The Luminaire Foundation's Expedition: An 11-Year-Old Summits Kilimanjaro

LONDON, Jan. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- An 11-year-old boy and a 65-year-old man were among 13 successful climbers that summitted Kilimanjaro, Africa's tallest mountain (5,895m) and the world's highest free-standing mountain as part of a charity team organised by UK luxury travel company The Luminaire.

Orlando (11) from the UK, is one of the youngest climbers to have summitted this year, climbed with his father, and elder brother.

Sudheer Sharma, (65) the CEO and Founder of PTT trustees and a well-known figure in the Travel industry, also summitted.

The climbers helped raise over £25,000 for U-Go (https://ugouniversity.org/), a charity that provides scholarships for Tanzanian women.

The thirteen climbers battled strong winds and the effects of altitude, over seven days to reach the summit. All the climbers reached the top of Africa's highest summit, just after dawn on the 22 December, celebrating with their team-mates. Afterwards, the climbers connected via satellite to video-call their families.

During the trip, Orlando and his team-mates slept in tents and camped as high as 4,800 metres. Every night after supper, a team doctor checked their pulse and blood oxygen levels to ensure they were ready to summit. Over the trip, the team trekked through rainforests, bush and high deserts scaling features like the Barranco wall and passing the Lava tower and Shira Cave. On the summit night, climbers woke at 11pm and trekked for seven hours until they were rewarded with an incredible sunrise, with views stretching for hundreds of miles.  

The Luminaire is a luxury travel company that creates unique experiences and trips across the world. In partnership with Virgin Unite (https://unite.virgin.com/), the company operates a charity foundation that organises charity trips, where all the proceeds go to charity.

Building on the success of this journey, The Luminaire is currently planning two more trips to Kilimanjaro in 2026.

Guests can join the Kilimanjaro Challenge 2026 here: https://www.theluminaire.com/foundation/kilimanjaro-challenge-2026 

Imagery available here: 
https://theluminaire.sharepoint.com/:f:/s/theluminaire/IgByo4rf4tX2TKVTLGCPMqx8AasKHOoC4lqaO0eWxOBzDF4?e=QYWMux 

About The Luminaire

The Luminaire designs travel experiences that are led by insiders, blending exceptional access with immersive storytelling, so that curious travellers return richer in understanding, connection, and the kind of stories that stay with them.

The Luminaire Foundation provides cultural stewardship for future generations across natural conservation; cultural preservation; and education. In partnership with Virgin Unite – the independent non-profit foundation of the Virgin Group – 100% of profits from upcoming Foundation trips will go towards global initiatives including The Elders, founded by Nelson Mandela.

The team at The Luminaire is led by travel entrepreneur and CEO, Adam Sebba.

Contact: enquire@theluminaire.com or +44 (0) 203 974 2211

Website: https://www.theluminaire.com/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theluminairetravel/

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