The Department of Tourism (DoT) has issued the highest number of permits for climbing Mt Everest this season.

As many as 365 members of 39 different expedition groups have been issued permits to scale the 8,848- metre as of Tuesday, according to Durga Dutta Dhakal, an information officer at the DoT. 

“This is the highest number of climbing permits issued for the Everest expedition since the first successful ascent of the world’s highest mountain in 1953,” informed Dhakal, adding that a total of 289 climbers from 34 groups had obtained permits for the May season last year. 

Dhakal, however, said that the number of climbers could exceed 365 as the aspiring climbers can obtain permits till April-end.

Of those who have already been issued permits from the DoT, 294 climbers of 31 expedition groups are already on their way to the Everest base camp after getting yet another permit from the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) in Namche, the gateway to Mt Everest. 

While most of the climbers opt for flight from Kathmandu to Lukla and trek from there to the Everest base camp, some adventurous enthusiasts tend to walk the traditional route of Jiri-Salleri-base camp, which was also taken by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary who first conquered the highest mountain in the world in 1953. 

With so many climbers attempting to scale Mt Everest this season, a traffic jam is expected this season. 

Ang Tshering Sherpa, president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), said the NMA is working to ease the congestion. “We are paying special attention to crowd management given the increase in number of Everest climbers this season,” he said.