Clear information, comprehensive cover and an easy purchasing process.
Kilimanjaro Travel Insurance
Cover for guided Kilimanjaro treks, including trekking up to 6,500m, eligible emergency medical expenses and approved mountain evacuation.
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Up to 6,500m
Trekking cover
Helicopter
Approved evacuation
24/7
Emergency assistance
Is this cover suitable for my Kilimanjaro trek?
Yes, Rise & Shield cover is suitable if you are following recognised Kilimanjaro routes with a licensed guide, remaining below 6,500m and not attempting technical climbing.
Your trek should meet these requirements:
- You are trekking with a licensed guide
- You are following a recognised route
- You will remain below 6,500m
- Your trip does not involve technical climbing
Kilimanjaro insurance, explained
See what the policy can cover, how approved helicopter evacuation works and which add-on you need when buying.
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What can our Kilimanjaro travel insurance cover?
Depending on your chosen plan, Rise & Shield can provide cover for some of the most important risks surrounding an Kilimanjaro trek.
What's not included in this policy?
Our Kilimanjaro cover does not extend to:
Altitudes above 6,500m or any trekking higher than the Adventure Extreme limit are out.
Solo, unguided or off-route expeditions that wander away from recognised trails.
Helicopter rescues without prior authorisation (and the separate excess unpaid).
Why use Rise & Shield's Kilimanjaro insurance?
A high-altitude trek needs more than ordinary holiday cover.
Rise & Shield specialises in insurance for adventurous travel, with 24/7 emergency assistance, trusted industry relationships and the reassurance of an FCA-regulated insurance provider whose programme is reinsured at Lloyd’s of London.
Rise & Shield is trusted by reputable tour operators and adventure companies
Why do I need Kilimanjaro travel insurance?
Uhuru Peak sits at 5,895m, and ordinary travel insurance may not cover trekking at that altitude.
Specialist Kilimanjaro travel insurance can help protect you against eligible medical emergencies, approved mountain evacuation and unexpected disruption before or during your climb.
What altitude cover do I need for Kilimanjaro?
Your policy should cover the highest point on your itinerary—not only Kilimanjaro’s lower slopes. Rise & Shield’s Adventure Extreme add-on provides eligible trekking cover up to 6,500m, subject to the policy terms, activity conditions and exclusions.
Important: Add Adventure Extreme and check that it appears in your policy summary before buying.
Does Kilimanjaro insurance cover altitude sickness?
Eligible emergency medical treatment for altitude illness may be covered when Adventure Extreme is included.
Cover remains subject to the policy terms, exclusions and applicable medical conditions provisions.
How does mountain evacuation from Kilimanjaro work?
Contact the 24/7 Emergency Assistance Centre as soon as possible. The assistance team will assess the medical need and determine the appropriate evacuation method and provider.
Any helicopter evacuation must be approved in advance, and a separate helicopter evacuation excess applies.
What if my Kilimanjaro trip is cancelled or delayed?
Cover may help with eligible, unrecoverable costs if an insured event forces you to cancel your climb, return home early or causes qualifying disruption to your travel plans.
Benefit limits, waiting periods and policy conditions apply.
Can I climb Kilimanjaro without a guide?
No. You must climb with a professional, qualified and licensed guide or operator, follow their safety instructions and remain on a recognised route or trail.
Are the Western Breach and technical routes covered?
Kilimanjaro, including the Western Breach route, is listed under Adventure Extreme, subject to the policy’s guide, route, equipment and technical-grade conditions.
Free mountaineering, exploratory or new routes, climbing above 6,500m and technical rock or ice climbing beyond the policy limits are not covered.
How to buy Kilimanjaro trek insurance with Rise & Shield
Getting a free quote with Rise & Shield is easy. Follow these simple steps to secure your trip:
1. Start your quote
- Go to go.riseandshield.com
- On the first screen, under “What type of trip are you planning?”, select: Single Trip (for your specific Kili trek), Then click Next.
2. Add your trip details
On the Destination step: Country of residency: Choose your usual country of residence from the drop-down (e.g. United Kingdom).
Where are you going?
Choose the region that matches your itinerary, for example:
- Worldwide (excluding North America)
The key is: pick the region that covers every country you’ll set foot in on the way to and from your Kilimanjaro trek.
When are you going?
Select your start date as the day you leave home, not just the day your trek starts.
