Notify it and have it accepted
- State your activity by name
- Surcharge or separate module
- Even for a single half-day excursion
Underground · cold water · rescue at a distance
Cave rafting and your insurance
Cave rafting combines two activities that most policies exclude separately: cave exploration and travelling on moving water. It is therefore rarely covered by ordinary travel insurance.
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Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Cave rafting en uw verzekering.
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A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
In cave rafting you float down an underground riverin a wetsuit on an inner tube or a raft. Entry is often by abseil or by jumping in, the water is cold and the trip lasts for hours. Insurers class this not as an excursion but as caving and white-water rafting; both appear on the usual list of excluded sports.
Cover can sometimes be arranged if you report before you leave the activity and the insurer accepts it, usually on condition that you go with a licensed operator. Without that declaration you bear the cost of an underground rescue yourself, and on trips of this kind that mounts up quickly because specialist rescue teams have to be deployed.
What is covered in cave rafting?
Three things determine your cover: the declaration beforehand, the organisation on site and the conditions on the day itself.
Operator and equipment
Acceptance almost always depends on supervision.
- A licensed provider with guides
- Wetsuit, helmet and lighting
- No trips under your own steam
Water and temperature
Rain above ground determines the risk below it.
- Calling off the trip when water levels are high
- Hypothermia is the most frequently reported injury
- Following the guide's instructions
What is covered
| Situation | Standard | With extension |
|---|---|---|
| Medical costs after an accident in the cave | No | Yes |
| Search, rescue and recovery costs underground | No | Provided that |
| Treatment for hypothermia | No | Yes |
| A trip with a licensed operator and guide | Provided that | Yes |
| Entering a cave system under your own steam | No | No |
| Diving through flooded passages | No | No |
What is actually covered is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) that you receive before you take out cover.
Where things go wrong in practice
Two points that determine whether your policy pays after an incident.
Two exclusions at once
The standard list of excluded sports includes caving and cave exploration and white-water rafting as separate items; cave rafting touches on both. The fact that a tour operator offers the trip as an ordinary excursion makes no difference: the policy looks at the activity, not at the booking. Taking part just once also falls under the exclusion.
Rescue underground takes a long time and costs a great deal
If things go wrong, recovery from a cave is an operation lasting hours with specialist teams. Call the emergency assistance centre first and have the guarantee of payment arranged. If you go ahead despite a high-water warning, the insurer may rely on Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code: intent and recklessness are not covered. Report an accident as soon as reasonably possible (Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code).
What does your premium depend on?
- Risk class of the activity — cave rafting ranks high
- Guidance — licensed operator or your own group
- Destination — Europe or far beyond Europe
- Duration of the trip — a single trip or a long tour
- Sums insured — especially for recovery and repatriation
- Experience of the participant — first time or practised
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is why comparing pays off.
How we arrange it
- You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, risk and wishes.
- We compareseveral insurers, on premium as well as conditions.
- You receive a proposalWith an explanation of the differences and the exclusions.
- We arrange the switchIncluding cancellation, so there is no gap in cover.
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Customers rate our service on four aspects: personal service, service delivery, availability and the outcome. The reviews are collected and published by NH1816 and come from customers who have actually taken out a policy with Finass Advies B.V. or reported a claim.
Frequently asked questions
The questions we are asked most often about this.
Does cave rafting fall under my ordinary travel insurance?
Usually not. The activity falls under caving and under white-water rafting, two categories that are excluded on a standard policy. Before you travel, ask in writing whether your insurer will include it and on what conditions.
Does it help that I am going with a recognised provider?
Often, yes. Insurers that accept this usually require you to go with a licensed operator and to wear the prescribed equipment. Entering a cave under your own steam remains excluded even then.
What if the trip is cancelled because of high water?
Travel insurance does not usually pay for cancelled excursions; that is a matter between you and the provider. Only if the whole trip does not go ahead can cancellation insurance come into play, and then only within the named events.
Is the hired equipment insured?
Damage to a wetsuit, helmet or tube you hire from the operator usually falls outside your personal liability insurance: hired items in your care are excluded. Look at the provider's deposit arrangement.
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Similar pages
Are you going cave rafting?
Have your cover confirmed before you travel; we will find out which insurer accepts this activity.
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About our service
Finass Verzekert is a trading name of Finass Advies B.V. We advise on and arrange non-life insurance on the basis of an objective analysis of several insurers, and receive commission for this from the insurer, which is included in the premium. You pay no separate advice fee. Before you take out cover, we establish your wishes and needs.
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This page was written and checked by an adviser at Finass Verzekert. Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.