# Insurance for outdoor educators, adventure trainers and holiday camp providers in Germany

> Climbing, canoeing, high ropes courses, days in the forest with school classes or youth groups: outdoor educators and adventure trainers deliberately work at the edge of comfort zones, which is exactly why the cover has to fit. This page explains the liability you take on with supervision, when holiday camp providers become package travel organisers and what it all costs in Germany.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-outdoor-education.php  
Updated: 2026-10-14

## Are climbing and canoeing covered by a standard public liability policy?

Not automatically. Many policies for educators or trainers exclude or limit high risk sports, water sports or work at height. Have every activity you offer written into the policy, including high ropes, raft building and nights outdoors.

## At a glance

- **Supervision:** If you take over supervision of minors by contract, you are liable under § 832 (2) of the German Civil Code (BGB) for damage they cause to others if supervision was inadequate
- **Compulsory:** No specific statutory insurance for outdoor education; schools, youth welfare offices and ropes course operators usually ask for proof of liability cover
- **Trips:** If you sell camps with accommodation and transport at an overall price, you may be a package travel organiser and must then protect customer payments under § 651r BGB
- **Biggest risk:** Serious injuries when climbing, on the water and on journeys with participants
- **Basic cover from:** around 200 euros a year for the liability cover of a self employed outdoor educator, a guide figure from our quoting experience

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Falls when climbing:** A belay error or a harness put on wrongly leads to serious injury. Claims cover pain and suffering, treatment and possibly a lifelong pension.
- **Water:** Canoe, raft or swimming in a lake: capsizing, hypothermia or a swimming accident are the worst scenarios in the field.
- **Supervising youth groups:** Teenagers leave the camp at night, damage other people's property or get hurt. The question is whether supervision was adequate.
- **Minibus journeys:** Nine seats full of participants on the way to the river: one accident affects many people at once.
- **Equipment:** Ropes, harnesses, boats and tents are expensive, sit in a trailer or store and get stolen or damaged.
- **Package travel rules:** If camps with accommodation and transport are sold together, package travel law may apply, with its own duties.

**Risk radar** (Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.): Liability 5, Fire and water 2, Theft 3, Cyber 1, Downtime 3, Health 5

## The insurance you need

- **Business liability** (Essential): Covers injury and property damage in your programmes, including supervision you take over; every activity you offer should be named. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Group accident insurance** (Strongly advised): Pays participants fixed benefits after an accident regardless of fault; many clients ask for it. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-group-accident.php
- **Car insurance** (Strongly advised): For minibuses and trailers with participants and kit; use for passenger transport must be stated in the policy. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-car-insurance.php
- **Business contents** (Strongly advised): For climbing gear, boats and tents in your store against fire, burglary and escape of water, with cover for kit on the move. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Occupational disability** (Strongly advised): Your work needs full physical fitness; a knee injury alone can end it. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-occupational-disability.php
- **Accident insurance** (Depends on the business): For yourself if you are self employed and have not joined the statutory accident insurance voluntarily. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-accident-insurance.php
- **D&O insurance** (Depends on the business): For board members of an association or managing directors of a non profit GmbH responsible for programmes. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-directors-and-officers.php

## What it costs: example prices

Premiums depend heavily on the activities. Hiking and team training in the forest are cheap, climbing, water sports and your own ropes course cost much more.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Business liability | Self employed outdoor educator, team training and hiking, 5 million euros | around 200 to 450 euros a year |
| Business liability | Provider with climbing, canoeing and overnight stays, 10 million euros | around 800 to 2,500 euros a year |
| Business liability | Operator of its own low and high ropes course | around 2,000 to 6,000 euros a year |
| Group accident insurance | Participant accident cover for about 3,000 participant days a year | around 400 to 1,200 euros a year |
| Car insurance | Nine seat minibus, third party and partial comprehensive | around 900 to 2,000 euros a year |
| Business contents | Equipment worth 30,000 euros with cover away from the store | around 250 to 600 euros a year |

For comparison: Liability cover for a self employed outdoor educator costs about as much a year as one programme day with a school class brings in.

