every trip we operate.
- Unlimited Tanzania → Nairobi evacuations
- Covers all listed zones
- Up to 2 weeks from activation
- Automatic enrollment with us
- No age restrictions
- Pre-existing conditions accepted
Most Popular
02
Tourist Plan Extended
$32/person · 2 months
For longer trips, overlanders, and multi-country travellers. Same Tanzania coverage as the standard Tourist Plan, extended to two months and widened to include Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Burundi, and South Sudan.
- Unlimited regional evacuations
- Tanzania + 6 neighbouring countries
- Up to 2 months coverage
- Evacuation to home country option
- Priority dispatch
- 24/7 medical advisory line
03
Annual Family
$340/family · 12 months
For expats, frequent travellers, and families based in or returning to East Africa. Covers up to two adults and four children under 18 for a full year across the entire AMREF coverage region.
- 2 adults + 4 children under 18
- Full annual coverage
- All AMREF coverage zones
- Evacuation to home country
- Medical second-opinion service
- Member discount network
What actually happens
The Evacuation, Step by Step
From the moment the emergency call is received to admission at Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi, here's the real timeline.
T+0
Emergency call received
24/7 operations centre in Nairobi takes the call — from the camp radio, a tour operator, or directly from a client. A doctor is on the line within 60 seconds to triage the situation and determine urgency.
T+15 min
Dispatch decision
If evacuation is warranted, a specific aircraft is selected — typically a Cessna Caravan for airstrip landings or a Citation jet for longer flights. A medical team is briefed on the patient's condition.
T+90 min
Medical plane in the air
Aircraft departs Nairobi with a specialist medical team — at minimum a doctor and flight nurse, often trauma specialists for accident cases. Medical equipment includes ventilators, defibrillators, and full ICU-level supplies.
T+3-5 hrs
On-site treatment begins
Aircraft lands on the nearest accessible airstrip. Medical team transfers to ground transport if needed to reach the patient. Stabilisation begins immediately with full ICU equipment available.
T+6-8 hrs
Patient in the air
Patient loaded into the aircraft — often on a stretcher with continuous monitoring. Flight time from most Tanzania points to Nairobi is 90 minutes to 2 hours. Medical care continues throughout the flight.
T+8-10 hrs
Admission at Aga Khan
Patient arrives at Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi — East Africa's leading trauma centre. Admission is pre-arranged. For severe cases, onward evacuation to Europe or the US can be arranged from Nairobi.
The detail
What's Covered
| Emergency category | Tourist | Extended | Family |
|---|---|---|---|
| Altitude sickness (AMS / HACE / HAPE) | Covered | Covered | Covered |
| Accidents & traumatic injury | Covered | Covered | Covered |
| Severe illness requiring hospitalization | Covered | Covered | Covered |
| Snakebite, animal attack, infection | Covered | Covered | Covered |
| Cardiac emergencies | Covered | Covered | Covered |
| Evacuation to Nairobi | Covered | Covered | Covered |
| Evacuation to home country | — | Covered | Covered |
| Hospital costs in Nairobi | — | — | — |
| Pre-existing conditions | Covered | Covered | Covered |
| Pregnancy-related emergencies | Partial | Partial | Partial |
| Deliberate self-harm | — | — | — |
| Acts of war / civil unrest | — | — | — |
Getting covered
How to Enroll
Enroll automatically through us
If you book your trip with Tanzania Rewilded, the Tourist Plan is enrolled on your behalf — membership numbers issued before you arrive, printed on your travel documents. No action needed from you.
Enroll yourself online
Visit flydoc.org directly. Tourist Plan enrollment takes three minutes — name, passport, dates of travel, card payment. Confirmation and membership number emailed within an hour. Carry the number with you.
Verify before travel
Your membership number is your entire proof of coverage. Save it in your phone, email it to your travel companion, and make sure the lead guide on every trip you join knows it. In an emergency, it's what they radio in.
Combine with full travel insurance
AMREF covers air-evacuation — not hospital bills, trip cancellation, lost baggage, or civil-liability claims. For those, you need a standard travel-insurance policy. See our Travel Insurance guide for our recommended providers.
Common questions
FAQs
Does AMREF replace travel insurance?
No. AMREF covers the air-evacuation itself and the flight-medical team. It does not cover hospital bills once you arrive in Nairobi, nor any of the other things a normal travel-insurance policy includes — trip cancellation, lost luggage, liability claims, medical costs at the destination. You need both.
Is the Tourist Plan really only $16?
Yes. AMREF is a non-profit and the Tourist Plan is priced at-cost as part of their public-safety mission. The $16 fee covers two weeks of unlimited evacuation from any location in Tanzania to Nairobi. It is the best-value insurance product we know of.
What if I'm climbing Kilimanjaro?
Coverage is the same. AMREF routinely evacuates climbers with altitude sickness — HACE and HAPE are medical emergencies where rapid descent and hospital treatment are lifesaving. We require every climber to have AMREF coverage in effect before the climb begins.
Can AMREF fly to Europe or the US?
The standard Tourist Plan only covers evacuation to Nairobi. If you need onward evacuation to your home country, either upgrade to the Extended Tourist Plan or ensure your regular travel insurance includes repatriation coverage. Most comprehensive policies do — but verify explicitly.
What if the weather prevents flying?
AMREF's aircraft are cleared for most weather conditions — they routinely fly at night, in rain, and in marginal visibility. On the rare occasion weather delays a flight, ground evacuation to the nearest airstrip is organized in parallel. Delays beyond a few hours are exceptionally rare.
What if my condition isn't life-threatening?
AMREF's service is explicitly for medical emergencies. For non-urgent issues (minor illness, broken bones without complication), the preferred route is ground transport to a local clinic or the AMREF hospital network. Your camp guide will call AMREF's medical advisory line for case-by-case guidance.
We enroll you automatically
Safer, by default.
Every Tanzania Rewilded trip includes AMREF Flying Doctors Tourist Plan coverage. You don't sign up, you don't pay extra, you don't fill out forms. You just arrive — covered.