About Travel Insurance
BONA FIDE Travel Insurance is both important and compulsory
It is a condition of booking that all persons travelling as part of the holiday booked have valid AND adequate, comprehensive travel insurance.
No, “ifs or buts”, travel insurance is absolutely compulsory for all participants booked. A contractual obligation on your part.
It is your responsibility to ensure that the insurance cover you purchase is adequate for the particular needs of you and your party.
So, when you complete and sign a booking form (or are providing this information at another time) you are declaring as such that all participants have valid and adequate travel insurance.
We strongly recommend you research travel insurance BEFORE making your booking to ensure you are aware of a policy that meets both your own needs as well as our mandatory requirements.
For more on travel insurance see Section 5 of our Booking Terms & Conditions
Travel Insurance Advice & Guidance
From a legal perspective we cannot provide professional, qualified advice on travel insurance.
This means we cannot recommend travel insurance companies or travel insurance policies either.
This is because although the word “travel” is used, it is insurance and as such insurance will be regulated by the laws of the country you live in and usually a regulatory financial services industry authority.
So, for advice and guidance on travel insurance and whether a policy provides both essential, adequate and other forms of cover you need to contact a qualified travel insurance professional.
Please appreciate that as our clients come from many different countries we cannot possibly know what travel insurers there are in a particular country, nor have familiarity with the laws and regulations pertaining to your country of residence.
What you MUST be covered for
When you’re travelling to another country there are many things you might want to be covered for.It is your responsibility to ensure that the insurance cover you purchase is adequate for the particular needs of you and your party.
Our mandatory requirements are:
1. You must be covered for emergency helicopter rescue This is because there is no such thing in Nepal or Bhutan as a rescue service. An emergency rescue will be performed by a private, commercial helicopter. The cost of a typical helicopter rescue is around $US 5000. Simply put, if the helicopter company have not had payment authorised the helicopter will not come and rescue you. In an emergency we would call your travel insurers using the 24hr emergency phone number and policy number you have provided us with and request that your insurers authorise the deployment of a private helicopter rescue.
2. You must be covered for all the activities featured in your itinerary It’s your responsibility to ensure that all the activities in your itinerary are covered by your insurers e.g. trekking, mountain biking, rafting etc.
3. The maximum altitude your itinerary reaches Most travel insurance policies will have a a maximum altitude limit. More non-adventure travel type insurance policies (typically provided by employment, bank, credit card) only provide cover to around 2500m and this is usually found in the “small print”. It is your responsibility to ensure you purchase travel insurance that covers you for the maximum altitude reached in your chosen itinerary. If you are in doubt as to the maximum altitude attained in your particular itinerary, please ask us.
4. Medical and other curtailment costs Your travel insurance must include cover for; medical expenses, injury, death, cost of repatriation, as well as other costs related to curtailment, e.g additional transport, whether that be due to an emergency or otherwise e.g you or a member of your party decides to leave the booked itinerary voluntarily for any reason. There is no free health service in Nepal or Bhutan. Medical bills alone in the event of an emergency and hospitalisation can be very, very expensive.
For more see Section 3 of our Booking Terms & Conditions
5. Cancellation Sadly it happens sometimes that you are one of your party has to cancel. In these instances our terms and conditions that apply are as follows:
Cancellation more than 36 days before the date your trip starts: Loss of deposit only.
Cancellation 36 days or less before the date your trip starts (or failure to join the holiday): 100% of the holiday cost .
Clearly a cancellation can mean you losing a lot of money. Not just what you’ve paid us, but other things like your international flights etc. Most travel insurance policies will provide cover for cancellation for various reasons. You should check what a travel insurance company deems as a valid reason for cancellation.
Ensure your travel insurance covers you for the country you are visiting
Other things you might want your travel insurance to cover for your booking with ourselves
Travel insurance also provides cover for a great many other things other than just cancellation.
You might want to be covered for financial loss due to delayed or cancelled flights, missing baggage, end supplier financial failure etc.
Even though having valid, adequate bona fide travel insurance is compulsory when travelling with ourselves, we think that comprehensive travel insurance is essential regardless.
Sorry situations often end up as national news when a person has sadly ended up in hospital whilst travelling in a foreign country and without travel insurance and is unable to pay their hefty medical bills or are unable to afford the resultant costs in being able to get back home.
FAQ’s
Do we have to be insured at the time of booking?No, but as the deposit you’ll be paying at the time of booking is non-refundable it’s perhaps a good idea to have travel insurance cover in place at this time. Separately you’re probably also going to be paying in advance at this time for things like international air tickets, which may/may not be refundable/transferrable.
Do you accept medical only insurance?
No. Only a recognised bona fide travel insurance policy is acceptable. Anyway, medical insurance probably won’t provide you with cover for cancellation costs or curtailment costs.
I have cover via a rescue/security organisation is this OK?
No. Only a recognised bona fide travel insurance policy is acceptable. We cannot accept Global Rescue, International SOS or other such organisations as being valid travel insurance.Your travel insurance must be recognised as being part of the financial services industry and registered as an approved insurance company and by the relevant financial conduct authority.
Will you check through my travel insurance policy to ensure it is OK?
No. We aren’t qualified to say that your insurance policy cover is OK or otherwise. You should contact the travel insurance company and ask them if their policy meets our mandatory requirements if you’re not certain.
Will I be asked for evidence of my travel insurance?
Yes, Before you travel (and usually at the time of booking) we ask you for the name of your travel insurance company, your policy number and the insures 24hr emergency number.
At your pre-trip briefing our Operations Manager will ask you to reconfirm this information to ensure it is correct and may ask to see your Certificate of Travel Insurance.
Can I turn up and do my booked itinerary without valid and adequate travel insurance?
Absolutely not and you wouldn’t be entitled to a refund.
How do I find travel insurance?
Nowadays the internet is the place to start.
Search, “travel insurance”.
It depends on the type of itinerary you’ve chosen, particularly itineraries that exceed 2500m as usually more general travel insurance policies won’t cover altitudes above that (but check).
There are many specialist insurers that provide insurance for higher altitude trekking and other adventurous activities.
Search, “adventure travel insurance”.
One important thing, make sure that the travel insurance policy actually covers you for the country you are visiting.
CHECKLIST
Helicopter Rescue 
All Activities
Maximum Altitude
Medical & Curtailment Costs
Cancellation
Don't forget to ensure your travel insurance policy is valid for the country you're visiting!
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