_Guide figures from our quoting experience, excluding German insurance premium tax, as of October 2026. The sources confirm the legal rules mentioned; we obtain quotes for your programme from several insurers._

- [§ 832 BGB: liability of the person responsible for supervision](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bgb/__832.html)
- [§ 651a BGB: package travel contract](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bgb/__651a.html)
- [§ 651r BGB: insolvency protection](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bgb/__651r.html)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Trainer** (Self employed outdoor educators and adventure trainers without their own kit): Business liability, Accident insurance. Together: around 300 to 700 euros a year
- **Programme provider** (Providers with their own kit, a minibus and school trips): Business liability, Group accident insurance, Car insurance, Business contents. Together: around 2,500 to 6,000 euros a year
- **Organisation** (Association or non profit GmbH with camps, a ropes course and employees): Business liability, Group accident insurance, Car insurance, Business contents, D&O insurance. Together: around 6,000 to 15,000 euros a year

## The worst day on a class trip

Six things that really happen in outdoor education, all on one day with a year eight class. Step through the day and see who pays.

- 07:40: On the way to the river the minibus runs into the back of a tractor. Two teenagers are bruised. (€14,000, Paid by: Car insurance)
- 10:20: A pupil slips out of a wrongly closed belay while climbing and breaks an ankle. (€25,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 10:21: Regardless of fault, the participant accident cover pays the agreed benefit for the injured pupil. (€3,000, Paid by: Group accident insurance)
- 14:30: A canoe capsizes at a weir; a girl is hypothermic and has to go to hospital. (€6,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 22:50: Two boys sneak out of the camp and damage a farmer's fence. (€2,200, Paid by: Business liability)
- 23:30: Ropes, harnesses and helmets are stolen from the unlocked trailer. (€4,500, Paid by: Business contents)

**Damage so far:** €54,700

## Practical tips from your broker

- Have every activity named in the policy: climbing, high ropes, canoeing, raft building, bivouacs and journeys with participants.
- Check whether damage to rented houses, boats and equipment is included.
- Find out whether your camps are package travel; occasional trips not for profit for a limited group are exempt under § 651a BGB.
- Document safety briefings, harness checks and weather decisions; it helps when claims are examined.
- Insure equipment on the move too, because in a trailer or at the activity site it is often not covered by contents insurance alone.
- Declare the actual use of your minibus; journeys with participants must be in the policy.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We know water and risk:** Our background is insurance for boats and water sports. Norman Nammert, as an independent insurance broker, looks for policies that really include your activities.
- **Programme, not boilerplate:** We go through your programme step by step so that nothing is excluded in the small print.
- **Free of charge:** We have arranged insurance since 1989. The insurer pays our commission, not your organisation.

## FAQ

### Which insurance do I need as an outdoor educator in Germany?

Above all public liability that names your activities and the supervision of participants. Depending on your offer, add participant accident cover, motor insurance and equipment cover.

### Am I liable for teenagers who damage something?

If you took over supervision by contract and it was inadequate, yes, under § 832 (2) BGB. Your liability insurer examines the claim and pays justified demands.

### Is my camp package travel?

If you sell at least two travel services such as accommodation and transport at an overall price, often yes. You then have to protect customer payments under § 651r BGB. Occasional trips not for profit for a limited group are among the exemptions.

### What does liability cover for outdoor education cost?

For the self employed with team training and hiking around 200 to 450 euros a year, for providers with climbing and canoeing more like 800 to 2,500 euros. These are guide figures from our quoting experience.

### Do participants need their own accident cover?

Participant accident cover pays fixed sums even when nobody is at fault. For many schools and parents that is an important point when booking.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison, free of charge. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-outdoor-education.php#anfrage

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Your broker: Norman Nammert, trading as NAMMERT. Insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act. Broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH is a separate company. It does not arrange your contract.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.