KUWAIT: Kuwaiti mountaineer Yousef Al-Refai raises Kuwait’s flag on the highest volcanic peak in the continent of Oceania. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Kuwaiti mountaineer Yousef Al-Refai reached the highest volcanic peak in the continent of Oceania, part of a mountain range in Papua New Guinea. Refai said that he planned this trip for a whole year after inquiring from the locals about the natural structure, which stands 4,367-meters above sea level. The mountaineer added that a guide from the natives accompanied him on this epic odyssey, which lasted eight days with two spent in a rainforest.

Refai, 21, said that he started mountaineering in 2015 to try out a new adventure, but he fell in love with the sport ever since. He also said that he had climbed a number of mountains, the first of which was Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa, in December 2015 and Russia's highest mountain Elbrus in July 2017. Papua New Guinea is located in the southeast of the Pacific Ocean on the continent of Oceania near Indonesia. Its inhabitants, who were completely isolated from the outside world, were discovered in 1983. - KUNA