Nepal sharply hikes permit fee for Everest climbers

KATHMANDU – Nepal has announced a hike of over 35% in permit fees for climbing Mount Everest, marking the first increase in nearly a decade and making the ascent of the world’s highest peak costlier for mountaineers, officials stated on Wednesday.

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Increased Permit Fees: A Vital Revenue Source for Nepal

Income from permit fees and other spending by foreign climbers is a key source of revenue and employment for the cash strapped nation, home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains, including Mount Everest.

A permit to climb the 8,849 metre Mount Everest will cost $15,000, said Narayan Prasad Regmi, director general of the Department of Tourism, announcing a 36% rise in the $11,000 fee that has been in place for nearly a decade.

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Permit Fee Hike Unlikely to Impact Everest Climber Numbers

The new rate will come into effect from September and apply for the popular climbing April-May season along the standard South East Ridge, or South Col route, pioneered by New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953. Some expedition organisers said the increase, under discussion since last year, was unlikely to discourage climbers.

We expected this hike in permit fees, said Lukas Furtenbach of Austria-based expedition organiser, Furtenbach Adventures.