
Get exclusive travel offers and guides
Straight to your inbox
Updated
We’re reader-supported and may be paid when you visit links to partner sites. We don’t compare all products in the market, but we’re working on it!
Trekkers insurance, sometimes called hiking insurance, offers protection for people with a special taste for adventure. Plenty of insurers offer the specs you need, with helicopter evacuations and altitude limits from 3,500 metres to infinity. Let us help you find the right policy.
It's really important to understand that many insurers will cover trekking but pay close attention to the conditions. We've researched 14 of our partnered brands to make the task easier for you.
Brand | Altitude limit | Must use a licensed operator? | Other conditions | Apply |
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | 3,500m | No | No | |
![]() | 5,000m | No | No | |
![]() | 2,000m | No | Does not cover mountaineering or rock climbing using ropes or guides. | |
![]() Tick | 5,000m | Yes | Trekking up to 3000m is covered with a standard excess, but if you trek between 3000 - 5000m an extra $250 excess is applied on top of the standard excess if you make a claim. | |
![]() | 5,000m | Yes | Only covers treks that are available to the general public and do not require special fitness levels or skills | |
![]() | 6,000m | Yes | You can purchase the trekking pack with all plans except for Medical Only by paying additional premium. You will only have the cover if you select this option at the time of purchase and you have paid the required additional premium. | |
![]() | 4,000m | No | Does not cover any trekking in Nepal | |
![]() | 3,000m | No | Does not cover trekking on the Kokoda trail | |
![]() | 3,000m | No | Does not cover trekking on the Kokoda trail | |
![]() | 6,000m | No | Does not cover trekking on the Kokoda trail | |
![]() | 6,000m | No | Cover is included if you're trekking below 3000m and specialist equipment is not required. For higher altitudes or the Kokoda expedition, you have to add on an Adventure Pack for cover. |
* Insurers will each have different limitations around mountaineering, climbing and/or abseiling activities that require specialised equipment like support ropes. This table was last updated July 2019
Trekking insurance covers many of the same situations as normal travel insurance, but it's beefed up to offer stronger protection for adventure-related activities. Here are some examples of situations commonly covered by trekkers insurance:
You're injured on the trail. You'll be covered for any medical and/or hospital treatment you need.
You need to be evacuated via helicopter from an inaccessible location. If you desperately need to get to a hospital and there's no other way to get you there, your helicopter rescue will be covered.
Your gear is lost or stolen. The policies will usually offer added protection for expensive gear that gets stolen or is lost by your airline or other service provider.
Your trip gets cancelled. If you're forced to cancel your trek for unpredictable reasons like bad weather, these policies will cover the amount you've already spent.
The best policy for you is the one that covers you at the appropriate altitude. To help you filter out the policies that won't cover you anyway, we've identified some of the world's most popular treks, pinpointed the highest peak on the trek and conveniently listed all policies in our panel that will cover you at that altitude.
Trek | Highest point of altitude | Brands that will cover this altitude |
---|---|---|
Pays Dogon | 500m | All brands in the table above |
West Highland Way | 950m | All brands in the table above |
W Circuit | 1,100m | All brands in the table above |
Kungsleden (The Kings Trail) | 1,140m | All brands in the table above |
Fitz Roy Trek | 1,200m | All brands in the table above |
Te Araroa | 1,925m | All brands in the table above |
Kokoda Trail | 2,190m | All brands in the table above |
Haute Route | 2,987m | All brands in the table above |
Inca Trail to Machu Picchu | 4,200m | AIG, Budget Direct, Columbus Direct, Cover-More, Easy, InsureandGo, iTrek, Virgin, WorldCare youGo |
Markha Valley Trek | 4,700m | AIG, Columbus Direct, Cover-More, Easy, iTrek, Virgin, WorldCare, youGo |
The Snowman Trek | 5,280m | AIG, Columbus Direct, Cover-More, Easy, iTrek, Virgin, WorldCare, youGo |
Everest base camp | 5,364m | AIG, Columbus Direct, Cover-More, Easy, iTrek, Virgin, WorldCare, youGo |
K2 Base camp Trek | 5,650m | AIG, Columbus Direct, Cover-More, Easy, iTrek, Virgin, WorldCare, youGo |
Get an insurance quote for your trek
Adventurous doesn't mean reckless, so each insurer will have a different set of conditions you must follow if you want your claims to succeed. Here are some of the most common conditions you'll find:
Craig was about to depart for his Everest Base Camp trek. Since the highest he'd be hiking would be to 5,364m he bought the first policy he found that covered up to 6,000m. Little did he know that this specific policy excluded treks in Nepal, Antarctica and Kokoda.
