Insurance & Safety

Trekking in Nepal is well established and, with sensible preparation, generally safe. The two things that matter most are carrying the right travel insurance and respecting altitude. This page covers both.

Travel insurance

Comprehensive travel insurance is a requirement for any trip with us, not an optional extra. When you choose a policy, check the following:

• Altitude cover. Many standard policies only cover trekking up to around 3,000–4,000 m. Himalayan treks routinely go higher — some passes are over 5,000 m. Your policy must explicitly cover trekking to the maximum elevation of your itinerary. If you are unsure, send us your itinerary and we will tell you the high point.
• Emergency helicopter evacuation and repatriation. This is the single most important clause. Ground evacuation from a remote trail is slow and sometimes impossible; a helicopter rescue and hospital transfer can run to several thousand US dollars, and in practice you or your family pay up front and claim the money back later. Make sure the sum insured is high enough and that the policy covers being flown out of the mountains, not just treatment once you reach a city.
• Medical treatment abroad, including hospital stays and, if needed, an air ambulance home.
• Trip cancellation and interruption, so you are covered if illness, a family emergency or a flight disruption stops you travelling or forces you to cut the trip short.
• Baggage and personal trekking gear, and check whether "trekking" and "mountaineering" are defined differently in the wording — peak climbing usually needs a higher tier of cover than teahouse trekking.

Carry your policy number and the 24-hour assistance phone number with you on the trek, give a copy to your guide, and leave a copy with someone at home.

Altitude

Altitude sickness (acute mountain sickness, or AMS) happens when you climb faster than your body can adjust to the thinner air. Mild symptoms — headache, tiredness, poor appetite, broken sleep — are common above roughly 2,500–3,000 m and usually settle with rest and a slower ascent. It becomes dangerous only when the warning signs are ignored and you keep going up.

• Ascend gradually and build in acclimatisation days. Our itineraries are paced for this on purpose.
• Follow "climb high, sleep low" — it is fine to walk to a higher point during the day as long as you come back down to sleep.
• Drink plenty of water, eat well even if your appetite drops, and avoid alcohol and sleeping pills at altitude.
• Tell your guide honestly how you feel. The only reliable treatment for worsening symptoms is to descend, and a good guide would rather turn around early than take a risk.

General trekking safety

• Go with a licensed guide. Beyond navigation and local knowledge, someone needs to be responsible for decisions about weather, route and health if you are unwell. Solo trekking is now restricted in many of Nepal's national-park and conservation areas, and a guide is required.
• Stay on marked trails, start early so you finish the day's walk before afternoon cloud and wind build up, and do not walk alone on remote sections.
• Leave your itinerary with family and with us, and sign in at trail checkpoints where they exist.
• Pack for the mountains: warm layers, a waterproof shell, a hat and gloves, a headlamp, a basic personal first-aid kit and any medication you take, sun protection, and water purification.
• Food and water: eat freshly cooked food, drink water that has been boiled or treated, and take the first couple of days gently while your stomach and your body adjust.
• Carry enough cash in small notes. ATMs are scarce or non-existent once you leave the trailhead towns.

Getting to and from the trek

Mountain roads are rough and journeys are long. Flights to and from the small mountain airstrips are weather-dependent and delays or cancellations are normal, especially in the afternoons and in poor visibility. Always leave one or two buffer days in Kathmandu or Pokhara before an international flight home so a delayed mountain flight does not cost you your connection.