What began as a way to rediscover joy and purpose in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic has led two best friends to achieve a remarkable milestone by conquering Mount Everest Base Camp on their first overseas hiking expedition.
Zarul Asyraaf Bohairi and Megat Haziq Mustaffa Kamal, both 28 and alumni of Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL), successfully completed their Mount Everest Base Camp trek on 8 November 2025.
Zarul Asyraaf shared that the idea to take on the Everest Base Camp challenge emerged during their descent from Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, an ambition that eventually became a reality.
“We started hiking in 2020. Our first mountain was Mount Datuk. After that, we hiked several mountains in Malaysia.
“We successfully climbed Mount Kinabalu twice, in 2023 and 2024. Everest Base Camp was, in fact, our first overseas hiking experience,” he said.
The duo first met in 2015 while pursuing a Diploma in Engineering Technology at UniKL Malaysian Institute of Marine Engineering Technology (UniKL MIMET).
They later continued their studies together, obtaining Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering (Hons.) degrees from UniKL Malaysia France Institute (UniKL MFI).
Currently, Zarul Asyraaf serves as a Subsea Installation Analysis Engineer at Subsea 7 Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd, while Megat Haziq works as a Project Engineer at Serimatik Sdn Bhd.
Reflecting on the expedition, Zarul Asyraaf described altitude and extreme cold as the greatest challenges of the Everest Base Camp trek.
“As we ascended, atmospheric pressure dropped significantly. At Everest Base Camp, which stands at 5,364 metres above sea level, oxygen levels are about 50 percent lower than at sea level, forcing the heart and lungs to work much harder.
“This increases the risk of Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), which includes symptoms such as headaches, nausea, shortness of breath and difficulty sleeping. Fortunately, I only experienced mild AMS,” he said.
Temperature posed another major challenge, with the lowest recorded temperature reaching –20°C. Beyond the physical hardship, the journey taught him the importance of consistency and mental resilience.
“If you focus too much on the exhaustion, the journey becomes overwhelming. The real challenge was staying mentally and physically consistent, walking continuously for 10 days. In total, we covered 120 kilometres, overcoming both high altitude and extreme cold,” he added.
Both alumni underwent six months of intensive training prior to the expedition. Looking ahead, they plan to continue their mountaineering journey by taking on Mount Kilimanjaro, Mont Blanc and Mount McKinley.
