In recent years, interest in climbing Everest has greatly increased. — SINA SCHULDT/dpa
Nepal has raised its fees for climbing the world’s highest peak by more than a third to US$15,000 (RM65,660), a government official announced recently.
The Mount Everest fee hike marks a US$4,000 (RM17,152) increase from the previous US$11,000 (RM48,162) for the spring climbing season between March and May, the busiest and often the only viable time for climbing.
That comes on top of the US$40,000 (RM171,520) to US$100,000 (RM481,600) in other costs each climber need to cover to summit Everest, depending on the level of support and expedition services needed.
“The new fees will come into effect from September,” Narayan Prasad Regmi, director general of the Department of Tourism (DoT), said.
The autumn climbing season, from September to November, will see an increase in permit fees from US$5,500 (RM24,070) to US$7,500 (RM32,830). Meanwhile, individual permit costs for the winter (December-February) and monsoon (June-August) seasons have risen from US$2,750 (RM12,038) to US$3,750 (RM16,416).
The rates apply for normal route, also known as the South Col or Southeast Ridge, while the fees for other routes is expected to be slightly lower.
In current fee structure, in place since 2015, climbing Everest via less frequently used routes costs US$10,000 (RM43,775) in spring, US$5,000 (RM21,887) in autumn and US$2,500 (RM10,943) in winter. Nepali climbers have to pay a nominal fees (currently Rs75,000/RM2,734 per person for spring), while guides and helpers are exempt.
According to DoT spokesperson Liladhar Awasthi, the department is yet to receive full details of the decision and the finalized price list from the cabinet of ministers, which approved the change. DoT officials said the price hike was overdue, as the permit fees were last revised in 2015.
The change comes as Mount Everest continues to attract climbers from around the world. In the spring of 2024, Nepal issued 419 permits for Everest’s southern route, while in 2023, a total of 478 permits were granted, excluding local guides, according to DoT data.
Mount Everest straddles the border between Nepal and the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China, with climbers able to ascend from either side. Since the first successful ascent by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary in 1953, more than 12,000 summits have been recorded, according to the Himalayan Database. – dpa
