A group of 17 Arab adventurers will take on the Himalayas next week as part of an initiative to promote GCC unity.

They have never met each other, but will come together to climb to a height of 4,800 metres in a mountain range famous for Mount Everest.

Their expedition gets underway on Sunday and will be filmed by a crew from Bahrain TV, with the footage set to be broadcast during Ramadan.

The group came together after Bahraini Salah Yafee posted an open invitation for people to take part in the trip through his Twitter account.

They include Bahrainis Yafee, Salem Al Musaifer, Yasser Musameh, Mohammed Juma, Mohammed Janahi, Adel Khalil, Hamza Taleb and Ammar Sharif; Emiratis Ahmed Alibdwaoa, Marwan Al Naimi and Nasser Al Zaabi; Kuwaiti Abdullah Fulaij; Qataris Mohammed Al Shaibani, Muhammad Malik and Abdullah Al Hassan; and Omani Adel Shanfari.

"The delegation represents five GCC countries taking part in a unique adventure for the first time, which will climb the Himalayas and reach the height of 4,800m," Al Musaifer told our sister publication the Gulf Daily News.

"The aim of this adventure is to deliver and promote the idea of unity and the Gulf programme will encourage young viewers to be ambitious.

"It also aims to help them develop the will and determination to achieve goals and overcome obstacles, as inspired by our trip through the Himalayas."

Expedition members are footing the cost of the trip themselves, with each one shelling out BD800 ($2,132) to take part.

They are flying to Nepal on Saturday and are due to reach their goal on June 2.

"The TV crew will be filming all details of the journey of walking and the difficulties faced by the team," added Mr Musaifer.

"They will also document the obstacles, social interaction and leadership skills displayed by each team member, as well as the landscape and scenery experienced.

"This work is the first of its kind to be produced in the Arab Gulf and we are thoroughly looking forward to taking part in the trip.

"The programme will be unique because we have chosen the Himalayas for the first time and the aspiring participants from the GCC countries will aim to embody the spirit of co-operation among them.

"We will also try to develop our life skills and work to improve our personalities, as we will have to rely on each other during the trip and communicate and build up bonds of friendship and social cohesion.

"We will also learn about other cultures and people and how we rely on ourselves, work within the same team and also how to cook."

The group has been getting in shape for the week-long expedition with daily runs and walks.

"We have been running 3km or walking 15km every day to build up the fitness required for the trip," revealed Musaifer. – TradeArabia News Service