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Nepal makes 97 mountains free to climb

Nepal Trekking - Level 0

Nepal is making 97 mountains free to climb. It wants more tourists in poorer areas of the country. A tourism worker said the free mountains are over 6,000 metres high. The number of trekkers in the poorer areas is low because access is difficult. The worker hopes more tourists will create jobs and make the economy stronger.

The fee to climb Mount Everest will also go up. It will rise from $11,000 to $15,000. This is the first increase in ten years. Another new rule is trekkers must prove they climbed a Nepalese mountain over 7,000 metres high. This may get more people to try some of the 97 free mountains.

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Nepal Trekking - Level 1

Nepal is making 97 mountains free to climb for two years. The country wants more tourists in poorer and less-developed areas of the country. A tourism official said the mountains that will have no fees are over 5,970 metres high. He told the "Kathmandu Post" about the new plan. He said the number of trekkers in the poorer areas was low because access was difficult. He hopes more trekkers will create jobs and strengthen the local economy.

Nepal's government will also increase the fee to climb Mount Everest. From September, it will rise from $11,000 to $15,000. This is the first increase in ten years. Another new rule is that trekkers must prove they have climbed a Nepalese mountain that is over 7,000 metres high. This may get more people to try some of the 97 free mountains. The tourism department said these mountains are "ideal training grounds" to reach the top of Everest.

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Nepal Trekking - Level 2

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Nepal is making 97 mountains free to climb for two years. The country wants tourists to go trekking in two poor and less-developed areas in the far west of Nepal. A tourism official said the peaks that will have no climbing fees are between 5,970 metres and 7,132 metres high. Nepal's tourism department told the "Kathmandu Post" about the new plan. It said the number of tourists and mountaineers in the poorer areas was low because access was difficult. It hopes more trekkers will create jobs, generate income, and strengthen the local economy.

Nepal's government also said the fee to climb Mount Everest would increase. From September, the cost of climbing the world's highest mountain will rise from $11,000 to $15,000. This is the first increase in ten years. An additional rule to climb Everest started earlier this year. Trekkers need to prove they have climbed a peak in Nepal that is over 7,000 metres high. The government hopes this will get more people to try some of the 97 free mountains. The tourism department said the remote mountains are "ideal training grounds" to reach the top of Everest.

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Nepal Trekking - Level 3

Nepal is making 97 of its mountains free to climb for the next two years. The government wants to encourage tourists to go trekking in two provinces in the far west of Nepal. They are among the country's poorest and least-developed areas. A tourism official said the peaks that will have no climbing fees are between 5,970 metres and 7,132 metres high. The director of Nepal's Tourism Department told The Kathmandu Post about the new plan. He said: "Despite their breathtaking beauty, the number of tourists and mountaineers here is very low as access is so difficult." He hoped the plan would "create jobs, generate income, and strengthen the local economy".

Nepal's government also announced a change in the fee it charges to climb Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain. From the 1st of September, the cost of climbing Everest will rise from $11,000 to $15,000. This is the first increase in nearly ten years. Other popular peaks will also have higher fees. An additional rule to climb Everest was introduced earlier this year. Trekkers now need to prove they have scaled a peak in Nepal that is over 7,000 metres high. The government hopes this will encourage more people to attempt some of the 97 free mountains. The tourism director said the more remote mountains are "ideal training grounds" to reach the top of Everest.

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