Helicopter Rescue

Helicopter Rescue

Travel insurance

While traveling to Nepal, Tibet or Bhutan, a travel insurance policy that covers cancellation, injury, death, lost baggage, theft, liability, medical treatment, and expenses is strongly recommended.

Make sure that the insurance covers all the activities that you will be undertaking during your stay in Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan such as trekking, tour, hiking and climbing. If a client becomes ill, all hospital expenses, doctors’ fees, and repatriation costs are the client’s responsibility.

Rescue insurance

Rescue insurance is particularly important when trekking in Nepal. If you are injured and unable to walk, a helicopter will only rescue you if you have definite proof you can pay for it. Alpine Eco Trek has an agreement in Kathmandu that guarantees payment for helicopter evacuations so make sure Alpine Eco Trek has a copy of your insurance details.

The cost of helicopter rescue is close to $2500 per hour; rescue from the Khumbu region can cost nearly $ 7000. We operate the rescues want to be assured of collecting their money. The most reliable way to guarantee payment is with a credit card. If you have evacuation insurance the helicopter company may not be willing to bill the insurance company directly. In this case, you will need to pay for the helicopter and obtain a receipt that you can submit to your insurance company afterward.

While helicopters can fly as high as 6000m, they are rarely able to land and take off above 5500m as the air is too thin to give the rotors sufficient lift. Therefore there is at present no way to expect to be rescued from trekking or mountaineering peaks.

Be sure your policy specifically covers helicopter evacuation. Also, check that your insurance policy does not exclude mountaineering or alpinism or you may have a difficult time settling a claim. Although you will not engage in such activities, you may not be able to convince a flatland insurance company of this fact.