Nepal is a low income and high corruption country, where the government and formal business structures are unstable enough that 'tipping' becomes common even for government investigators...

It's basically a way for everyone to get more tourists dollars, which is one of Nepals primary exports.

▲

mikkupikku 6 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Why don't they just charge [more] for a mountain license? A few thousand per hiker would probably be tolerated by people who view the hike as a lifetime achievement kind of thing.

	▲	tim333 an hour ago \| parent [-]
		They do charge quite a lot for mountain climbing permits but trekking is mostly just walking from village to village along the usual paths the locals use.

▲

expedition32 6 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Scamming bored rich people is one of the more victimless crimes.

	▲	guzfip 6 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Idk they gave SBF 25 years for it.