Safari

Is a safari safe?

For most visitors on an organised trip in Kenya or Tanzania, yes. The animals that people worry about are rarely the problem. What kills and injures tourists on safari is mostly the same thing that kills residents: the roads. Malaria is the second risk worth planning for, and crime and terrorism trail some way behind.

We have to be upfront about the numbers. Neither country publishes deaths of visitors against visitor numbers, and no study counts safari deaths per trip. Our estimate of about 1 micromortMicromortA one-in-a-million chance of death. It lets you compare the risk of very different activities on one scale.More in the glossary per day, or 5 to 15 for a typical one- to two-week safari, is built from road death rates and malaria data. That is roughly the risk of 3,000 to 9,000 miles as a car passenger on British roads, and it puts a safari in the same range as a few days of mountain hiking.

Roads are the real hazard

WHO estimatedWHO road-death estimateThe World Health Organization's estimate of road traffic deaths per 100,000 people in a country, adjusted for deaths that police statistics miss.More in the glossary 28.3 road deaths per 100,000 people in Kenya and 31.1 in Tanzania in 2019, among the highest rates in the world. A safari involves long days in a vehicle, often on the Nairobi–Mara road or the Arusha–Ngorongoro–Serengeti circuit, mixing with overloaded lorries, buses and motorbikes. Inside the parks, the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary warns that the dirt tracks become hazardous or impassable after heavy rain.

Crashes involving safari vehicles do happen. In July 2024 a road accident inside Serengeti National Park killed one Chinese visitor and injured six others. A 2015 study of US State Department records found that road crashes were the leading cause of non-natural death for US citizens abroad in almost every country; in South Africa, the safari destination with a published figure, the rate was 10.9 road deaths per million US visits in 2003–2009.

Malaria: the risk people skip

Malaria occurs in most safari areas of both countries; CDC recommends preventive tablets for much of Kenya and most of Tanzania. In 2023 the UK recorded 14 imported malaria cases from Kenya and 19 from Tanzania, and 6 malaria deaths from all destinations. Three of the six people who died had travelled for a holiday, and none of those whose history was known had taken preventive tablets.

That pattern holds well beyond the deaths: 89% of UK cases with a known history had taken no tablets. The UK Health Security Agency says the recommended drugs are more than 90% effective when taken correctly. This is one of the cheapest risk reductions available to a traveller.

Wildlife, crime and security

Big animals cause dramatic headlines but few deaths. The cases on record usually involve someone on foot: walking near water at dusk, leaving the vehicle for a photo or wandering outside an unfenced camp. A Chinese tourist was killed by a hippo while photographing at Lake Naivasha in 2018. In a closed vehicle with a guide, the risk from animals is close to zero.

Security is a bigger question in 2026 than wildlife. The US rates Tanzania at Level 3, "reconsider travel", since the deadly crackdown after the October 2025 election, while Kenya sits at Level 2. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says terrorist attacks in Kenya could happen in places including safari parks, and advises against travel to parts of the north-east and coast that lie well away from the main parks. Organised safaris in the Mara, Amboseli, Serengeti and Ngorongoro have continued normally. In October 2026 Kenya also confirmed one imported Ebola case; check the country pages for the latest.

Who should be careful

• Older travellers and anyone with heart disease. Rough roads, heat and long days add up, and the nearest intensive care unit may be a flight away.
• Pregnant travellers, because malaria is more dangerous in pregnancy and some tablets are not suitable. Talk to your doctor before booking.
• Walking safari and self-drive guests, who face the wildlife and road risks most directly.

How to stay safe on safari

1. Book a licensed operator, never a tout. In Tanzania, the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators keeps a member list.
2. Fly between parks where you can. A light-aircraft hop replaces hours on the most dangerous part of the trip, the public highway.
3. Wear a seatbelt in the safari vehicle and ask for one if it is missing.
4. Avoid road travel after dark, as the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary advises for both countries.
5. Take malaria tablets as prescribed, use repellent and sleep under a net.
6. Stay in the vehicle unless the guide says otherwise, and keep arms inside near big cats and elephants.
7. Buy insurance that covers air evacuation, for example through a flying doctor service.

How we scored it

Fatality risk (62) rests on our estimate of 5 to 15 micromortsMicromortA one-in-a-million chance of death. It lets you compare the risk of very different activities on one scale.More in the glossary per trip, mainly from road crashes; confidence is low because no one counts safari deaths per visitor. Injury risk (70) and controllability (70) are fair, since the main hazards respond to sensible choices. Rescue and environment (40) is the weak point; the parks are remote and serious care is a flight away. Climbing Kilimanjaro is a much riskier add-on than the safari itself.