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Trekking Travel Insurance 24/7 Emergency Assistance Helicopter rescue

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Trekking up to 2,500m

Included in all the Policies, The Standard Pack covers you for walking , hiking or trekking up to 2,500 metres. This is serious mountain altitude as our highest peak, Ben Nevis, is just 1,344 metres up .

Trekking up to 4,600m

But if you want to go higher, then our Activity Pack covers you up to 4,600 metres, which would just include reaching the peak of the Matterhorn at 4,478 metres or the highest part of the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu at 4,430 metres.

Trekking over 4,600m

Our Extreme Activity Pack covers above 4,600 metres, with no upper altitude limit and is suited to the most challenging of mountain treks such as Mt Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua, and Mont Blanc.

Medical & Repatriation

Medical Cover is the most important part of your travel insurance. Our Premier policy covers up to £10m for hospitalisation, medical and repatriation expenses, up to £5m for our standard and up to £2m for our budget policies.

Get Cover If Already Travelling

You don't need to be in your Home Country to get cover, you can buy a policy from anywhere in the world, as long as you're residential status is still in the UK or EU. Just follow the Quote form to get a price and complete your purchase.

Gadgets & Valuables

Protect your gadgets (mobile phones, iPods, iPod touch and/or accessories, ),  sports equipment (golf clubs, bicycles) and other valuables such as watches and  jewellery up to £1,000.


Baggage Cover
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24 hour Emergency
Helpline


Up to £10m Medical
Cover


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Trekking Insurance

For many people a holiday means a week or two relaxing on a beach or beside a pool. But why idle all day on a sun lounger when you can be strolling through an alpine meadow, breathing in pure air, exploring glaciers, passing behind waterfalls or hopping over mountain streams? Walking, rambling, hiking, trekking . . . call it what you will . . . is surely one of the most addictive and rejuvenating holiday experiences.
Not only do you get the adrenaline buzz from the exercise, but you can also get off the beaten track to explore some of the world’s most spectacular and awe-inspiring sceneryTrekking Travel Insurance

Whether you choose to walk alone, with friends, or as part of an organised group, you need to have the right insurance in place to give you peace of mind and to cover any mishaps along the way. Don’t forget that trekking is often undertaken in remote areas where medical or other assistance is not always close at hand.
What could be a relatively minor complication in normal circumstances, such as a sprained ankle or fractured bone, could necessitate a helicopter rescue if such an accident occurs in mountainous or isolated terrain. Add the costs of any hospital treatment or if repatriation to the UK is medically necessary, makes it essential that you have suitable insurance to cover all of these eventualities.

Key benefits of our Trekking Insurance include:

  • Emergency Medical and Repatriation Expenses up to £10 million.
  • Helicopter emergency rescue
  • Emergency Dental Cover.
  • Cover duration of up to 24 months.
  • Baggage Cover
  • Gadgets & Valuable Cover
  • No altitude limits with our extreme activity pack. (For trekking in Nepal the Nepal Trekking Pack add-on will need to be included. A 7,000m altitude limit is applied to this.)
  • One Way Travel.
  • No return ticket requirement.
  • Free Home visits.
  • 156+ Sports and Activities.
  • Winter Sports Cover.
  • Loss of Passport & Visa replacement costs.
  • Facility to arrange or extend Insurance when already travelling.

Frequently asked questions:

Yes, if trekking outside of Nepal, but there’s no cover if trekking on unrecognised routes.

If you are trekking within Nepal you must have our Nepal Trekking Activity Pack add-on included and there is no cover for trekking without a guide.

We do recommend going with a qualified guide or group of no less than 3 people, as search costs and non-medical rescue costs aren’t covered, only rescue from a known and agreed location is. The search aspect is usually cut out completely, or minimised, when trekking with a guide as they may carry some sort of GPS tracking with them and have an in-depth knowledge of the area. Whereas if you’re injured without a guide you may have a hard time describing your location to the helicopter rescue services, if you can contact them at all.

Altogether it’s a lot safer going with a guide, which is why we recommend it, but going without one doesn’t invalidate cover (outside of Nepal) provided you use recognised routes and take all necessary precautions.

