Nepal imposes higher permit fees on climbers

The price to climb Mount Everest will soon rise for the first time in almost a decade, as Nepal announces a sharp increase in permit fees.

From September, those seeking to summit the world’s tallest mountain during peak season will have to pay $15,000 (£12,180), a 36% increase on the previous fee of $11,000, officials said on Wednesday.

Rates for those who want to ride outside of the April-May peak period will also increase by the same percentage, meaning it will cost $7,500 from September to November and $3,750 from December to February.

Revenue from permit fees is a key source of income for Nepal, and mountaineering and trekking contribute more than 4% to the country’s economy.

Mountaineering experts often criticize the Nepalese government for allowing too many climbers on Everest, yet around 300 permits are issued for the mountain per year.

It is unclear whether the price increase, which has been under discussion since last year, will slow demand.

“Royalties (permit rates) had not been reviewed for a long time,” Narayan Prasad Regmi, director general of the Tourism Department, told Reuters. “We’ve updated them now.”

Regmi did not specify how the additional revenue would be used.

In April 2024, Nepal’s Supreme Court ordered the government to limit the number of mountaineering permits issued for Everest and other peaks, saying that the mountains’ capacity “must be respected.”

However, the preliminary order did not set a maximum number.

Amid concerns about overcrowding on Everest and climbers queuing in dangerous conditions to reach the summit, the Nepalese military in 2019 began conducting an annual cleanup of the mountain, which is often described as a garbage dump. highest in the world.

According to the army, during this time at least five cleanups have collected 119 tons of garbage, 14 human corpses and some skeletons, but it is estimated that another 200 corpses remain on the mountain.

Nepal is home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains, including Everest.