Kudos to Nepal’s government for taking the courageous step of marketing its lesser-known mountains. They’ve declared that all of the 97 peaks in both the Karnali and Sudurpaschim provinces will be open to international climbers at no cost. This new program aims to shift the focus of tourism away from crowded metro areas and into more rural, remote areas. These regions are usually overlooked due to their inaccessibility and financial burdens.
The announcement is an attempt to address the soaring price tag of climbing the more popular summits. For example, costs of climbing permits for Mount Everest can reach upwards of $15,000. By offering free climbing permits for the next two climbing seasons, Nepal hopes to attract climbers seeking new adventures and to showcase the beauty of its less-explored mountains.
Karnali Province is home to 77 mountains accessible to climbers, and Sudurpaschim has 20. Both territories border the Indian state of Uttarakhand and China’s Tibet region, further increasing their strategic importance to mountaineering tourism. In total, Nepal is home to eight of the world’s 14 highest peaks, yet many of its other mountains remain unvisited. Today, 102 new mountains remain virgin peaks for conquest, yearning for their first climbers.
According to Himal Gautam, director of Nepal’s Tourism Department, it’s now important to market these regions far and wide. To this end, he pointed out that the remoteness and poverty of Karnali and Sudurpaschim have not allowed them to properly market their mountains.
“The government of Nepal wants to disseminate to the global mountaineering community that so many alluring and worth-climbing mountains are located in those two provinces. And there are many more other touristic destinations (there),” – Himal Gautam.
Tourism is a sector Nepal cannot afford to lose. The government is now hoping to extend that outreach outside the overcrowded Everest and beyond the world’s most towering peaks. Nepal hopes to share the economic benefits more equitably by encouraging tourists to travel throughout the country. This strategy further reduces the burden placed on Everest, particularly as authorities have increasingly cracked down on unprepared climbers in recent years.
For Nepal, a remarkable 1.15 million international tourists arrived in 2024, underscoring the growing appeal of its jaw-dropping natural beauty and thriving adventure tourism sector. The government’s latest initiative comes as part of a broader strategy to enhance tourism offerings while ensuring sustainability and safety for climbers.
