As Everest costs go up, Nepal just made it free to climb nearly 100 other mountains

A permit to climb the world’s tallest mountain costs an eye-popping $15,000 — and that’s before you add in the price of airfare, gear and a guide.

But Nepal, which has long sought to diversify its tourism offerings beyond showpiece Mount Everest, has come up with a new plan to attract travelers to less expensive, less visited regions of the country.

The government announced it’s opening up 97 peaks in Karnali and Sudurpaschim, two states in far western Nepal, to international climbers for free.

“There are so many mountains (in Nepal),” Himal Gautam, a director in the Nepal Tourism Department, told CNN.

“Until now the government of Nepal has opened 462 mountains for commercial expedition. Out of them 102 mountains are still virgin, they are waiting for the first climbers.” He did not