When we were an adventure travel company we used to arrange countless trekking holidays to Everest Base Camp every year, and one question we were always asked is "Will my Travel Insurance cover me?". So, we arranged our own. Everest Base is at an altitude of 5364 metres, and the clear majority of travel insurance companies will not cover you for trekking at that altitude. With our cover, you can take out the "Extreme Adventure Pack" and you get cover for any altitude over 4600 metres, so you can rest assured you will have the best possible insurance for your trek and it includes Helicopter/Air Ambulance rescue charges if necessary on medical grounds.
One point to note is that when you arrive in Nepal, register your insurance with the Trekking Company you are using, and give them a copy of the Insurance Certificate and point out the Emergency Telephone numbers. Then, if you get into trouble, your guides will know exactly who to contact for authorisation for an evacuation, as the Himalayan Rescue Associations will not despatch a helicopter unless they are 100% sure that they will receive payment for the rescue. The average cost of a helicopter rescue is US$6000.
As reflected in the Foreign Office travel advice, please ensure you use a quality trekking company for your trek to Everest Base Camp. There are locally many rogue operators who charge low fees for a trek. They do this so they can get a reward from helicopter companies when they take you to altitude too quickly and you become ill. We have had numerous customers who realised this too late and either became very ill or left the treks as they realised what was happening and lost their money.
If you have booked your trek with a tour operator in your home country, like Exodus or G Adventures, have no fear, their tours are well run and they stage their treks with rest days to ensure no travellers become ill with altitude sickness.
If you are trekking and become ill, unless proved otherwise, it is altitude sickness. Do not ascend any higher, and if the symptoms are becoming worse, go down at once.
To learn more about altitude sickness and how to avoid it, read these guidance notes from Altitude.org.
The True Traveller was originally a travel company, not an insurance company, and although we believe we’ve designed the best value insurance we possibly can, we understand that the price of insurance does put people off taking it out to start with. Our maxim is, if you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel.