With the fee to climb Everest set to rise drastically, Nepal just opened up 97 peaks for free
The move comes as the cost of climbing Everest is set to rise by more than a third

In just a few weeks, the cost of a permit to climb Everest will rise sharply in a bid to reduce congestion on the world’s tallest mountain. Now, the Nepali government has announced plans to make it easier to climb other Himalayan peaks – for those willing to get off the beaten path.
The Nepali government has waived climbing fees for 97 peaks in a bid to encourage mountaineers to visit more remote areas of the country. Most of the thousands of alpinists who head to the country each year are concentrated in the Everest region in northeast and central Nepal. The move by the tourism department aims to get more people to travel to the more remote Karnali and Sudurpaschim provinces.
The country recently increased the cost of climbing permits from $250 to $350 for a smaller mountain, and from $11,000 to $15,000 to climb Mount Everest. Those changes are due to go into effect on September 1.
The mountains in the plan range from 19,258ft (5,870m) to 23,398ft (7,132m) and will be free to climb for the next two years.
Himal Gautam, director at the Department of Tourism, tells the Kathmandu Post that the initiative aims to improve the economy in those remote provinces.
“Despite their breathtaking beauty, the number of tourists and mountaineers here is very low as access is so difficult. We hope the new provision will help.”
He says that fewer than 70 climbers have traveled to these peaks in the past two years.
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The government also recently announced that anyone wishing to climb Everest must first climb another 7,000m peak in Nepal. Now, at least they can choose from Mount Saipal, Api, and Api Wes, all in Sudurpaschim, without incurring an additional permit charge.
Julia Clarke is a staff writer for Advnture.com and the author of the book Restorative Yoga for Beginners. She loves to explore mountains on foot, bike, skis and belay and then recover on the the yoga mat. Julia graduated with a degree in journalism in 2004 and spent eight years working as a radio presenter in Kansas City, Vermont, Boston and New York City before discovering the joys of the Rocky Mountains. She then detoured west to Colorado and enjoyed 11 years teaching yoga in Vail before returning to her hometown of Glasgow, Scotland in 2020 to focus on family and writing.