---
title: "Travel Insurance for Nepal: Altitude Cover, Helicopter Rescue and Scams to Avoid"
canonical: "https://lokoon.com/guides/travel-insurance-rescue"
author: "Lokoon"
published: "2026-11-15T04:44:03.035846+00:00"
modified: "2026-11-15T04:44:03.036002+00:00"
kind: "guide"
---

# Travel Insurance for Nepal: Altitude Cover, Helicopter Rescue and Scams to Avoid

> What a policy needs to include for trekking, how evacuation works in practice, and how to protect yourself from unnecessary rescues.

Insurance is the least exciting part of planning a trip to Nepal and one of the most important. Medical care is limited outside the main cities, and the only way out of the mountains in an emergency is often a helicopter that costs thousands of dollars. The right policy means that decision can be made on medical grounds alone. This is general information; read your own policy wording carefully and ask your insurer about anything unclear.
What a policy should cover
Trekking at the altitude you will reach. Many standard policies exclude hiking above a set height, often 3,000 or 4,000 metres, unless you buy an add-on. Find your route's highest point, including side trips to viewpoints, and make sure the limit is above it. For Everest Base Camp or the Annapurna Circuit that means cover to at least 5,500 or 6,000 metres.
Emergency evacuation by helicopter. This must be stated explicitly, and it must apply at altitude.
Medical treatment and hospitalisation, with a high limit.
Repatriation to your home country if medically necessary.
Trip cancellation, interruption and delay. Mountain flights are frequently postponed by weather; cover for missed connections and extra nights is valuable.
Adventure activities you plan to do, such as rafting, paragliding, bungee jumping or mountain biking. These are often excluded by default.
Baggage and personal belongings, including equipment.
Before you leave home
- Buy the policy when you book, so that cancellation cover starts immediately.

- Declare pre-existing medical conditions.

- Save the insurer's 24-hour emergency number in your phone and write it on paper.

- Carry a printed copy of the policy and email one to yourself.

- Give the policy number and emergency contact to your trekking agency and guide.

- Check whether the insurer requires you to call before any evacuation is arranged. Most do.

How a real evacuation works
- A trekker becomes seriously ill or injured.

- The guide contacts the agency in Kathmandu by phone or satellite device.

- The agency or the trekker calls the insurer's assistance line, describes the situation and obtains authorisation.

- A helicopter is dispatched, usually in the early morning, when weather permits. Flying is not possible at night or in cloud.

- The patient is flown to a hospital in Kathmandu or a lower clinic.

- The insurer pays the helicopter company and hospital directly, or the patient pays and claims later.

Keep every document: medical reports, receipts, the helicopter invoice and flight details. Insurers will ask for them.
If you cannot reach your insurer, a life-threatening emergency still comes first. Evacuate, and inform them as soon as you can.
The rescue scam
In 2018, investigations by Nepali authorities and international insurers exposed widespread fraud involving some trekking companies, guides, helicopter operators and hospitals. Trekkers with mild altitude symptoms or minor stomach upsets were pressed into helicopter evacuations they did not need, sometimes several to a flight with each billed in full, and admitted to hospital for unnecessary treatment. There were also allegations that a few guides tampered with food to make clients ill. Commissions were shared among those involved.
The government introduced tighter rules, and reputable operators have worked to clean up the industry. The problem has not vanished entirely, and some insurers have raised premiums or imposed conditions for Nepal as a result.
How to protect yourself:
- Book with an established agency that has a clear reputation.

- Follow a sensible acclimatisation schedule so that you are less likely to fall ill.

- If you feel unwell, the first response to mild altitude sickness is to stop ascending or walk down, not to fly.

- Be sceptical if a guide suggests a helicopter at the first headache, mentions that "insurance will pay", or discourages you from descending on foot when you are able to.

- Speak to your insurer yourself before agreeing.

- Ask for an independent opinion at a volunteer-run aid post if one is nearby.

- Never agree to say you are sicker than you are, and never accept an offer of a "free" helicopter ride back in return for an insurance claim. That is fraud, and you would be party to it.

Equally, do not let suspicion stop you from accepting evacuation when you are seriously ill. Worsening breathlessness at rest, confusion or loss of balance at altitude are emergencies.
What it comes down to
Buy a policy that names your altitude and includes helicopter evacuation, keep the emergency number where you can find it, choose your agency carefully and make your own call to the insurer if the question ever arises. With those steps taken, you can stop thinking about it and enjoy the walk.

Source: https://lokoon.com/guides/travel-insurance-rescue