Hailing from the Tamia area of MP’s Chhindwara district, 33-year-old Bhawna successfully summitted the 6,961-meter-high peak on January 22, 2025.
Hailing from the Tamia area of MP’s Chhindwara district, 33-year-old Bhawna successfully summitted the 6,961-meter-high peak on January 22, 2025.(Photo | Express)

Ace mountaineer Bhawna Dehariya scales South America's highest peak, dedicates achievement to 'girls with dreams as big as mountains'

The January 22 summit climb marks not only the 10th anniversary of the 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' campaign, but also Bhawna’s fifth peak in her quest to complete the 'Seven Summits' – scaling the highest mountain peaks of each of the seven continents.
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BHOPAL: Bhawna Dehariya, the ace mountaineer from Madhya Pradesh, celebrated the completion of ten years of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) campaign by successfully scaling Mount Aconcagua, the highest peak in South America.

Hailing from the Tamia area of MP’s Chhindwara district, 33-year-old Bhawna successfully summitted the 6,961-meter-high peak on January 22, 2025 – the day when the BBBP campaign completed its ten years.

“This summit isn’t just a personal milestone, but actually a tribute to the BBBP on its tenth anniversary. The campaign inspires and empowers millions of girls across India. It has been a guiding light in my journey. It is a reminder that every girl deserves the chance to soar, just as I did on Aconcagua. The summit is not just my achievement—it’s a dedication to every girl with dreams as big as the mountains. To my little daughter, Siddhi Mishra, and every young girl, remember: The sky is not the limit—it’s just the beginning!” Bhawna wrote on social media, while sharing pictures of the successful summit of the tall peak in Argentina.

Importantly, Bhawna along with her three-year-old daughter Siddhi Mishra, have been BBBP brand ambassadors, an honour conferred upon her by the Department of Women and Child Development. Her daughter Siddhi made history in 2024 by becoming the youngest child (at the age of two years) to reach the Everest Base Camp alongside her mother, symbolising the campaign’s vision for empowering girls.

Bhawna’s successful climb of the tallest peak in South America on January 22, 2025 happened six years after she climbed up to 6500 meters on the same mountain in 2019, but was compelled to turn back due to adverse weather conditions.

According to Bhawna, the journey to scale the tallest peak of South America started on January 11, 2025 through the Horcones Valley Route, the classic and most popular path to ascend Mount Aconcagua.

Starting from the Aconcagua National Park entrance, she and her team trekked to Confluencia Base Camp and acclimatised with a hike to Plaza Francia (4,300m). Over the next few days, they progressed through key milestones, including Plaza de Mulas Base Camp (4,300m), Camp Nido de Cóndores (5,365m), and Camp Colera (6,000m).

Bhawna and her team faced extreme weather conditions, with temperatures ranging from -13°C to -27°C, during their summit push. They encountered significant delays due to severe weather, including waiting for two additional days at Base Camp and one extra day at Camp 2 before moving to Camp 3 the next day to prepare for the final ascent.

The January 22 summit climb marks Bhawna’s fifth peak in her quest to complete the 'Seven Summits' – scaling the highest mountain peaks of each of the seven continents.

Before the Aconcagua, she successfully scaled world’s highest peak Mount Everest (Asia) in May 2019, Mount Kilimanjaro (Africa) on Deepawali in 2019, Mount Kosciuszko (Australia) on Holi in 2020 and Mount Elbrus (Europe) on the 75th Independence Day in 2022.

Importantly, Bhawna had celebrated the completion of country’s 75 years of independence from British Rule by climbing successfully on August 15, 2022 morning, not just one but two tall peaks of Europe: the 5642 meters high Mount Elbrus West at 5.30 am and just 21 meters lower Mount Elbrus East at 4.23 am.

Several state and national politicians, including current MP CM Dr Mohan Yadav and union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan have praised and congratulated Bhawna on her major achievement, marking 10 successful years of the BBBP campaign launched by PM Narendra Modi on January 22, 2015.

Bhawna was also among The New Indian Express Group's Devi Awardees in 2020.

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