21 Mar 2024 3 min to read
Outdoor Himalayan Trek presents the article on ‘Everest Permit Proposed USD 15K for 2025’. Climbing the world’s highest Mount Everest is once in a lifetime dream of many enthusiast mountaineers. Ascending Everest is a Herculean Task and demands sheer dedication, strong endurance, optimum level of physical and mental fitness. Though Everest climbing may be a dream of many only a few can succeed in it considering various factors such as preparation, cost, time, duration, health, etc. Among various factors, cost is one of the major factors that hold back the dream of many climbers.
The Everest Climbing Permit fee is very expensive and as of now Everest Royalty Fee per person is USD 11K from Nepal’s side. Now, the new Royalty Fee for the Everest Permit proposed USD 15K for 2025 climbing season. For a Nepali citizen, the permit fee will be USD 568 per person. The rise in the permit fee is planned to make mountain tourism more efficient and to control the growing death toll during the Everest summit. The new permit fee is only proposed and will come to implementation once approved by the Cabinet. In this Spring Climbing season only, the government of Nepal collected USD 5.08 million in revenues from Everest alone.
The Department of Tourism’s spokesperson states that not only the Royalty fee, there will also be an increase in insurance, salaries, and other facilities for porters, high-altitude workers, and guides.
Earlier, in the year 2015, on January 1 the government reviewed the Everest Royalty Fee. For a group of 15 members, it used to cost USD 10K per person. Later, this group system was terminated, and a uniform fee of USD 11K per person (foreign climber) was imposed.
New Set of Rules for Mountaineering Regulation
Mandatory provision of bringing back dead bodies from the mountains.
All foreign tour operators managing expeditions in Nepal must make their transactions and businesses formal as there are no proper records of these companies charging their clients.
Advantages of New Set of Rules for Mountaineering Regulation
There will be a proper record if foreign tour operators make their transactions and business formal. It will further give information on the financial details of the companies charging fees to their clients. The transparency will help the Tourism Department to make rules that align with perfect mountain regulations.
Likewise, the trend of leaving dead bodies in the mountains is increasing. Retrieving dead bodies from higher camps and Death Zone is very expensive and can range between USD 20K to 200K. Not only the cost, but the risk of the complex atmosphere at Death Zone is also there. During the last climbing season only, 17 climbers died and 6 bodies are yet to be recovered.
Insurance covers the search and rescue of only a few climbers. Thus, a discussion on making insurance compulsory in search and rescue operations for all to help the recovery of bodies from the mountain is in process. Thus, to minimize death risks or any other casualties strapping Electronic Tracking Chips Compulsory for Everest Climbers is set to be in action this Spring climbing season of 2024.
