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The high season for climbing Mount Everest begins in Nepal, the highest mountain in the world at 8,849 meters. The authorities expect a large crowd again. So far, about 400 adventurers have booked trips from Nepal to Everest with expedition companies, said the head of Kathmandu’s tourism authorities, Rakesh Gurung. More reservations can be made until the beginning of May.
Everest is located on the border between Nepal and China and can be climbed from both sides. The high season is in April and May, when weather conditions are most pleasant. In the spring of last year, 478 adventurers from abroad received a permit to climb the mountain.
Such a climbing permit costs $11,000 (about 10,000 euros). Next year that will be $15,000 (or almost 14,000 euros). That price increase could mean that many climbers will want to go to the top this year, according to the head of the Association of Nepalese Expedition Companies, Rishi Bhandari.
However, the question remains whether that price increase will make a difference. An expedition to the top usually costs at least 40,000 euros per person, and sometimes even double that. In addition to the permit, equipment, accommodation, Sherpas and flights also have to be paid for.
The costs for a climbing permit in China are much higher than in Nepal. According to the ‘Himalayan Database’, the mountain has been climbed almost 11,500 times since its first ascent by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary in 1953. Interest in the mountain increases year after year.