Raipur girl conquers Africa's Mount Kilimanjaro

RAIPUR: Scaling over 5800 meters, Tahseen Amber , brought laurels to the country as she conquered Mount Kilimanjaro — the highest mountain peak of South Africa , recently.


Talking to TOI, the Raipur girl said that climbing this high in just five days has its own challenge.” Kilimanjaro has six climbing routes and I opted for Machame route , also known as the Whiskey route, because it is difficult and scenic.

I could have chosen an easier path which had the facility to stay in huts, but I wanted to challenge myself.”

Describing her trekking experience, Tahseen said the range requires good acclimatisation. To avoid high altitude or mountain sickness, it is necessary to drink minimum four litres of water a day. “In my 10 years of trekking experience, I never came across such a peak, which seems easier to climb but had the acclimatisation issue. Besides, the weather always remains unpredictable in Kilimanjaro.

“Every time I saw the top of Kilimanjaro, it felt that I am almost there, only to realize it was more like a mirage. It took me 10 hours to reach the top of the highest point, i.e., Uhuru Peak (5,895m). It was truly a sense of achievement.”

Speaking about her planning Tahseen said that as a new year resolution she had decided to take at least three expeditions and Kilimanjaro was among them. “It is a dream for most of the mountaineers to climb highest peaks of all the seven continents. I have always wanted to get to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. After getting recovered from my Kanyakumari to Khardung La 4000km cycling expedition, I started preparing for Mount Kilimanjaro.”

Like her cycling expedition, this time too, Tahseen spread the message of ‘Be Generous’. “These small goals in my life boost me to achieve the heights and it helped me to have a positive mindset too,” she said.

Tahseen started her six-day trek from Moshi Village — the gateway to Kilimanjaro National Park in Tanzania on September 19 and reached the summit of Uhuru Peak (5895m), the highest summit on Kibo's crater rimon September 23.