TDS Desk:

Climber Ikramul Hasan Shakil has made history by raising the Bangladeshi flag atop the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest, after walking all the way from Cox’s Bazar.

He reached the summit on Monday (May 19) at 6:30 am Nepal time, according to confirmation from his Nepal-based travel agency, 8K Expeditions.

A post from his official Facebook page stated, “We’ve just received the news — Shakil has summited and is safe. He has descended to Camp 4. Due to limited network access, further details are currently unavailable.”

Shakil named his mission ‘Sea to Summit’, symbolising his journey from sea level to the summit.

He began his trek on February 25 at noon from Inani Beach in Cox’s Bazar. Travelling on foot through Chattogram, Feni, Cumilla, and Munshiganj, he reached Dhaka after 12 days.

Following a short break, Shakil resumed walking through Gazipur, Tangail, and Sirajganj, eventually reaching Panchagarh on March 28.

The next day, he crossed into India, trekking through Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling, before entering Nepal on March 31.

After covering nearly 1,400 kilometres on foot, he reached Everest Base Camp on April 29 — setting the stage for his final ascent to the top of the world.

Following his arrival at Everest Base Camp, Ikramul Hasan Shakil underwent crucial acclimatisation rotations.

On May 6, he ascended to Camp 3 before returning to Base Camp on May 10. This rotation is a vital part of preparing for the main summit push.

Shakil then commenced his final ascent, reaching Camp 2 on May 16, followed by Camp 3 on May 17, and Camp 4 on May 18. It was from Camp 4 that he initiated his summit push, successfully reaching the peak at approximately 6:30 am Nepal time on May 19.

His remarkable achievement echoes the pioneering ‘Sea to Summit Expedition’ of Australian mountaineer Tim Macartney-Snape in 1990.

Macartney-Snape embarked on a solo journey, walking 1,200 kilometres over 96 days from Ganga Sagar in India to the summit of Everest.

The ‘Sea to Summit’ expedition was primarily sponsored by PRAN, with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Mr Noodles, Makalu-E-Traders Nepal, and Systema Toothbrush.