Do I really need insurance to climb Kilimanjaro? Travel insurance is mandatory to climb Kilimanjaro with Kilimanjaro Sunrise. When purchasing travel insurance it should cover high-altitude trekking up to 6,000 meters (19,400 feet). This should be for trekking, not mountaineering. There are no ropes involved in climbing Kilimanjaro. Insurance should also cover medical and repatriation costs, and trip cancellation.
Insurance protects clients from unexpected costs that may arise during their Tanzanian trip. No one plans to cancel a trip once booked, but things happen. These things may force a person to cancel or change their travel itinerary. Sometimes these things occur while clients are on their way. Below is a list of things that could happen.
- Loss of employment
- Missed, delayed, and canceled flights
- Airline strike
- Lost or delayed luggage
- Illness or injury, before or during your trip
- Loss of a loved one
- Pregnancy
- Civil unrest
- War
- Terrorism
- Pandemic
- Forces of nature
- Government policy change
What Should Travel Insurance Cover?
Insurance should cover trip cancellation and interruption travel. These expenses include the climbing and safari cost, and all other costs related to hotel rooms, transportation, etc.
Covered reasons to cancel your trip may include:
- Sickness, injury, or death of you, a family member, or a traveling companion
- Natural disaster damages your destination or cancels your flight
- Laid off from work or required to work
- Terrorist incident in your destination city
- Lost, Stolen, or Delayed Baggage
This component of travel insurance reimburses you for lost, stolen, or damaged baggage and personal effects. This includes carry-on bags, passports, and other belongings. Lost baggage includes events like losing your luggage between your cab ride and the airport, between connections, or even at the destination hotel.
Most policies also pay claims for baggage delays, so travelers can replace items they need immediately when they arrive at their destination. If required, we have a shop we can take you to rent any lost or damaged items.
Emergency Evacuation and Medical
If you get sick or suffer an injury while traveling, emergency medical coverage can cover thousands of dollars in unexpected charges. Emergency medical evacuation coverage will provide transportation to the nearest hospital if necessary. The cost of a medical evacuation could be tens of thousands of dollars. This also covers repatriation.
What is repatriation?
Repatriation is the process of returning a person to their country of origin or citizenship.
Proof of Insurance
We will verify that you have the appropriate insurance before the climb. You must show proof of insurance. Please bring a printed copy of your policy to the trip briefing. You will also have to fill out this insurance form: https://kilimanjarosunrise.com/travel-insurance-form/
Clients will not receive a refund if they are turned away due to not obtaining the proper coverage.
AMREF Flying Doctors
We provide AMREF Flying Doctors Evacuation Insurance to all of our clients. Free of charge. However, to be eligible for it, you must provide proof of insurance and a passport. Read more here: https://kilimanjarosunrise.com/kilimanjaro-sunrise-offers-amref-flying-doctors-helicopter-evacuation-free-of-charge/
What are the Passport Requirements?
We require a digital copy of your passport on file in case of an evacuation off the mountain. For example, if you need to be evacuated to Nairobi then we need to provide the authorities with a scanned copy of your passport. That way they can authorize us to move you without doing the immigration procedures. Before your climb, we pre-register your information with AMREF Flying Doctors, which conducts helicopter evacuations. This includes your birth date and passport number. This greatly speeds up the process of evacuation if required. Additionally, Kilimanjaro National Park now requires a passport number to purchase park permits. Furthermore, in Tanzania, every hotel will make a copy of your passport as required by law.
What Travel Insurance Company Do We Recommend?
We recommend World Nomads for an insurance policy. The plan that covers Kilimanjaro is the Explorer Plan. World Nomads provides insurance for many countries including the USA and most of Europe.
Final Thoughts
While we hope nothing happens that requires you to need insurance for climbing Kilimanjaro, it is nice to have that peace of mind knowing that if something does, you are covered.