Emirati climbers conclude Kilimanjaro climbing trip

The students and their three teachers reached the 5895 meter-high peak of Kilimanjaro after six days of climbing in temperatures ranging between 10-20 degrees below zero and low oxygen levels.

The first trip ever by an Emirati team to climb Kilimanjaro was sponsored Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Development and the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy.

An official ceremony was held at the Academy for the climbers upon arrival.

The trip marked of the 25th anniversary celebrations of the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) and is part of efforts to promote healthy lifestyle and physical fitness among Emirati girls.

Nora Al Kaabi, board member of the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy, said the support extended by H.H Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairperson of the General Women’s Union (GWU), Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation (FDF) and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, was instrumental in the success of the trip.

Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa and fourth highest of the Seven Summits, is the tallest freestanding mountain in the world, rising 15,100 feet (4,600 meters) from base to summit.