KATHMANDU: Nepali climber Prakash Raj Pandey has successfully scaled Mount Aconcagua, the highest peak in South America. On February 6, he reached the summit in Argentina and proudly hoisted Nepal’s national flag at 7:50 AM local time.
As part of the “Seven Summits” challenge—climbing the highest peaks on all seven continents—Pandey embarked on this journey with Nepal’s national flag, handed to him by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. He had left for Buenos Aires on January 21. This was his fourth summit in the Seven Summits expedition and his 11th successful climb overall since joining the challenge. He was accompanied by record-holding mountaineer Chatur Tamang, who has climbed Mount Everest seven times.
Previously, Pandey and Tamang scaled together Mount Elbrus in Russia, the highest peak in Europe. Pandey has also summited Africa’s highest mountain, Kilimanjaro. He has climbed Mt. Manaslu, known as “Killer Mountain” and the technically challenging Mt. Ama Dablam.
Despite not being as high as Everest, Pandey described the Aconcagua climb as extremely challenging due to unpredictable weather conditions, making it feel almost as difficult as summiting Everest. He undertook this expedition under the brand “Makalu Outfit” and proudly carried unique Nepali triangular flag representing Nepal, along with the flags of Nepal Scouts and Rotary International to promote youth involvement and adventure.
In addition to climbing, Pandey is also raising awareness about climate change. During his expedition, he engaged with local stakeholders, emphasizing that Nepal and other biodiverse countries are suffering unexpected losses due to climate change. He pointed out that while poorer nations contribute the least to global emissions, they face the harshest consequences. He believes that adapting our lifestyles is necessary to break free from this cycle of hardship.
Pandey hopes his journey will strengthen diplomatic ties between Nepal and Argentina while promoting Nepal as a top adventure tourism destination in South American region. His next goal is to climb Denali, the highest peak in North America. He also shared his vision of completing the Seven Summits challenge in home country by climbing the Mount Everest.
