Insurance
To join one of our trips you really should have comprehensive travel and medical insurance. We don't arrange or sell insurance.
Nepal has been in the news recently about insurance scams and this is something I feel strongly about. I hate what is going on with faking illness or guides making people sick to profit from the heli evacuation and wish everyone was honest instead. We have arranged two very necessary evacuations in recent years and that is all.
Trek and travel insurance Nepal
With the insurance scams over the last decade, some companies have upped their premiums for Nepal. Do check that trekking (hiking) in Nepal is covered.
For our treks that include a peak climb without ropes you need insurance that includes "hiking" to 7000m AND helicopter evacuation. Do get the correct policy even if we are only climbing for a day or two. Note "winter sports" is skiing; not needed for a trek.
Do read the fine print to ensure you are covered for all our activities.
Trek and travel insurance India
If trekking/climbing in India in theory helicopter evacuation is possible, however in practice it usually doesn't happen, although since 2018 that is slowly changing. Similarly, for our treks with a peak climb do get a policy that covers "hiking" up to 7000m.
Travel advice/warnings
Do look up the relevant info, there are some useful titbits in there, although there is also a lot of detail that is of little relevance as they are covering all their legal bases:
India
Australian government travel advice
Nepal
US State Department alerts & warnings
First options
First talk with your household insurer, your medical insurer (especially if you live in the USA or Canada) or your travel agent. Your household insurer or your medical insurer should be able to offer a cheaper policy than a travel agent, however ensure it covers the specific activities, such as "hiking" for treks or "guided+roped mountaineering" for trek-climbs.
Trekking is "Hiking", in insurance terms, and some policies cover up to 7000m, ie the summit of Aconcagua, which means you are also covered for our non-roped climbs in Ladakh and Nepal.
In general our hiking treks have a green (Nepal) or olive (India)-coloured title.
Expeditions are non-roped guided climbs or if the peak is more technical are called roped climbs and are in turquoise.
Here is an advertorial on mountaineering, leading to Atlas insurance.
Here is a comparison of trekking and climbing cover specifically for Aussies, but useful reading to everyone all the same, comparetravelinsurance.com.au.
And here is an adventure travel primer, with a handy link too.
UK citizens
UK companies will only cover residents of UK-Ireland.
JS Insurance - specifically tailored for trekking between 2000-6000m
JS Insurance - mountaineering
STA Travel UK - their premier policy (no winter sports) covers guided mountaineering with ropes, and trekking to 6000m
Sports Cover Direct - covers trekking to 7000m and mountaineering, and also have topup policies to cover what isn't covered by other insurance
Dogtag UK - cover trekking and mountaineering
Adventures Insurance - trekking 4000-6000m
BMC - the British Mountaineering Council, especially if going to high peaks
US-Canada citizens:
HCCmis.com - for trekking and mountaineering up to 7000m
Atlas Travel Medical - also for trekking and mountaineering up to 7000m
IM Global - a broad range of options, including for expats
Travel Insured - handled one of our trekkers well in an emergency
Canadian citizens
TuGo - travel insurance for trekking and mountaineering
Australia
STA Travel - trekking is covered, not mountaineering
Worldwide
Global Rescue - they provide rescue services and medical expenses their way with some policies but don't cover other aspects of insurance. They are an option worth considering though, expecially combined with simple travel insurance.
IHI.com, based in Denmark - they used to have no exclusions; now they exclude roped climbing
The above should cover everything but it is also possible to get separate insurance deals, and if you are a frequent flier having lost luggage, trip cancellation insurance separate from medical insurance makes sense.