KATHMANDU: The Department of Tourism has collected revenue of around Rs 40 million in four days from the mountain climbing permits. The Department has been issuing permits for spring since March 23.

As said by a staff member at the Department's Mountaineering Section Rameshwar Niraula, over Rs 390 million has been collected in four days from the permits for several peaks including Mount Everest. Of this amount Rs 353 million has been collected from the permit for Everest climbing.

The Department, till Monday, had received applications from over 15 expeditions for the climbing permits and requests from nine teams have already been approved.

The permits are for climbing Mt Everest (8,848 metres), Mt Lhotse (8,516 metres), Mt Annapurna (8,091 metres), Mt Kumbhakarna (7,710 metres), Mt Pumari (7,161 metres), Thapa Peak (Dhampus - 6,012 metres) and Chhopbamari.

The deadline for seeking the permit will be mid-April and the number of climbers is expected to go up.

In 2018, a total of 107 expedition teams were granted the permit for spring climbing and among them, 34 were for Mt Everest. Climbing royalty for Everest, the world’s highest peak, differs according to seasons.

According to the Department, a foreigner has to pay US dollars 11,000 in spring while this fee is US dollar 5,500 for the autumn season.

Nepal has opened 414 mountain peaks for climbing.