Nepal’s Department of Tourism has issued climbing permits to 648 mountaineers from 69 countries for this autumn season, department spokesperson Suraj Ghimire confirmed. The climbers, organized into 71 expedition teams, will attempt 20 peaks across the country, with 485 men and 163 women among the permit holders.
China topped the list of nationalities with 118 climbers, followed by Russia with 57, France with 51, the United States with 41, and the United Kingdom with 38. Germany sent 34 climbers, Poland 19, and India 18. Smaller contingents arrived from Australia, Canada, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Bulgaria and Argentina, among other nations. Twenty Nepali climbers also secured permits.
The permits generated $1,571,659 — roughly 239 million Nepali rupees — in royalty revenue for the department.
Manaslu, the world’s eighth-highest peak at 8,163 metres, proved the season’s clear favorite. Forty-three teams and 500 climbers obtained permits to attempt the mountain, contributing over 225 million rupees of the total royalty collected — nearly all of the season’s revenue.
Elsewhere, 34 climbers across four teams are headed for Dhaulagiri I, while smaller groups received permits for Putha Hiunchuli, Dhangda Hiunchuli and Baruntse. The department also issued permits for Makalu, Annapurna IV, Pumori, Thorong Peak, Langchenel, Norbu Kang, Chamlang, Lamjung Himal, Saribung and several other peaks.
