The most un-fun part of an expedition \u2013 trying to find the right travel insurance policy to cover trekking and\/or mountaineering. Here\u2019s a summary of what to look for and what we found.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re from the UK, Europe or USA there are plenty of options. For Australians, if you so much as think about using a rope then the options dry up fast. Does having the \u20187th Summit\u2019 not count for anything?!<\/p>\n
Our focus is on insurance for high altitude and also for the use of mountaineering equipment when needed (helmet, crampons, ice axe, ropes, harness etc). We\u2019ve also looked at Covid insurance.<\/p>\n
This article includes general information about travel insurance for all trekkers and mountaineers regardless of where you live. We have a separate article<\/a> which details the options for Aussies. We reviewed over 45 providers encompassing insurance companies, rescue specialists, alpine clubs, climbing clubs, recommendations from expedition companies, aggregator & comparison websites, blogposts, as well as talking to other trekkers and mountaineers.<\/p>\n Disclaimer:<\/strong> This is general information based on our research. As always, you should read the latest policy fine print and online reviews, and consider your own personal requirements. While we display Google Ads on this page, we are not<\/strong><\/span> using affiliate links in the content of this article and therefore do not<\/strong><\/span> earn commission from any insurance companies that we mention.<\/p>\n Update Feb 2025:<\/strong> we read that<\/a> if you\u2019re in the UK\/EU and are going trekking in Nepal, that most insurers have a policy excess of \u00a3750\/\u20ac900 if you need to be rescued by helicopter for medical reasons.<\/em> So check the policy fineprint wherever you\u2019re based in case this becomes the trend.<\/p>\n Most travel insurers now include some form of Covid cover<\/strong> \u2013 mostly for overseas medical expenses if you get Covid while travelling. So we\u2019re no longer including this in our analysis. If it\u2019s important to you then make sure you read the policy fineprint.<\/p>\n There are new travel and adventure insurance providers popping up all the time<\/strong>. so it\u2019s always worth a quick search to see what\u2019s new. Many are just different brands who use the same underwriters. In these cases the policies are largely the same, with perhaps a few tweaks depending on the pricing or the type of travel that they specialise in.<\/p>\n There are 3 main sources of insurance for trekking and mountaineering which we\u2019ll cover in this section \u2013 remote rescue specialists, alpine clubs and travel insurers. You may need to use a combination to get all the cover you need. We\u2019ve also added some other aspects which are worth being aware of too.<\/p>\n Check with your expedition company first<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019re going with a trekking or mountaineering expedition company then check their website or ask their advice. They often have requirements and recommendations for insurance. In some cases they may provide a referral which can be useful e.g. in the case of Ripcord, to become eligible to buy their travel insurance add-on.<\/p>\n Partnerships we know of as at 2025:<\/p>\n These companies specialise in rescue\/evacuation, which is a membership service rather than insurance. You can join as a short-term or longer term member. Depending on your circumstances you may be eligible to purchase their optional add-ons of medical expenses and travel insurance.<\/p>\n Rescue\/Evacuation Service<\/strong><\/p>\n Optional Insurance Add-ons<\/strong><\/p>\n Insurance to cover medical expenses, cancellation, luggage etc. However you aren\u2019t necessarily eligible<\/p>\n What to Check<\/strong><\/p>\n Depending on your requirements you may want to clarify a few grey areas with them, which may come down to their sole discretion e.g.<\/p>\n Some of the Alpine Clubs around the world<\/a> offer a limited amount of rescue and medical expenses (not general travel insurance) for their members while participating in mountain-related activities. Other clubs are focussed more on providing access to ski lodges and mountain huts.<\/p>\n Of those offering rescue\/medical, some only allow membership from within their region e.g.<\/p>\n Others are open to international membership e.g.<\/p>\n These companies provide general travel insurance but are usually limited in the adventure activities and altitudes they cover. You often need to buy the higher level plans or adventure optional add-ons to get the cover you need. They are:<\/p>\n It\u2019s sometimes worth checking with your airline or health insurance fund in case they offer travel insurance through them for a better price.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve done a detailed review of options for Trekking and Mountaineering Insurance for Australians<\/a> here.<\/p>\n For residents of other countries you\u2019ve probably got many more options which you\u2019ll need to research yourself. Here are some we are aware of:<\/p>\n UK: TrueTraveller<\/a>, Campbell Irvine<\/a>, BattleFace<\/a>, SnowCard<\/a>, Dogtag<\/a>, Adventures<\/a>, SportsCoverDirect<\/a><\/p>\n USA: TripAssure<\/a>, Travel Guard<\/a>, Squaremouth<\/a> (aggregator)<\/p>\n Canada: TuGo<\/a><\/p>\n International:<\/p>\n For more information here\u2019s another good article about Travel, Rescue and Medical Evacuation Insurance<\/a>.<\/p>\n Depending on the country you\u2019re travelling to, you may have access to these health care services. However you\u2019d still need travel insurance to cover all other situations.<\/p>\n Reciprocal Health Care<\/strong> e.g.<\/p>\n NZ Accident Compensation<\/strong><\/p>\n They can be useful as a general overview or they can just be plain annoying if they don\u2019t give you a full set of options because they\u2019re biased by the commissions they\u2019re paid.<\/p>\n Some have useful blogposts such as these (Aussie-based, but still some useful info for everyone)<\/p>\n All insurance companies seem to have good\/bad reviews, and a lot come down to<\/p>\n Post Covid, many insurance companies have staff shortages or other issues which have impacted their customer service (e.g. response time for claims or queries).<\/p>\n If trekking or mountaineering in Nepal, be aware of some of the tricky tactics that have been used in the past. Hopefully some of the operators have cleaned up their act since then. In 2018 the trekking world was abuzz with various scams which you can read about here:<\/p>\n Update Feb 2025:<\/strong> we read that<\/a> if you\u2019re in the UK\/EU and are going trekking in Nepal, that most insurers have a policy excess of \u00a3750\/\u20ac900 if you need to be rescued by helicopter for medical reasons.<\/em> So check the policy fineprint wherever you\u2019re based in case this becomes the trend.<\/p>\nTravel Insurance in 2025<\/h2>\n
\n
What to Consider when Searching for Trekking and Mountaineering Insurance<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Trekking and Mountaineering Insurance<\/h2>\n
Remote Rescue Specialists<\/span><\/h3>\n
\n
More information on Global Rescue and Ripcord:<\/h4>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Alpine Clubs<\/span><\/h3>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Travel Insurers<\/span><\/h3>\n
\n
\n
Reciprocal Health Care Agreements and NZ ACC<\/span><\/h3>\n
\n
\n
Insurance Aggregators\/Comparison Websites<\/span><\/h3>\n
Online Reviews<\/span><\/h3>\n
\n
Nepal Helicopter Rescue Scams<\/span><\/h3>\n
Tips for Making a Travel Insurance Claim<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
![\"Helicopter](\"https:\/\/sp-ao.shortpixel.ai\/client\/to_auto,q_lossy,ret_img,w_800,h_800\/https:\/\/www.cutlunchadventures.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Feature-Image-Trekking-and-Mountaineering-Insurance.jpg\")