New Delhi (Agency): Nepal’s government announced on Monday that it is considering raising the fee for foreigners who wish to climb Mount Everest. The proposed fee would increase by $4,000, making it $15,000 from 2025 onwards.
At present, foreign climbers pay $11,000 to scale the world’s highest peak, which stands tall at 8,848.86 meters. Local Nepali climbers have a separate fee of NRs 75,000. The last time Nepal changed this fee was in January 2015.
Yuvaraj Khatiwada, the spokesperson for the Department of Tourism, shared, “The Department of Tourism has proposed a new royalty fee of USD 15,000 per foreign national desirous to climb Mt Everest from 2025.” However, this new fee will only be set after the Cabinet approves it.
Before 2015, groups could climb, with each member in the group (up to 15 members) paying $10,000. But this group fee system was changed, and now every foreign climber pays a standard fee of $11,000.
There’s another critical change coming. The government plans to make sure climbing agencies bring back the bodies of climbers who unfortunately pass away on the mountain. This rule will help address a growing concern about climbers’ bodies left on Mount Everest, even if they had insurance.
It’s very tough and costly to bring bodies down from high altitudes. According to The Kathmandu Post, bringing a body down from the most difficult parts of the mountain can cost anywhere from $20,000 to $200,000.
This year, 17 climbers lost their lives while trying to reach the summit from Nepal’s side. In past years, there were also sad events. For example, in April 2014, an avalanche killed 16 Nepali Sherpa guides. Then, in 2015, an earthquake in Nepal led to another avalanche at Everest’s base camp, which resulted in 20 people dying.
The Department of Tourism also plans to increase the insurance and salaries for local workers, like porters and guides, along with the climbing fee. Rakesh Gurung, who works in the Department’s mountaineering section, mentioned that foreign companies that organize Everest climbs will need to be more official in their business dealings. Right now, there’s no clear record of what these companies charge climbers.
Gurung added, “Since some agencies have already taken bookings for expeditions in 2024, we have given them time so that their business will not be affected.” He was discussing the reason behind implementing the new fee in 2025.
Mount Everest is a significant source of income for Nepal. This spring, the Nepal government earned $5.08 million just from Everest climbers.