VOA · As It Is
Intermediate · B1–B2learner speed4:042025-02-10public domain
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01The government of Nepal has increased the cost of a permit to climb Mount Everest by about one-third.
02Officials say the price increase aims to help reduce pollution and increase safety on the world's highest mountain.
03The director of Nepal's tourism department is Narayan Prasad Regmi.
04He told the French news agency AFP the cost for a permit in the popular spring climbing season will increase from $11,000 to $15,000.
05Regmi noted the price had remained the same for about ten years, so the government decided it was time to make a change.
06The costs, or fees, for climbing during less popular and more difficult times of year, such as during winter or the summer monsoon rains, have also increased.
07This includes an increase from $5,500 to $7,500 during the autumn climbing season.
08Thousands of climbers come to Nepal each year.
09The country is home to eight of 14 of the world's tallest mountains over 8,000 meters.
10Everest is 8,849 meters tall and sits on the border between Nepal and China.
11Foreign climbers spend tens of thousands of dollars on their efforts to climb Everest.
12More than 400 people bought climbing permits for Everest last year.
13This brought in around $4 million to the government.
14Nepal uses the money to remove waste from the mountain and to finance search and rescue operations.
15Some mountain climbing companies worry the higher price could lower the number of climbers wanting to climb Everest from the Nepalese side.
16The companies warn that some climbers might decide to climb Everest through China.
17Some climbers might shift to Tibet, where the facilities are much better, said Mingma G.
18Sherpa.
19He runs the Imagine Nepal mountaineering company and says Nepal must use the money to improve conditions.
20Our government just increases the royalty, but doesn't do much.
21It needs to also provide support to the climbers and guides, he added.
22Some groups have criticized Nepal for permitting too many climbers on Everest, while not doing enough to keep the mountain clean.
23Last year, Nepal's government ordered all Everest climbers to carry trackers and bags to remove their human waste.
24The government approved the fee increase in January, but it was first published on February 3rd.
25I'm Andrew Smith.
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