Nepal makes 97 mountains free to climb as the Everest costs increase

Nepal will make 97 of its Himalayan mountains to climb for the next two years in order to stimulate tourism in some of its most remote regions.

It is as license costs at the top of Mont Everest, the highest peak in the world, during the high season, will increase to $ 15,000 (£ 11,170) from September – the first increase in almost a decade.

The Nepal Tourism Department said that it hoped that the initiative will highlight the “tourist products and unexplored destinations in the country.

Mountaineering generates an important source of income for Nepal, which houses eight of the 10 highest mountains in the world. The climbing fees reported $ 5.9 million last year, the Everest, representing more than three quarters.

The peaks for which costs will be canceled are located in the provinces of Karnali and Sudurpaschim in Nepal, being between 5,970 m (19,590 feet) and 7,132 m high.

The two provinces, located in the region of Far West Nepal, are among the poorest and least developed provinces in the country.

“Despite their breathtaking beauty, the number of tourists and mountaineers here is very low because access is so difficult. We hope that the new provision will help,” said Himal Gautam, director of the Nepal Tourism Department.

“They can create jobs, generate income and strengthen the local economy,” he said, as Katmandu’s post reported.

But it is not clear if the authorities intend to improve infrastructure and connectivity to these remote areas – and in the way the communities in these areas could face an influx of climbers, if the free initiative to slam.

The climbers have historically expressed little interest in these 97 distant peaks – only 68 of them have ventured there in the past two years. On the other hand, some 421 climbing permits were issued for Everest in 2024 only.

The Everest, the highest peak in the world at more than 8,849 m, was in the grip of overcrowding, environmental concerns and a series of fatal climbing attempts.

In April 2024, the Supreme Court of Nepal ordered the government to limit the number of mountaineering permits issued for Everest and several other peaks, affirming that the capacity of the mountains “must be respected”.

In January of this year, the authorities announced an increase of 36% of license costs. For those who try the summit outside the summit from April to May, it will now cost $ 7,500 to climb Everest from September to November and $ 3,750 from December to February.

The Parliament of Nepal also debates a new law which will force anyone who wishes to develop Everest that it first summarized a mountain of more than 7,000 m in the country.

This makes the heights in the “ideal training grounds” of Karnali and Sudurpaschim, according to the Kathmandu Post.