On the third day of the hike, Craig sprained his ACL going down a steep set of slippery steps and the only method of evacuation was by helicopter.
He was evacuated to the nearest hospital and treated for his injury. After being cleared from hospital, Craig was confident that his travel insurance policy would cover all his expenses. It was only when he was denied that Craig realised Nepal was excluded from his policy. He was left with a massive hospital bill on top of the cost of the helicopter.
Not all policies exclude Nepal from cover, so with a little more digging around, Craig could have avoided this issue altogether.
Hospital expenses
Out-of-pocket expenses
As a trekker, you'll often find yourself in inaccessible locations under often treacherous conditions. This makes helicopter rescue cover one of the most important features of trekkers and hikers insurance, and it’s why every insurer offers it.
Your insurer will likely place some conditions around helicopter evacuation, so it pays to understand these before you go so you're not caught off-guard by a denied claim.
Here are the two conditions most insurers apply to helicopter rescue:
We have identified one insurer that offers search and rescue cover: Insure4Less. However, most insurers consider search and rescue to be a different beast from medical evacuation, where your location is known. This means that you will pay out of your own pocket for any search and rescue operation that's launched on your behalf.
The best way to avoid this situation is to organise your trek through an licensed tour operator. They may be liable for damages if it's their fault you get lost. Plus, they will have the means and expertise to conduct a search and rescue operation if it's needed.
On average, trekking insurance will be slightly more expensive than normal travel insurance but not all insurers work out their prices in the same way. For example, if you have a policy with Travel Insurance Direct you are automatically covered for trekking with the cost of specialised cover factored in.
On the other hand, if you take out a policy with World Nomads then you're only covered for treks up to 2,000m in altitude. For treks over this height, you will need to upgrade your plan and pay an additional premium on top of what you're paying for the normal policy.
At the end of the day, it's up to you to find or build a few policies that cover you for what you need them to and then compare whatever the final costs turn out to be.
Here’s what to do if you find yourself in a medical emergency overseas.
Review trekking cover policies and conditions
Want to insure a Porsche 911? Here are things we think you should know.
Find out about how to insure the luxury Mercedes-AMG G 63 4x4 SUV.
$100,000 life insurance policies can be very affordable. Compare costs and cover here.
Compare $500,000 life insurance policies, costs and cover here.
The ANZ Rewards Platinum Credit Card offers a competitive rewards program, $0 annual fee for the first year, a $500 gift card, a balance transfer offer and a range of complimentary insurance covers.
Learn how to get life insurance if you have asthma.
How to get life insurance if you have been in a coma.
How to get life insurance if you’ve had a stroke.
The ins and outs of life insurance if you have epilepsy.
Can you get life insurance if you have a pacemaker? We explain how it works.
Does QBE insurance cover trekking to Everest Base Camp (no ropes or mountaineering equipment
Hello Joolian,
Thank you for your query.
While most policies do automatically include trekking and hiking, it’s a good idea to double check with your policy provider before planning a trek overseas. You would also need to inform your insurer and ask them directly about cover if no ropes or equipment is used.
If you would like, you may also review your options on this page:
Travel Insurance for Nepal and Everest Base Camp.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Gru
Good Evening,
I will be doing the Three Capes Track in Tasmania in August – it is a 4 day/3night hike.
What type of travel insurance will I need and how much will it cost?
Thank you Caroline
Hi Caroline,
Thanks for your question. finder.com.au is a comparison service and we are not permitted to provide our users with personalised financial advice. To compare costs for travel insurance policies, please enter your travel details into the quote comparison tool on the domestic travel insurance page.
I hope this was helpful,
Richard