Guest Insurance & Safety Guide

Protecting Your Travel With Arctic Tern

At Arctic Tern Expeditions, your safety is our highest priority. We operate in some of the most remote and extraordinary environments on Earth. These destinations offer unparalleled experiences, but they also require careful preparation, particularly when it comes to travel insurance.

This guide is designed to help you understand what coverage you need and how emergency response works across our global expeditions.

Why Insurance Is Essential

All Arctic Tern Expeditions journeys take place in regions where:

  • Access to hospitals and advanced medical care may be limited or distant

  • Emergency evacuation may require specialized aircraft or coordination with local authorities

  • Weather, terrain, or infrastructure may delay response times

For these reasons, comprehensive travel insurance is mandatory for all guests.

Minimum Insurance Requirements

All guests must carry insurance that includes:

  • Emergency medical coverage

  • Emergency medical evacuation and repatriation

  • Coverage for expedition activities (e.g., small vessel travel, trekking, wildlife excursions)

We recommend a minimum of:

  • $250,000 USD emergency evacuation coverage (minimum)

  • $500,000+ strongly recommended for polar and remote expeditions

Proof of insurance may be requested prior to departure.

Understanding Emergency Evacuation

Emergency evacuation procedures vary significantly depending on your destination. It is important to understand how evacuation works in each environment.

Svalbard & High Arctic Expeditions (Including Areas Near or Above 80°N)

Our Arctic voyages operate in one of the most remote maritime environments in the world.

What to expect:

  • Evacuation is typically coordinated by Norwegian Search and Rescue (SAR) services

  • Extraction may involve helicopter evacuation from the vessel

  • Response times depend on:

    • Weather conditions

    • Ice coverage

    • Vessel location

Important considerations:

  • There may be delays of hours or days before evacuation is possible

  • Some insurance policies may not fully cover:

    • Helicopter extraction

    • SAR-related costs

    • Operations in extreme northern latitudes

Republic of Congo

These expeditions take place in remote communities and rainforest environments with limited infrastructure.

What to expect:

  • Evacuation may involve:

    • Ground transport (often slow due to terrain)

    • River transport

    • Charter aircraft or helicopter (if available)

Important considerations:

  • Medical facilities are limited and basic

  • Evacuation logistics can be complex and time-sensitive

  • Insurance must cover:

    • Remote evacuation

    • Medical repatriation to another country if necessary

Nepal

Our trekking expeditions operate at altitude in mountainous terrain.

What to expect:

  • Evacuation is typically by:

    • Helicopter rescue

  • Often required for:

    • Altitude illness

    • Injury on trail

Important considerations:

  • Helicopter evacuation is common but expensive

  • Insurance must explicitly cover:

    • High-altitude trekking

    • Helicopter evacuation in Nepal

Uganda (Wildlife & Safari Expeditions)

These trips take place in national parks and remote conservation areas.

What to expect:

  • Evacuation may involve:

    • Ground transport

    • Light aircraft evacuation

  • Access to care improves near major cities

Important considerations:

  • Wildlife areas can be remote with limited immediate care

  • Insurance should cover:

    • Medical evacuation by air

    • Regional medical transfer

Important Insurance Limitations

Not all insurance policies are the same. Guests should be aware:

  • Some policies exclude remote or expeditionary travel

  • Some policies require pre-approval before evacuation, which may not be possible in emergencies

  • Some policies do not fully cover:

    • Search and rescue operations

    • Helicopter extraction

    • Remote-area evacuations

Financial Responsibility

Guests are responsible for:

  • All medical expenses

  • All evacuation and repatriation costs

  • Any costs not covered by their insurance policy

Arctic Tern Expeditions cannot guarantee that any insurance provider will fully reimburse these costs.

Emergency Response Protocol

In the event of an emergency:

  1. Immediate care will be provided by your expedition staff/crew/local guides

  2. The Captain and/or Expedition Leader will determine the appropriate next response

  3. Evacuation will be initiated based on safety and medical necessity

  4. Insurance providers will be contacted as soon as reasonably possible

Decisions are made based on:

  • Safety of all guests and crew

  • Environmental conditions

  • Available resources

Recommended Providers (Starting Points Only)

While we do not endorse specific providers, guests often explore:

  • Battleface

  • IMG Global

  • Global Res

  • World Nomads

Guests traveling to highly remote regions should carefully confirm:

  • Geographic coverage

  • Activity coverage

  • Evacuation terms

Final Recommendation

Before traveling, we strongly recommend that you:

  • Contact your insurance provider directly

  • Confirm coverage for your specific destination and activities

  • Ask specifically about:

    • Emergency evacuation from remote areas

    • Helicopter or air evacuation

    • Expedition travel

Questions?

If you have any questions about insurance requirements or need guidance, our team is happy to help point you in the right direction.

We look forward to welcoming you on an extraordinary journey.