Field Kit

Travel Insurance

Most standard policies have fine print that excludes exactly where we go: high altitudes, remote valleys, multi-country routes. Here's what to look for, and who actually covers it.

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The fine print no one reads

Your Allianz policy won't help you at 4,500 m

Allianz, AXA, Europ Assistance: good products, no complaints for a city trip. But look at the small print of those policies, and you'll find exclusions that matter a great deal for the kind of travel we run.

We've had this conversation with travelers at checkpoints, at guest houses on the Pamir Highway, and at staging points before heading into the Wakhan. Most of them were underinsured and didn't know it until we pointed at the clause.

The destinations we operate in (Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan) require insurance that was actually written with places like this in mind.

What standard policies typically exclude

  • Altitude limits. Many policies cap coverage at 3,000 m, some as low as 2,000 m. The Pamir Highway crosses passes at 4,655 m. The Wakhan valley floor sits around 3,000 m.
  • Remoteness clauses. Evacuation coverage often excludes areas not reachable within a defined time by standard medical transport. There are no road ambulances on the Wakhan Corridor.
  • Activity exclusions. Off-road motorcycling, trekking with technical gear, or anything classed as an "expedition" can void a standard policy mid-trip.
  • Country restrictions. Some policies flag destinations with travel advisories (including parts of Tajikistan and most of Afghanistan) as excluded or subject to expensive add-ons.
  • Multi-country coverage gaps. Policies tied to a single declared destination may not follow you across borders on a multi-leg route.
Our recommendations

The two insurers that actually cover where we go

After years on these routes and many conversations with fellow travelers, two names come up consistently for remote, high-altitude expedition coverage.

Our personal recommendation

SafetyWing Nomad Insurance

SafetyWing is built for people who move between countries rather than people taking a fixed-itinerary holiday. It covers 180+ countries and includes medical treatment, emergency evacuation, and add-ons you can tailor to your specific trip.

  • Coverage in 180+ countries including Tajikistan & Kyrgyzstan
  • Emergency medical treatment, hospitalization, and dental
  • Medical evacuation from remote areas
  • Fixed-date option: pay once for a defined trip window (5 to 364 days)

Disclosure: This link uses our ambassador referral code. You pay SafetyWing’s listed price; we may earn a small commission. We’re not insurers or brokers. Read our terms; always verify coverage details on SafetyWing’s site before purchasing.

Compare plans on SafetyWing →

IATI Seguros

IATI is a Spanish insurer built specifically for adventure travel and backpackers. Their policies are consistently recommended by experienced expedition travelers for one reason: they don’t have the generic altitude exclusions that catch most people off-guard.

  • High-altitude trekking and mountaineering coverage
  • Adventure and extreme sports included in most plans
  • Mountain rescue and helicopter evacuation
  • Fixed-term policies from a few days to a full year
  • Multiple plan tiers depending on trip length and activities

We don’t have an affiliate arrangement with IATI, we mention them because they come up consistently when we talk to experienced expedition travelers.

Explore IATI plans →
SafetyWing tip

Know your dates? Pay for exactly those days.

If you have a defined trip window, say a 21-day Pamir ride starting June 25, you don’t need to guess at a monthly plan. SafetyWing lets you tick “Pay in full for specific dates” directly in their price calculator.

Set a start date and an end date. The minimum is 5 days, the maximum is 364 days in a single payment. The total is shown upfront before you put in any payment details. No surprises.

Open SafetyWing calculator →
SafetyWing price calculator showing the 'Pay in full for specific dates' option with travel date pickers
The SafetyWing calculator. Tick “Pay in full for specific dates”, select your travel window (5–364 days), and the total is shown immediately before entering any payment details.
Checklist

What expedition-grade insurance should include

Whichever provider you choose, make sure these four things are covered and clearly stated in the policy, not buried in an exclusions clause.

1

No altitude cap (or a high one)

Verify the exact altitude limit in the policy. For the Pamir or Himalayan routes, you need coverage at 4,500 m+.

2

Remote evacuation

Helicopter or specialist ground evacuation from locations with no road access. This is the expensive one in a real emergency.

3

Adventure sports included

Off-road riding, trekking with technical gear, and anything your route involves, confirmed in the policy, not assumed.

4

Multi-country continuity

Coverage that follows you across borders without gaps or re-declaration requirements between Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Afghanistan.

An open list

Know a reliable insurer we haven’t mentioned?

The market for expedition-grade travel insurance is genuinely thin. We only mention providers we trust for this type of travel. If you’ve come across another insurer that reliably covers remote destinations, high altitudes, and multi-country adventure routes at a fair price. We’d genuinely like to hear about it.

Get in touch →

Don’t leave without cover

A few minutes to set up. Then you can focus on the expedition.

SafetyWing → IATI Seguros →