Traveller’s question
Insurance for the mountains of Kyrgyzstan
Evacuation from a remote valley is expensive, and many ordinary policies exclude altitude, trekking and horses. This guide collects what to check in a policy, what it costs, whom to call and how to choose an operator for a helicopter flight, Kel-Suu and Chatyr-Kol. The data is from 2025–2026, last checked on 14 October 2026; we do not recommend specific insurers.
Updated 14 October 2026
- above your routethe altitude limit in the policy
- 2–8 USD a daya rough price guide
- 112a single service
- 12 h or moreevacuation by road
Rules for 2026
Do you need insurance and what has changed
Two different things: the operator’s insurance under the new rules and your own personal policy.
- The new rules
- Government Resolution No. 593 of 28 August 2026 obliges tour operators to insure tourists. The liability limit is up to 3 million som for ordinary tours and up to 5 million som for mountaineering, skiing, rafting and trekking. Check the date it takes effect and how it applies to foreigners. check for your date
- What this means for you
- The obligation lies with the operator, not the traveller. The reports on the rules do not mention a policy check at the border. Ask an operator with a guide about its policy, but you still need your own personal policy. check for your date
- Treatment is paid
- There is no free medical care for foreign visitors. Medical care and repatriation are paid for from your policy or in cash.
- Access to zones
- Some zones, on the advice of one embassy, admit you only with an insurance document. Take the policy and a copy with you. check for your date
What is in the policy
What a policy for the mountains must cover
For altitudes of 3,000–4,000 m, trekking and horses, an ordinary city policy is not enough.
- Evacuation and repatriation
- Search and rescue, evacuation by helicopter or by road, and transport home. A benchmark from guidebooks: at least 100,000 USD for treatment and at least 50,000 USD for evacuation. check for your date
- Altitude
- Many policies limit trekking to 3,000–4,500 m without an extra option. Take a limit above the highest point of your route: on our routes this is about 3,900 m (the Ala-Kol Pass). Altitudes of places are in the safety and altitude guide. check for your date
- Trekking
- Check how the policy defines trekking: with or without a guide, with overnight stays, with a tent. Mountaineering with ropes and an ice axe is usually a separate item. check for your date
- Horse riding
- Often excluded or offered as a separate option. Ask in writing whether this applies to one-hour rides and to horse treks with overnight stays. check for your date
- Altitude sickness
- Make sure that treatment of acute mountain sickness and evacuation because of it are not excluded.
What it costs
A rough price guide
The price depends on age, length of trip, types of activity and limits.
- Per day
- Usually 2–8 USD a day. For comparison: an operator’s insurance for 5–7 days, by the estimate in the reports on the new rules, is about 3,000 som, that is 400–500 som a day. check for your date
- What raises the price
- Altitude, mountaineering, horses and age: all of these can raise the price or fall under exclusions. State the maximum altitude when you buy: once the policy is issued, it is not changed. check for your date
- Excess
- Some policies apply a higher excess at altitude. Check the height at which it starts. check for your date
Before you buy
How to check a policy
Read the terms in English, not the advertising page.
- Maximum altitude
- Find the number in metres and compare it with your route. If it says “up to N m”, write N in your notes.
- Words in the terms
- Look for “trekking”, “hiking”, “horse riding”, “air ambulance”, “search and rescue”, “altitude”. If a word is missing, ask the insurer in writing.
- Exclusions
- Read “exclusions”: “without a licensed guide”, “above N m”, “in a remote area”.
- Order of calls
- Many insurers ask you to call the assistance service first. Save the 24-hour line and your policy number offline. check for your date
- Money on the spot
- Far from the big cities you may be asked to pay in cash. Ask whether the insurer pays at once or reimburses later. check for your date
If something happens
If you need help: 112 and rescuers
Save the numbers in your phone before you leave. In the mountains mobile coverage may not work: tell your hosts and loved ones your route and the time you will be back.
- 112
- The unified dispatch service, round the clock. The Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kyrgyzstan also gives a dispatch telephone number, +996 312 32-38-12.
- Mountain rescuers
- Mountain rescue relies mainly on volunteers, equipment is limited, and in difficult terrain help may not be possible. The number given by the UK Foreign Office: +996 312 651 404.
- Helicopter
- There is no reliable state helicopter service for tourists: there are few machines, everything depends on the weather, and the flight is decided according to the situation. Evacuation by road from a far valley can take 12 hours or more. check for your date
- The order
- Call 112 and your insurer’s assistance service, then tell the operator or your hosts. Give the location, the number of casualties and their condition.
- Group registration
- The Ministry of Emergency Situations asks tourist groups to report a trip 10 working days before it starts, on the official page. For an independent hike, leave your route with your hosts.
Helicopter, Kel-Suu, Chatyr-Kol
How to choose an operator for a helicopter, Kel-Suu and Chatyr-Kol
We do not name operators and did not find a verified common price for 2026: a helicopter, a permit and the lakes by the border always go through an organiser. Below is what to look at.
- Who they are
- An official organisation with an address, a contract and the company’s payment details, not a page in a messenger. Ask for the contract and the list of services in writing.
- Helicopter
- Ask the type of machine, who the operator is, how many pilots there are and what weather margin they work to. We cannot verify the number of pilots and the type given in advertising, so ask for this in the contract. Accidents at Inylchek have happened when landing on the glacier in a strong crosswind. check for your date
- Permit
- Kel-Suu, Chatyr-Kol beyond Tash Rabat and Inylchek require permits. Find out whether the permit is included in the price and who arranges it. See the permit guide. check for your date
- The operator’s insurance
- Ask for a copy of the operator’s policy under the new rules and its limit. It does not replace your personal policy. check for your date
- Weather and a spare day
- Helicopter flights are often postponed because of wind and cloud. Find out what you get if it is cancelled: a rebooking, a refund or a partial refund. check for your date
- Group and guide
- Ask who leads the group, whether they have experience at altitude, a first-aid kit, oxygen and communications, and whether the group is registered with the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
- Questions for the operator
- What is the exact price and what does it include? How many people are in the group? What happens if it is cancelled because of the weather? What is the plan if I feel unwell at altitude? Whom do I call during the tour?
What not to do
Red flags in an operator
- Full prepayment to a personal card No contract and no company payment details. Pay to the company’s account.
- “We’ll arrange the permit on the spot” Permits are not issued at the checkpoint, and without one you are turned back. The permit is arranged in advance.
- “The flight is guaranteed” The weather decides, there are no guarantees. Ask about the cancellation terms.
- They do not name the helicopter and the operator There is nothing to check. Do not buy until they answer.
- A price much lower than the others Often at the expense of safety and insurance. Compare what the services include.
- No information on the policy and the Ministry of Emergency Situations The operator is not ready for an incident. Choose another operator.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Do I need insurance for a trip around Kyrgyzstan?
Everyone needs their own policy with evacuation: medical care for foreigners is paid. Under the new rules the operator also insures on its own side. check for your date
Does an ordinary policy cover 4,000 metres?
Not always: many have a limit of 3,000–4,500 m, so look at the number in the terms. check for your date
Is horse riding covered?
Often not, or only with an option: check in writing. check for your date
Will a helicopter come if I call?
Do not count on a quick helicopter: the weather, few machines, and evacuation by road can take 12 hours or more. check for your date
Whom do I call in the mountains?
112, then the insurer’s assistance service; tell the operator or your hosts. check for your date