Nepal waives climbing fees for some peaks to lure mountaineers

Nepal will waive climbing fees for nearly 100 peaks in the remote northwestern Himalayas for the next two years to try and lure more mountaineers to the less developed region bordering China, an official said on Monday.

The country has opened 491 of its peaks but climbers typically focus on around 25 in the northeast and central parts of Nepal, including the world’s highest peak Mount Everest, which hundreds scale every year.

Tourism Department official Himal Gautam said the decision to waive permit fees to 97 peaks, ranging from 5,870 metres (19,258 feet) to 7,132 metres (23,398 feet) in Nepal’s Karnali and Far Western provinces, was aimed at promoting mountaineering on smaller mountains in remote areas.

"The idea is to encourage climbers to go to unexplored yet scenic areas and mountain peaks," Gautam told Reuters.

Earlier in the year, Nepal had increased the fees from September for permits to $350 for a smaller mountain, from a previous $250, to $15,000 for Everest from $11,000.

Gautam said the permit fee waiver would help promote tourism and improve economic conditions for people in the least developed areas of Nepal.

Mountain climbing and trekking are the main attractions for tourists and a key source of income and employment in the cash-strapped nation.