Nepal hits climbers with higher permit fees

The cost of climbing Mount Everest will soon rise for the first time in nearly a decade, as Nepal has announced an increase in the permit fee.

From September, those wanting to climb the world’s tallest mountain during peak season will pay $15,000 (£12,180), a 36% increase on the long-term price of $11,000, officials said on Wednesday.

The cost of those who want to climb outside the season of April to May will also increase by the same number – meaning that it will cost $ 7,500 in September to November, and $ 3,750 in December to February.

Permit fees are Nepal’s main source of income, with mountaineering and trekking contributing more than 4% to the country’s economy.

Mountaineers often criticize the Nepalese government for allowing too many people to climb Mount Everest, however, they only have about 300 permits to climb the mountain each year.

It is unclear whether the price increase, which had been discussed since last year, will reduce demand.

“The fee (permit fee) has not been reviewed for a long time,” Narayan Prasad Regmi, head of the tourism department, told Reuters. “We’ve changed it now.”

Regmi did not specify how the additional funds will be used.

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

The original law did not set the maximum number, however.

Amid concerns about overcrowding on Everest and climbers standing in dangerous queues to reach the summit, the Nepalese army in 2019 began an annual cleanup of the mountain, which is often considered the world’s most garbage-filled place.

During that time, at least five cleaners collected 119 tons of debris, 14 human corpses and some bones, according to the military – but it is estimated that another 200 bodies remain on the mountain.

Nepal has eight of the 14 highest mountains in the world, including Everest.