Project Odyssey - Kilimanjaro 2025

When former Royal Marine Craig joined the Nimsdai Foundation’s Project Odyssey 2025 trek to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, he knew it would be a challenge. What he didn’t expect was how deeply the journey would reconnect him with his resilience, the camaraderie of shared experience, and his gratitude.

“From the very first steps on the mountain, Kilimanjaro tested me,” says Craig. “Altitude sickness struck hard. Despite my 16 years’ service in the Royal Marines, Kilimanjaro was still a personal test of physical and mental fortitude.”

For Craig and his teammates, veterans from the Royal Marines, RAF, and a former Gurkha, the trek was about much more than reaching the summit. It was about healing, shared experience, and rediscovering a sense of purpose.

The Nimsdai Foundation expedition in partnership with Elite Exped, brought together veterans with powerful, and often traumatic, personal stories. Each participant carried their own experiences of service, loss, resilience, and recovery. But on the mountain, those stories merged into something greater.

“Our group was a remarkable mix of individuals,” Craig explains, “I will forever be grateful to my teammates and guides for reminding me what true camaraderie looks like. This expedition wasn’t just a climb; it was a life-shaping experience.”

For Nimsdai Purja, founder of the Nimsdai Foundation, the connection between mountaineering and veterans runs deep. A former Gurkha and a member of the Special Boat Service of the UK’s Special Forces, Nims understands the unbreakable bonds of comradeship forged in service, and the hardship many face when their military careers end.

Whether it’s adapting to life-changing injuries or coping with the invisible struggles of post-traumatic stress, many veterans find the transition to civilian life immensely difficult. Mountaineering offers a unique form of therapy: a chance to regain purpose, put specialist skills to use, and once again operate as part of a close-knit team.

Time and again, studies have shown that the mountains can play a vital role in healing - Project Odyssey was created to harness that power.

The Nimsdai Foundation’s Project Odyssey gives veterans the chance to take on expeditions such as Everest Base Camp and Mount Kilimanjaro. These treks are not just about physical achievement, but about the journey of resilience, recovery, and shared strength.

The Nimsdai Foundation supports veterans as they take on these mountaineering challenges, and through using its ‘North Star’ assessment programme, it is able to measure the positive impact of Project Odyssey on the lives of veterans taking part.

Thanks to the generosity of donors and supporters, including everyone who joined the Nimsdai Foundation’s Dusk To Dawn Challenge in March 2025 to help fund the veteran places, this life-changing work continues. If you are an individual or business who is interested in supporting Project Odyssey please get in touch.