The price to climb Mount Everest will soon increase for the first time in almost a decade as Nepal announced a steep increase in permit fees.
From September, those wanting to climb the world's highest mountain during peak season will have to pay $15,000 (£12,180), a 36% increase from the long-standing fee of $11,000, officials said in Wednesday.
Fees for those wanting to climb outside the April to May peak period will also increase by the same percentage – meaning it will cost $7,500 in September to November and $3,750 in December to February.
Revenue from permit fees is a key source of revenue for Nepal, with mountaineering and trekking contributing over 4% to the country's economy.
Mountaineering experts often criticize Nepal's government for allowing too many climbers onto Everest, but with around 300 permits for the mountain issued annually.
It is unclear whether the price increase, which has been under discussion since last year, will slow demand.
“Royalties (permit fees) have not been revised for a long time,” Narayan Prasad Regmi, director general of the Ministry of Tourism, 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 has ordered the government to limit the number of mountaineering permits issued for Everest and other peaks, saying the capacity of the mountains “must be respected”.
However, the pre-order does not set a maximum number.
Amid concerns about Everest's overcrowding and climbers queuing in dangerous conditions to reach the summit, the Nepalese army in 2019. began conducting an annual cleanup of the mountain, which is often described as the world's highest landfill.
During that time, at least five cleanups have collected 119 tons of trash, 14 human corpses and some skeletons, according to the army – but an estimated 200 more bodies remain on the mountain.
Nepal is home to eight of the world's 14 highest mountains, including Everest.