Confirm the activity and the rescue cover before paying
For an Everest Base Camp trek, confirm that your policy covers the precise trekking activity and itinerary, as well as mountain rescue and helicopter costs. FCDO explicitly advises the latter for Nepal. A policy described as worldwide travel insurance is not enough evidence by itself.
Use the policy wording and any written endorsement to establish cover. This guide helps you prepare questions; it does not certify a policy, recommend an insurer or give medical clearance to trek. Eligibility depends on your residence, circumstances, disclosures and the contract you buy.
FCDO: Nepal trekking and rescue-insurance adviceDescribe the full route, including side excursions
Send the insurer the route name, travel dates, intended overnight stops and the highest point you plan to visit. Include Kala Patthar or any pass or peak extension rather than describing the whole holiday only as a Base Camp trek. Ask which activity category applies and whether the policy has altitude limits, guide requirements or exclusions relevant to that itinerary.
Copyable question: “Does this policy cover my attached Nepal trekking itinerary, including its highest planned excursion, and which endorsement or activity category confirms that?” Keep the answer with the policy schedule. FCDO advises checking cover for every activity and buying specialist cover or an add-on when necessary.
FCDO: activity cover and specialist insuranceFour different expenses to separate
Swipe or scroll sideways to compare every column.
| Your decision | What to establish | What not to assume |
|---|---|---|
| Search, mountain rescue and helicopter evacuation | Whether each is covered, the applicable limits and excesses, and how emergency assistance is contacted. | A medical-expenses limit alone confirms every rescue cost. |
| Treatment and medical travel home | Hospital cover, emergency transport, medical repatriation and the claims procedure. | A helicopter to a hospital settles all later bills. |
| Weather delay and missed onward travel | Whether the domestic flight and resulting extra nights or missed connection fall within an insured event. | Rescue cover also pays for ordinary flight disruption. |
| Voluntary early return or commercial helicopter transfer | Whether any benefit applies to your exact reason for changing plans. | Buying an alternative flight makes it an insured emergency. |
Ask how rescue payment and authorisation work
Ask the insurer’s emergency assistance service how it handles a mountain incident: who should contact it, what authorisation it requires when practicable, and whether providers bill it directly or require you to pay first. Get the policy’s actual limits, excesses and contact procedure rather than relying on a trek seller’s statement that insurance will pay.
Do not delay urgent professional help to complete an ordinary claims discussion. Nor does insurance guarantee that a helicopter can reach you in the conditions at the time. The purpose of this check is to understand the financial and assistance arrangements, not to promise rescue availability.
FCDO: mountain hazards, aviation and rescue coverDeclare medical conditions and check who can buy the policy
FCDO advises declaring existing physical and mental health conditions, including conditions under investigation, pending tests and treatment. Failure to declare relevant information can invalidate cover. Answer the insurer’s questions fully; an itinerary described as suitable by a trek provider does not replace that disclosure.
Check residence and age eligibility, all countries visited including transit stops, and the maximum length of a single trip. An annual policy can still impose a per-trip limit. Buy appropriate cover promptly after booking so that you know when cancellation protection starts; do not assume a policy purchased after travel has begun has the same terms.
FCDO: disclosures, eligibility and trip durationWeather disruption is not a medical evacuation
A cancelled Lukla flight may leave you paying for accommodation, food, a changed ground transfer or an international ticket change. Ask which policy section, if any, applies to that chain of events, including the evidence and delay threshold required. Do not turn a potential claim into money you assume is immediately available.
FCDO advises carrying enough funds for delays because ATMs may not be available and cards may not be accepted in remote areas. Keep a separate disruption reserve even after buying insurance. A voluntary helicopter transfer chosen to save time is not automatically a mountain-rescue claim.
Lukla disruption decisions and alternative travelKeep the policy usable when you are offline
Carry the policy number, insurer’s emergency assistance number and relevant endorsements offline. Share them with your travelling companions and someone at home, as FCDO recommends. Keep booking records and receipts for a claim, without assuming that every expense is covered.
Before purchase, resolve any unanswered question about the activity, route, rescue benefits or exclusions in writing. A seller’s summary is useful for finding the relevant clause, but the policy wording and agreed endorsements are what you need to retain.
FCDO: carrying and sharing insurance detailsKeep insurance separate from the trip budget
Record the premium and excesses alongside confirmed package inclusions and personal spending. Keep possible reimbursement separate from the cash you may need during disruption.
Everest Base Camp trip-budget worksheet