Summary of this article
Adventure tourism in India outpaces insurance products, leaving risky gaps
Standard travel policies exclude high-altitude treks, deep dives, and paragliding
Add-ons exist but come with altitude, depth, and licensed-operator limits
Travellers must ask direct questions and scrutinise exclusions before buying cover
A decade ago, most Indians travelling abroad or within the country were happy with city tours, resort stays, or the occasional temple trail. That picture has changed dramatically. Young travellers are now booking treks in Ladakh, diving holidays in the Andamans, and bungee jumps in Southeast Asia. The appetite for high-adrenaline holidays is unmistakable. What hasn’t kept pace, however, is insurance.
Ordinary travel policies in India are still written with the idea of missed flights, misplaced baggage, or a sudden fever in mind. Once you move into the realm of “hazardous” or “extreme” sports, the fine print kicks in—and most policies back away. A mishap on a mountain trail or a diving accident in deep waters can easily leave travellers stranded with huge medical or evacuation bills, since their basic cover won’t stretch that far, according to a recent report by CNBC.
The Gaps Are In The Details
Insurers do sell add-ons or specialised covers for adventure activities, but they come with riders. Trekking may be covered only up to a certain altitude, scuba diving up to a certain depth, or paragliding only if done with licensed operators. The wording is technical and varies from company to company. One insurer may treat a hot-air balloon ride as harmless tourism, another may slot it under “adventure sport” and exclude it.
1 September 2025
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Premiums are another sticking point. Adding adventure coverage is not cheap because insurers calculate the higher risk into the price. That’s understandable, but what frustrates travellers is the lack of consistency and transparency. Policies often use blanket exclusions or vague categories that make it hard to know if a claim will actually be honoured. Many people realise this only after an accident, when the claim is rejected on grounds they hadn’t anticipated.
What Travellers Can Do
For anyone planning such a trip, the safest approach is to ask direct questions before buying a policy: Is helicopter evacuation included? What’s the cap on medical expenses? Does the cover extend to non-motorised adventure sports? Are there altitude or depth restrictions? Without these clarifications, it’s risky to assume that a standard travel policy will suffice.
There’s also the issue of infrastructure. In many Indian adventure hubs—from Spiti to Rishikesh—rescue services and hospitals are limited. If an accident occurs, arranging evacuation and treatment is not just about money; it’s about whether the insurer has a reliable on-ground network. That’s where tie-ups with local hospitals and 24x7 helplines matter as much as the financial cover itself.
The broader industry, meanwhile, is still catching up. Adventure tourism has become mainstream far faster than insurance products have evolved. Most plans today are modified versions of regular travel policies, not dedicated products that address the realities of high-risk travel.
The message for travellers is blunt but necessary: don’t buy blindly. Compare policies, read the exclusions line by line, and treat insurance not as a formality but as an essential part of your preparation. The thrill of an adventure may be priceless, but if something goes wrong, the costs are anything but.
