- Who
- Anne Lorimor
- What
- 89:37 year(s):day(s)
- Where
- Tanzania ()
- When
The oldest woman – and oldest person overall – to climb Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 metres; 19,340 feet) in Tanzania is Anne Lorimor (USA, b. 11 June 1930), who reached Uhuru Peak at 3.14 p.m. local time on 18 July 2019, aged 89 years 37 days. Lorimor and seven others set out on 12 July and scaled Kilimanjaro on the Rongai Route – the only route that approaches the mountain from the north – led by guide Elibahati Mamuya; the group returned on the Marangu Route. The round trip from base to summit to base took nine days. Lorimor completed the climb unassisted, with no oxygen or artificial aids.
This was the second time that the great-grandmother from Arizona, USA, had summitted Kilimanjaro in her 80s, having already scaled Africa's tallest mountain when she was 85; in the same year, however, her record was surpassed by Angela Vorobeva (Russia, b. 4 February 1929), who reached the "Roof of Africa" aged 86 years 267 days on 29 October 2015.
The oldest male to have summitted Kilimanjaro to date is retired orthodontist Dr Fred Distelhorst (USA), who reached Uhuru Peak on 20 July 2017 at the age of 88.
On both occasions, Lorimor took on Kilimanjaro to raise funds and awareness for her charity, Creating Exciting Futures, which supports underprivileged children.
