Kathmandu, September 4

The Department of Tourism (DoT) has started issuing expedition permits for this autumn season to climb several peaks of the country. The highest number of expedition permits has been issued for Mt Manaslu (8163 metres) this autumn season. As per DoT, expedition permits for Mt Manaslu have been issued to a total of 18 teams including 194 members as of Tuesday while it had issued permits to a total of 192 climbers in the entire autumn season last year.

Till Tuesday a total of 230 climbers from 37 countries have received expedition

permits for six peaks. Of the total number of permits 15 climbers from one team have received expedition permits for Dhaulagiri (8167m) while 13 climbers received for Mt Lhotse (8516m). Likewise, four climbers from one team received permits for Mt Makalu (8463m) and three climbers from one team received permits for Mt Manshail (6103m). Meanwhile, only one climber received permit for Mt Everest (8848m) till Tuesday.

Among the total number of climbers who have received expedition permits for this

autumn, 161 are male climbers while 41 are females.

During the same period last year, a total of 159 climbers had received expedition permits for nine peaks. In the same period last year DoT had issued expedition permits for Mt Dhaulagiri, Mt Lhotse, Mt Manaslu, Mt Baruntse (7129m), Mt Changwatnang (6125m), Mt Gaugiri (6110m), Mt Himlung (7126m), Mt Langdon (6326m) and Yara Chuli (6236m).

Amidst this, DoT has collected around Rs 24 million in royalty from the issuance of the expedition permits. Of them, Mt Manaslu alone has collected Rs 20 million royalty. Likewise, Mt Dhaulagiri has collected Rs 1.5 million while Mt Everest collected Rs 629,200, Mt Lhotse collected Rs 1.3 million, Mt Manshail collected Rs 42,900 and Mt Makalu collected Rs 412,510 royalty from expedition permits so far for this autumn.

The government levies $5,500 per person to climb Mt Everest as expedition royalty in autumn season. Likewise, for peaks above 8,000 metres the government levies $900 while for peaks from 7,501 metres to 7,999 metres it costs $300 and for peaks from 7,000 metres to 7,500 metres it costs $250. Similarly, to climb peaks from 6,501 metres to 6,999 metres climbers have to pay $200 and for peaks less than 6,500 metres one has to pay $125 per person. The aforementioned royalty is being charged for foreign climbers only.