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Safety tips

Yabancılarla buluşma, para, rehberler, sigorta ve irtifa — yeni partnerlerle güvenle nasıl trek yapılır.

Your safety comes first, on the trail and when you meet people from the internet. Please read these tips before you meet a partner or join a group.

Meeting partners

  • Meet in public first. Choose a busy café in Thamel or Lakeside Pokhara, in daylight, before the day you leave.
  • Never send money in advance. Not for permits, jeeps, guides or deposits. Pay agencies and guides directly at a registered office.
  • Tell someone your plans. Share your itinerary, group members' names and expected return date with a friend or family member.
  • Register with your embassy if it offers a registration service.
  • Share contacts only when you are comfortable. Your contact details stay hidden until you share them, and you can revoke a share at any time. Remember that people may already have saved them.
  • Trust your instincts. You can leave a group at any time. Block and report anyone who makes you uncomfortable.

On the trail

  • Use a licensed guide and a registered agency. It is required for foreigners in most parks and conservation areas, and it makes you much safer.
  • Buy rescue insurance that covers helicopter evacuation at altitude, ideally to 6,000 m.
  • Acclimatise properly. Above 3,000 m, raise your sleeping altitude by no more than about 500 m a day and take rest days. Never go higher with symptoms of altitude sickness.
  • Stay together, especially in restricted areas and on high passes.
  • Start early on passes like Thorong La and Larkya La, and turn back if the weather changes.
  • Carry essentials: warm layers, rain gear, a headtorch, a first aid kit, water purification, sun protection and some cash.

Scam warning signs

  • Requests to pay before meeting, or via unusual payment apps or crypto.
  • Offers that seem too cheap, or pressure to decide quickly.
  • Someone who refuses to meet in public or on video.
  • Plans to skip permits, guides or acclimatisation.

We show a "Never pay strangers in advance" reminder in chat when a message mentions payments.

Emergency contacts

  • Tourist Police: 1144 (Kathmandu: +977-1-4247041)
  • Police: 100
  • Ambulance: 102
  • Himalayan Rescue Association: +977-1-4440292 (aid posts in Pheriche and Manang in season)
  • Your insurance company's 24-hour emergency line
  • Your embassy

Emergency numbers are also shown on every region page. They can change, so check them before you go.

Reporting a safety concern

Use the Report button on any profile, trip or message. For urgent or sensitive concerns, email safety@findtrekkingpartner.com. We review safety reports first.

FindTrekkingPartner does not organise treks, verify users or handle money. You are responsible for your own safety, permits, guides and insurance.

Travel and rescue insurance

Treks in Nepal can take you far from a road. A helicopter evacuation or hospital stay can cost thousands of dollars, so check your cover before you pay for flights. This is general guidance, not advice on any product.

What to look for

  • Helicopter evacuation and rescue, including from a remote trail or lodge, with the cost paid directly or reimbursed.
  • Cover that explicitly reaches the highest point of your route. Many policies stop at 3,000 or 4,500 m; popular treks go to about 5,500 to 6,000 m.
  • Trekking classed as a covered activity (check the wording for trekking versus mountaineering, and for guided versus independent).
  • Emergency medical treatment and hospital costs, including altitude illness.
  • Medical repatriation to your home country.
  • Trip cancellation and delay, including flight disruption (Lukla and Jomsom flights are often delayed by weather).

Questions to ask the insurer

  • What is the maximum altitude covered, in metres, and does it include my highest pass?
  • Is trekking with a guide, and trekking without one, covered?
  • Does cover for helicopter rescue apply before a doctor has approved it, and who do I call?
  • Do I pay upfront and claim back, or does the insurer pay the provider directly?
  • Are there exclusions for pre-existing conditions or for travel against government advice?
Do I need helicopter evacuation cover for a trek in Nepal?
It is strongly advised. Remote trails can be days from a road, and rescue flights are expensive. Look for a policy that names helicopter evacuation and covers your maximum altitude.
What altitude should my insurance cover?
At least the highest point of your route. Popular treks go to about 5,500 to 6,000 m, and many standard policies stop lower, so read the altitude limit in the policy wording.
Does FindTrekkingPartner sell or recommend an insurer?
No. We don't sell insurance, we have no insurance partner and we earn nothing from any insurer.

We don't sell insurance and we have no partner or affiliate offer. Choose a provider yourself and read the policy wording.