Omani climbs Kilimanjaro in single day

Hamed al Harthi has become the first Omani-arab to scale the summit of Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, within a day (18 hours). Kilimanjaro, situated at a height of 5,895 metres, has inspired many mountaineers to take the journey up to the summit.

Usually, it is a seven-day trip. This was Hamed’s fifth trip to the mountain.

He wanted to do it one day, a task he accomplished on July 5. “The experience was amazing. Attempting to complete it in one day did create doubts in my mind. But it happened. When you believe in something, everything will fall into place,” said Hamed.

As for the lessons learnt, he said it is to “stay determined and practise even when it is tough”. On why he took up the challenge, Hamed, who works in the banking sector, said: “Maybe to prove age is no barrier. I felt instead of seven days, I could climb Kilimanjaro in a day. I took it as a challenge and I am glad I could do it.”

He underwent ten months of preparation to be physically fit.

He climbed Jabal al Akhdar, Jabal Shams and hiked up to 50 km on weekends and went for regular walks even during Ramadhan.

“It was a lot of commitment. I would hike almost every day. Twice a week, I would go up to Jabal al Akhdar.

“This involved going up and down the mountain. I used to trek at night during Ramadhan. I would trek for up to 8 km before iftar. After breaking the fast, I would complete the remainder of the distance.”

Immediately after the Eid holidays, Hamed headed to Tanzania to climb Mount Meru twice, taking three days each time, in order to acclimatise himself to the high altitude.

He was accompanied by a ranger each time to drive away wild animals.

This was followed by his climb to the Kilimanjaro in four days.

He began his ascent to the summit at 4.15 am on July 5.

By 11.15 pm, he had reached the summit. During the climb, he faced challenges such as heavy downpour (for five hours). At the first camp, the guide fell sick and he had to be replaced by his assistant, which caused some delay.