It may seem the most unthinkable yet thrilling at the same time to perform a feat of climbing the world’s tallest mountain. And for people who have decided on performing this feat, it may be a very thrilling feeling to be able to conquer. But then downs upon us the most dreaded question; how much does it cost to climb the Mount Everest?
There are 3 kinds of travellers on this great expedition
- The commercial tailers: these are people who fully pay for their trek from their own pockets. They are the people who undergo the entire burden of the cost for their own trip.
- The manual trailers: these are people who try and conquer the mountain on their own will, without the help guides. For them, the cost is a little less as compared to the commercial takers.
- The government funded trailers: these people and their entire trip is usually government funded from training to the climb, for patriotic reasons. They do not have to pay as much as the above two groups of climbers, and simply have to focus on being physically fit to perform the hike without a lot of complications.
There are some factors that are added up in the cost they are:
- The transportation
Mount Everest can be scaled from either Nepal or Tibet. The cost of the flight to either of the two destinations depends on where you are traveling from. One of the sites from which you can book a cheap round-way flight ticket to Nepal is cheapflights.com.
Then you have to spend a little more, to book tickets from Kathmandu to Lukla airport.
Once you reach this place, you will have to spend some more on the yak and porters, who will transfer your gears and supplies to the Everest Base camp from where you will begin your trek forward.
On the way, you will spend some more on food tea and accommodation. - The permits
The permits can be acquired both in Tibet as well as Nepal. In Nepal, a permit would cost you anywhere around $11,000, this will include the workings of a local company at achieving these permits, a refundable cash deposit, and the permit from a liaison officer. On top of all this, if you’d like to add evacuation costs, it’s all up to you. And if you’d like to add a cancellation policy, it is up to you. The evacuation costs include the services of evacuation in case of emergency or upon calling. And the cancellation policy allows a person to a 100% reimbursed in case of the early ending of the Everest trip. - The gears
To climb Everest you must have the most top-notch gears to make it a possibility. The gears are the things that will ensure a safe trek up the mountain.
You will have to purchase:
- Supplemental oxygen: $550 per bottle
- Oxygen Regulator: $500
- Oxygen mask: $500
- Full medical kit: $500 to $1,000
- Personal gear (including suit, sleeping bag, boots): $6,000 to $8,000
- Satellite phone: $1,000 to $3,000
- Plastic double boots (or specialized single boot systems) made specifically for high altitude climbing
- Glacier glasses with side covers (If you wear prescription glasses, you’ll need to special order these.)
- 700-fill down parka
- Climbing backpack (3,500-4,000 cu. in.)
- Trekking backpack (2,000 – 2,500 cu. in.) – optional
- Sleeping bag – expedition weight, rated to at least -40°F
- Ice axe with leash
- Alpine climbing harness
- Carabineers, ascender, rappel/belay device, prussic
- Crampons
- The guides
A new rule was implemented by the Nepali government; that every foreign trekker must hire a local guide before climbing the Everest. Upon not abiding by this rule, they were restricted from making the climb, for the next 5 years. A guide with yaks and porters to complete the climb will be another 6000$ per client at max. - The additional charges
Apart from these factors, there will be additional charges for things such as:
- Visa: $100
- Immunizations: $200
- Allowance of gears for Sherpas: $1,000 to $3,000
- Campsite maintenance: $2,000
- Tips to Sherpas: $2000 and up (depending on performance and summit)
The total cost in numerical can be anywhere around $125,000 that is Rs 87, 50,000. So how did we come to this amount?
Transportation:
This includes
- Airfare (keeping in mind, the class, and baggage fees)- $7000-$10,000
- Transportation from Kathmandu to Lukla airport (round trip) – $500
- Accommodation/lodging and meals in Lukla and Kathmandu – $1000
- Nepal visa- $100
- Immunizations – $200
Reaching the Everest Base Camp:
This includes:
- A yak carrying 120 lbs to and from Everest Base Camp – $80 per day (for 4 days).
- A porter carrying 60lbs to and from Everest Base Camp – $40 per day (for 4 days).
- Food and tea houses on the way to the camp – $100/ person/ day
- Fee for the park- $100 per team.
Permits and insurances:
This includes:
- Permission to climb from the Nepali authorities or a local travel agency- $15,000
- Refundable trash deposit- $5000
- The permit from a liaison officer- $4000 per team
- Evacuation coverage- $8000
- South base camp medical support- $200/ person
- Sherpa guide- $5000
- Nepal garbage and human waste deposit- $6,000/team permit
- Icefall doctors (people for fixing the route)- $800/ person
- Weather forecast- $1000
- Pooja- $500
The gears:
This includes:
- Full medical kit- $3000
- Sherpas cook tips and bonus – $2,000+/ individual depending on performance and summit
- Personal Gear (down suit, high altitude boots, sleeping bags, etc): $10,000
- Satellite phone (own)- $3,000 depending on usage
- Gear allowance for Sherpas- $4,000
- EBC and High Camps- $9000
- Tents- $5,000 new (sleeping, cooking, toilet, storage at 4 camps for 3 people)
- Cooks- $5,000 per cook and assistant for 6 weeks
- Food and fuel- $1000 per person for 6 weeks
- Climbing Support- $10,000
- Oxygen $550/bottle (one would require a basic of 5 bottles that would cost them a total of $3000, without the charge for carrying it up to the summit)
- Oxygen Regulator $500
- Oxygen Mask (Summit Oxygen) $500
- Climbing Sherpa $5,000 per Personal Sherpa with oxygen at $2,000
The cost to climb Mount Everest may be a whooping sum of money, but you know that it was all worth it when you have reached the summit of the tallest mountain the world.