Everest climbing fee jumps to $15,000 — first rise since 2015
Nepal lifted Everest royalties across every season from 1 September 2025 — but it changes nothing for Base Camp trekkers.
Key facts
- Spring Everest royalty rose from $11,000 to $15,000 per climber, effective 1 September 2025.
- It is the first increase since 2015 — a decade of flat fees.
- Permit validity was cut from 75 to 55 days.
- This is a climbing royalty — it does not affect Everest Base Camp trekkers.
Nepal has raised the royalty to climb Mount Everest for the first time in a decade. From 1 September 2025, a foreign climber on the standard south-side route in spring pays US$15,000, up from the $11,000 that had stood since 2015. The Department of Tourism confirmed new rates that lift fees in every season.
| Season | Old (US$) | New (US$) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring (Mar–May) | 11,000 | 15,000 | +36% |
| Autumn (Sep–Nov) | 5,500 | 7,500 | +36% |
| Winter & Monsoon | 2,750 | 3,750 | +36% |
For Nepali climbers, the spring royalty doubled from Rs75,000 to Rs150,000. The government frames the rise as overdue — a decade of inflation had eroded the fee’s real value — and as a way to fund clean-up and safety on an increasingly crowded mountain.
What this means for trekkers
If you are trekking to Everest Base Camp, this change does not touch you. The $15,000 is a climbing royalty for expeditions going above Base Camp. EBC trekkers pay only two trekking permits — Sagarmatha National Park (NPR 3,000) and the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu municipality permit (NPR 2,000), about NPR 5,000 / US$38 total. Full breakdown in our EBC permit guide.
Our take
Expect knock-on effects on the mountain’s character, not your permit bill: higher fees nudge some shoestring expeditions away and push operators toward fewer, better-supported climbs. The Khumbu you trek through stays exactly as affordable as before.
Planning the trek itself? See our 14-day EBC itinerary and the Nepal permits hub.
Source: The Kathmandu Post
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