The price of climbing Mount Everest will soon rise for the first time in nearly a decade as Nepal announces a huge price tag for permit fees.
Those seeking to summit the world’s highest mountain will have to pay $15,000 (£12,180) from September, a 36% increase from the long-standing $11,000 fee, officials said on Wednesday.
Those looking to climb beyond April to May will also see their fees increase by the same percentage – meaning a fee in September to November will cost $7,500, while a fee in December to The cost for February is $3,750.
Revenue from license fees is a key source of income for Nepal, with mountaineering and trekking contributing more than 4% to the country’s economy.
Mountaineering experts often criticize the Nepali government for allowing too many climbers on Everest, but about 300 permits are issued each year for the mountain.
It’s unclear whether the price increases being discussed since last year will slow demand.
“There has been no review of the royal (licence fee) for a long time,” Narayan Prasad Regmi, director-general of the tourism board, told Reuters. “We have now updated ”
Regmi does not specify how the additional revenue will be used.
British mountaineer Kenton Cool said the rise in permit fees came as “no surprise”.
“In the grand scheme of things the cost of climbing Everest is not going to affect most foreign climbers,” he told the BBC.
“Hopefully the additional revenue will be put to good use.”
In April 2024, Nepal’s Supreme Court ordered the government to limit the number of climbing permits issued for Everest and other peaks, saying the mountain’s capabilities must be respected.
However, the preliminary order does not set a maximum number.
Amid concerns about excessive overcrowding on Everest and climbers queuing in dangerous conditions to reach the summit, the Nepal Army in 2019 began an annual cleanup of the mountain, often described as the world’s highest garbage dump.
According to the Army, at least five cleanups during that time collected 119 tons of garbage, 14 human corpses and some skeletons – but it is estimated that there are still 200 bodies on the mountain.
Nepal is home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountain ranges, including Mount Everest.
Additional dissatisfaction with Ethiragiar