Nepal Increases Permit Fees for Everest Climbers
Nepal is home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains, including Everest.
The cost of climbing Mount Everest will rise for the first time in nearly a decade, as Nepal announces a significant increase in permit fees.
From September, those aiming to summit the world’s tallest mountain during the peak season will need to pay $15,000 (£12,180), marking a 36% increase from the previous fee of $11,000, officials confirmed on Wednesday.
Fees for climbs outside the peak April to May season will also rise by the same percentage. It will cost $7,500 for the September to November period and $3,750 for the December to February window.
Permit fees are a crucial source of revenue for Nepal, with mountain climbing and trekking contributing more than 4% to the country’s economy.
Mountaineering experts frequently criticise the Nepalese government for issuing too many permits for Everest, with around 300 permits granted annually.
It remains uncertain whether the price increase, which has been under discussion since last year, will affect demand.
“The royalty (permit fees) hadn’t been reviewed for a long time,” Narayan Prasad Regmi, Director General of the Department of Tourism, told Reuters. “We have updated them now.”
Regmi did not specify how the additional revenue would be utilised.
In April 2024, Nepal’s Supreme Court ordered the government to limit the number of mountaineering permits issued for Everest and other peaks, emphasising that the capacity of the mountains “must be respected.” However, the preliminary ruling did not set a specific maximum number of permits.
Amid concerns about overcrowding on Everest and climbers waiting in hazardous conditions to reach the summit, the Nepalese army began conducting an annual clean-up of the mountain in 2019. Everest is often referred to as the world’s highest garbage dump.
During these clean-ups, at least five operations have removed 119 tonnes of waste, along with 14 human corpses and some skeletons, according to the army. It is estimated that around 200 bodies still remain on the mountain.
Nepal is home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains, including Everest.
