Trekking in the Everest region is widely famous for several reasons. The most important one is being able to experience the world’s highest mountain Everest.
Everest Base Camp Trek is a widely popular trek in Nepal. The trek is challenging and requires a lot of physical strength. However, being at the foot of the world’s tallest mountains will make you forget all the challenges and embrace the beauty of the Himalayas surrounding you.
Trekking in the Everest region is risky and needs a lot of safety and consideration for various reasons. The rough terrain, unpredictable weather patterns, and high altitudes are common challenges that might be faced during your trek.
Getting travel insurance is a safe play to ensure your safety during the trek. This blog covers the basic information regarding travel insurance, what it covers, and why it is required for your trek in the Everest region.
Brief about Travel Insurance
An adventurer's financial safety net is travel insurance. It covers potential costs that may develop before, during, or following your journey, serving as a safeguard against unexpected challenges.
If you can pack for varying weather conditions when you travel, then why wouldn't you also plan for unanticipated circumstances like lost baggage, medical issues, or trip cancellations?
When it comes to starting on the trek to Everest Base Camp, travel insurance is like your safety net. It is your reliable travel companion, protecting you from unexpected situations that can disrupt your plans. Travel insurance covers you for anything from unexpected trip cancellations to medical issues at high altitudes.
It functions as a sort of financial guardian angel for your journey, allowing you to concentrate on the amazing views and strenuous ascents while feeling secure if something unforeseen happens.
Travel insurance is therefore a wise investment that we advise you to make before you lace up your boots for Everest Base Camp.
Key Factors to Consider When Choosing an Insurance Plan for EBC
It might be difficult to find the right insurance coverage that covers every possible situation and setting related to the Everest Base Camp Trek because the fine print can frequently number in the tens of pages.
Below we have listed some key factors to take into account when choosing an insurance plan for your trek.
Medical Emergencies/Evacuation
The 14-day Everest Base Camp Trek is moderate in the Himalayas and involves 7-8 hours of walking on average per day. The journey might be difficult due to the challenging weather and the demanding nature of the hike.
In addition to altitude sickness, accidents involving the crossing of cliffs and bridges may occasionally occur. Ankle or muscular strains are the most frequent incidents that occur during the trek, and these are usually followed by more serious injuries.
Along with this, as you ascend toward base camp from Namche, the oxygen level tends to fall rapidly, causing trekkers to suffer from acute mountain sickness and other altitude illnesses.
When someone has AMS, they frequently have breathing difficulties, lightheadedness, and other symptoms. The hikers must be transported immediately in such cases due to a medical emergency.
The only thing left to do is save them from the helicopter because there isn't any other dependable health care or transportation available in the higher region. The medical evacuation costs a lot therefore it is important to have your travel insurance with you.
Flight Cancellation
The most incredible feature of the EBC Trek insurance is that it allows you to claim nonrefundable amounts, much like airline tickets.
The breathtaking Kathmandu-Lukla flight is the main attraction of the EBC trek, but occasionally, for a variety of reasons, the flight is unexpectedly canceled, leaving trekkers wondering what to do next.
The flight cancellation insurance coverage is a game changer for preventing such problems since it allows the insurance provider to pay you for the canceled flight.
Furthermore, for unfortunate circumstances despite taking all the safety measures, if the aircraft crashes while you are traveling, the flight insurance also provides coverage for your life.
Baggage Insurance
These days, travel insurance generally only covers lost or stolen luggage up to a certain amount.
As you will be transporting necessary but reasonably priced equipment like warm coats, sleeping bags, and hiking boots, you should find out from the insurance company how much they would pay.
We advise you to put all of your important belongings and essential trekking equipment in your handbag while trekking.
So, if something goes wrong with your baggage, you may continue your adventure by replacing the less expensive goods.
The Dark Side of Insurance Scams
Unfortunately, over the past few years insurance scams have rapidly been increasing in Nepal. Some unethical trekking companies have been working with helicopter firms to arrange unnecessary helicopter rescues, divide the high helicopter fees, and therefore scam insurance agencies.
Insurance has become more expensive, and many insurance companies now simply decline to cover treks to Nepal. Most also insist on prior approval for all evacuations.
This is time-consuming and dangerous in an emergency. Furthermore, a lot of these companies undercut respectable companies by charging for journeys at rates that would often be unprofitable.
This has been a big issue for legitimate trekking firms, which have to deal with the aftermath of these frauds.
Our Advice
Since insurance fraud has become such a problem in Nepal here is some advice from us on how you can minimize the risk of such scams.
- Check for those insurance companies which have good reviews and are reputable.
- Before making your investment ask for a solid proof or ID from the insurance agent.
- Do not disclose your policy’s specifics.
- When reviewing the insurance policies make sure to read carefully and understand what the policy covers and what it does not.
- Never pay through cash but rather pay from your credit cards or through checks. This way you will have paper proof in case any problem occurs.
Lastly, many insurance firms provide travel insurance coverage, but it can be difficult to choose the best one for you.
As a result, if you're in the market for one, confirm that the insurance provider provides adventure insurance for the EBC journey, which spans more than 6000 meters.
This can help you pick the best insurance company for you, so be sure to go through a number of them and their web reviews.
Conquer Everest Base Camp with Travel Insurance
Last but not least, you can ensure yourself a tension-free and smooth journey by covering your travel insurance based on the key factors mentioned above.
With all the challenges that Everest has on its way having travel insurance will surely act as a backbone supporting you through your journey.
Most people who are trekking to Everest Base Camp are getting their travel insurance covered and it's high time you get yours too.
If you have any queries regarding travel insurance or anything in general feel free to get in touch with us.
