The costs of climbing Mount Everest are soon set to rise for the first time in nearly a decade, as Nepal announces a significant increase in permit fees.
From September, those seeking to summit the world's tallest 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 on Wednesday.
Fees for those wishing to climb off-peak from April to May will also increase by the same percentage, meaning they will cost $7,500 during September to November, and $3,750 during December to February.
Income from permit fees is a major source of income in Nepal, with mountaineering and trekking contributing more than 4% to the country's economy.
Mountaineering experts often criticize Nepal's government for allowing too many climbers to climb Mount Everest, with around 300 permits issued for the mountain annually.
It is unclear whether the price increase, which has been under discussion since last year, will slow demand.
“Concession fees (permit fees) have not been reviewed for a long time,” Narayan Prasad Regmi, director general of the Tourism Department, told Reuters. “We've updated it now.”
Regmi did not specify how the additional revenue would be used.
In April 2024, Nepal's Supreme Court 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.”
But the initial order did not specify the maximum number.
Amid concerns about overcrowding on Mount Everest and climbers queuing in dangerous conditions to reach the summit, the Nepalese army in 2019 began conducting an annual clean-up of the mountain, which is often described as the highest garbage dump in the world.
During that period, at least five clean-up operations have collected 119 tons of trash, 14 human bodies and some skeletons, according to the military — but it is estimated that another 200 bodies remain on the mountain.
Nepal is home to eight of the 14 highest mountains in the world, including Mount Everest.