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We class mountaineering as any section of a climb that you can’t walk or scramble up, or that requires more than standard additional trekking safety equipment (Ice axes, crampons and ropes to tie the party together are classed as standard equipment). Using ropes to ascend a vertical rock face would be considered mountaineering and therefore only covered with the Extreme Activity Pack Plus add-on included.

You must be able to trek to the summit of the mountain or other specific destination to be covered with our trekking cover. So, even if you are ascending a mountain that requires climbing or mountaineering for only a very short time we can't cover injuries sustained anywhere along the route, even if you were trekking at the time, unless the Extreme Activity Pack Plus add-on has been included.

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Yes, Helicopter Rescue is covered.

Helicopter rescue is classed as a necessary Medical Expense, so is covered by the Medical & Repatriation expenses section of cover (limit of either £2m, £5m or £10m depending on the policy)

To get a quote, please visit our Trekking Insurance page by following this link.

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We have no upper altitude limit with our Extreme Activity Pack Add-on. Otherwise, with the Activity Pack you can trek up to 4,600m. And if you're only trekking up to 2,500m, there's no need to add anything on - Trekking up to 2,500m is one of the 64 activities we cover for free.

Please note for trekking in Nepal the Nepal Trekking Pack add-on will need to be included. A 7,000m altitude limit is applied to this.

How do you include these Add-ons? See question below.

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To add any of our Activity Packs, just follow the Quote form - to stage 3 - there you will find all of the optional extras.

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It is recommended that when travelling to any remote areas, you go in a group of at least 3 people with a 2 way working communications device, a navigation device, you let someone(s) know your route and when you should arrive, as Search and Rescue costs are not covered.

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The Additional Mountain Rescue section of cover is a specific level of cover that takes effect when helicopter rescue is deemed necessary by the local Rescue Authorities due to a non-medical emergency such as natural disasters or adverse weather conditions.

This section of cover does not apply to Medically Necessary helicopter evacuations - these costs are covered under the Medical & Repatriation section of cover.

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There is an excess of £1500 applied to all Helicopter Rescue claims in Nepal.

Why is the Excess so high?

Trekking in Nepal has never been more popular. But recently there has been a massive surge in the number of helicopter rescues. Most rescues arise where a climber either has a serious accident or needs urgent hospitalisation through acute mountain sickness (AMS) due to a too rapid an exposure to low oxygen at high elevation. The simplest remedy is to descend 500m and remain there until the symptoms disappear. This should happen in most cases and should certainly not require a helicopter rescue. Recently, however, around 70% of helicopter rescues are down to AMS.

It appears that widescale fraud in the Nepalese trekking industry has seen helicopter operators, hospitals, guides, trekking companies and even trekkers themselves colluding to extort large sums of money from insurers through unnecessary claims for helicopter rescues and hospital treatment. If substantial kick-backs can be earned should a client need a rescue then there is an incentive for unscrupulous guides/trekking company to deliberately incur AMS by taking clients up too high too fast, or by adding baking soda to meals to induce vomiting and diarrhoea. Sometimes clients can be offered a bribe or a free helicopter ride if they don’t fancy trekking back down the mountain. They are then coached in what to tell their insurers.

Consequently, many insurers have either withdrawn from providing cover for trekkers to Nepal or have been forced to whack up the premiums. So it is important for all trekkers to Nepal to be aware of the situation and follow this advice:

 

  • Always book your trek through a reputable company.
  • Ensure that your trekking itinerary gains altitude slowly. Do not exceed 300m per day, with a rest day for every 1000m of ascent.
  • Never ignore the onset of altitude sickness. Always descend 500m or, if not possible, stay put.

 

Don't be drawn into any scam. Insurance fraud is a crime and adds to the cost of your holiday through added premiums.

Here is an article published regarding Nepal: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/25/world/asia/nepal-everest-insurers-fraud.html

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Some popular Trails:

Everest Base Camp

While only the very few ever get to scale the mighty 8,848m peak of Everest, the next best thing for the seasoned adventurer is the classic route to Everest Base Camp.