Select your end date as the day you arrive back home.
This makes sure flights, hotel nights and delays around the trek are all covered.
How many people are travelling?
- Choose the number of adults and children.
- Enter each traveller’s date of birth when prompted.
Click Next to move on.
3. Choose your base cover (Essentials / Classic / Elite)
On the Cover step you’ll see three options:
- Essentials
- Classic
- Elite
Your ability to trek Kilimanjaro at altitude depends on the Adventure Extreme add-on, not which of these three you pick.
However, because high-altitude treks are remote and can be pricey, many trekkers go for Plus or Elite to get higher limits for:
- Emergency medical expenses
- Emergency evacuation and repatriation
- Trip cancellation/curtailment
Click the card for Essentials, Classic or Elite (whichever suits your budget and risk appetite).
Hit Next.
4. Add high-altitude trekking cover (Adventure Extreme add-on)
This is the crucial step for Kili-type treks.
On the Extras page you’ll see several tiles:
- Adventure: automatically included for a wide range of standard activities.
- Adventure Plus: for mid-level adventure (e.g. lower-altitude trekking, certain dives, etc.).
- Adventure Extreme: for high-altitude treks such as Kilimanjaro, Everest Base Camp and similar expeditions.
- Winter Sports, High Value Items, etc.
For high-altitude trekking like Kili you must:
- Find the Adventure Extreme tile.
- Click ADD on that tile.
- Check the policy summary box on the right:
The price updates.
Adventure Extreme appears under your cover/extras.
Remember: If Adventure Extreme is not listed, your high-altitude trek is not correctly covered, even if you’ve chosen a base policy.
Leave other extras (Winter Sports, High Value Items, etc.) off unless you specifically need them.
Click Next once Adventure Extreme is clearly shown in your summary.
5. Enter traveller, contact and address details
On the Checkout step:
Traveller details
- Enter your first name and surname exactly as they appear on your passport.
- Confirm your date of birth (auto-filled from earlier).
- Select your nationality from the drop-down.
Contact information
- Add an email address – this is where your policy documents are sent.
- Add a mobile number, including the country code if needed.
Address details
- Fill in your home address, town/city, postcode and confirm your country.
6. Payment & final checks
At the bottom of the Checkout page:
- Enter your card details securely.
- Tick the checkboxes to confirm.
- When you’re ready, click Confirm Purchase to complete the policy.
That’s the moment the policy is actually bought, so double-check:
- Dates are correct from leaving home to returning home.
- The destination region matches your full route.
- Adventure Extreme is still listed in your policy summary.
7. After you’ve bought the policy
Check your email for:
- Policy schedule (shows your dates, regions, add-ons like Adventure Extreme, and benefit limits).
- Full policy wording.
And then...
- Save a copy to your phone/tablet and/or print a copy to keep with your travel documents.
- Make a note of the emergency assistance number so you have it handy on the trek.
Kilimanjaro insurance FAQs
Yes. Ordinary holiday cover stops short of high-altitude trekking. Our Kilimanjaro policy is purpose-built for climbs up to 6 ,500 m, includes altitude-related medical emergencies and pays for mountain evacuations that standard insurers class as “hazardous”.
Absolutely. Every recognised route (Machame, Lemosho, Marangu, Rongai, Northern Circuit and even day-guided Western Breach attempts) is covered up to the summit’s 5 ,895 m. Just stay on an official route with a licensed guide and you’re within our altitude limit.
It is now. We partner with local heli providers; if a doctor orders a lift-out from Shira Plateau or Barafu, we organise and fund it (pre-approval required). Where rotors can’t reach, we pay for park-ranger stretcher teams and ambulance transfer to Moshi.
If Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) or a guide’s safety call ends your climb early, our trip-curtailment benefit refunds the unused portion of park fees, hut bookings and guiding cost, so you can reroute funds to a future attempt instead of watching them evaporate.
Lock it in as soon as you pay the deposit for your trek. Buying early activates cancellation cover for flights, park permits and guiding fees. Last-minute shopper? We’ll still insure you up to the day before departure, but pre-trip benefits only kick in after purchase.
It does. Flight disruptions into Kilimanjaro International (JRO), strike-hit shuttle buses or weather-closed border roads trigger our missed departure and travel delay benefits, reimbursing extra accommodation and transport so your itinerary stays intact.
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