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Annapurna Circuit

The Annapurna Circuit, a 15 to 20 day trek within the Annapurna mountain range of central Nepal, is prized as one of the best treks in the world. The route encompasses a rich mix of terrain from jungle to paddy fields, waterfalls to canyons, as well as a cultural variety from Hindu villages

Read more...

Inca Trail

Trekking to the lost Inca city of Machu Picchu, with its spectacular mountain-top location in the Andes, is one of the world’s most iconic hikes. Machu Picchu was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007 and is classed a UNESCO World Heritage Site .

Read more...

Mount Kilimanjaro

Mount Kilimanjaro, at 5,895 metres (19,341 ft) above sea level, is the highest mountain on the African continent. It is one of the Seven Summits – the highest mountain peaks of each of the seven continents – that requires no technical climbing skills since all of its trekking routes are pure hiking paths.

Read more..

Mount Aconcagua

Aconcagua, at 6,961 metres, is the highest mountain in the Southern Hemisphere. It is located in Argentina within the Andes mountain range, close to the border with Chile. It is one of the Seven Summits - the highest mountains of each of the seven continents - and the second highest peak in the world outside of the Himalayas.

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Pacific Crest Trail

The Pacific Crest Trail is a spectacularly scenic long-distance hiking trail stretching from Mexico via the USA to Canada through California, Oregon, and Washington. It follows the highest section of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges and, along the way,

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Big Cat Travel Insurance Services, a trading name of Flynow.com Ltd (registration No.FRN 745388)  is an Appointed Representative of Campbell Irvine Ltd (registration No.306242) who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. You may check this on the Financial Services register www.fca.org.uk or by contacting them on (0) 800 111 6768. © 2020 Big Cat Travel Insurance Services.  All rights reserved.

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List of automatically covered medical conditions that do not need to be declared

Acne, ADHD, Allergic reaction (Anaphylaxis) provided that you have not needed hospital treatment for this in the last 2 years, Allergic rhinitis, Arthritis (the affected person must be able to walk independently at home without using mobility aids), Asthma (the diagnosis must have been made when the affected person was under the age of 50, and the asthma be controlled by no more than 2 inhalers and no other medication), Blindness or partial sightedness, Carpal tunnel syndrome, Cataracts, Chicken pox - if completely resolved, Common cold or flu, Cuts and abrasions that are not self-inflicted and require no further treatment, Cystitis - provided there is no on-going treatment, Deafness, Diabetes (which is controlled by diet or tablets only), Diarrhoea and vomiting - if completely resolved, Eczema, Enlarged prostate - benign only, Essential tremor, Glaucoma, Gout, Haemorrhoids, Hay fever, Ligament or tendon injury - provided you are not currently being treated, Macular degeneration, Menopause, Migraine - provided there are no on-going investigations, Nasal polyps, PMT, RSI, Sinusitis - provided there is no on-going treatment, Skin or wound infections that have completely resolved with no current treatment, Tinnitus, Underactive Thyroid (Hypothyroidism), Urticaria, Varicose veins in the legs.


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Important information

If you have a medical condition in addition to any of the automatically covered medical conditions, all conditions will be excluded from cover unless declared to the medical screening helpline.


What is classed as a medical condition?

a Any respiratory condition (relating to the lungs or breathing), heart condition, stroke, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy, allergy, or cancer for which you have ever received treatment (including surgery, tests or investigations by your doctor or a consultant/ specialist or prescribed medication).


b Any psychiatric or psychological condition (including anxiety, stress and depression) for which you have suffered which you have received medical advice or treatment or been prescribed medication for in the last five years.


c Any medical condition for which you have received surgery, in-patient treatment or investigations in a hospital or clinic within the last 12 months, or for which you are prescribed medication.


Any premium for medical screening quoted can be paid directly. This can be done either before or after taking out a policy with us. The policy and medical extension connect automatically, no reference numbers need to be exchanged.


Choosing not to declare a medical condition will not invalidate cover, but any costs incurred in relation to an undeclared condition will not be covered.


If making a declaration all medical conditions must be declared, you can't choose to only declare certain conditions.

Medical conditions can only be declared for up to 12 months at a time. A second declaration will have to be made after 12 months if necessary.


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