Discover Adventure | Blog

Our brilliant leader Vic and his lovely partner Zara (a Discover Adventure veteran of ten challenges and counting!), who's climbed Kilimanjaro herself, were at the London premiere of Aitch: Don't Be Afraid last night. On her way home, she wrote this. We're even more excited to see the film now! It lands on Netflix on Sunday. 

In January 2025, we took a group up Kilimanjaro that included a chart-topping rapper, his dad, a reality TV star, and a team climbing for the Down's Syndrome Association. On 26 July, their story arrives on Netflix — Aitch: Don't Be Afraid. Here's the bit the cameras don't linger on: how a trip like this actually gets made.

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week. And after 32 years of enabling people to do hard things, we've noticed something worth talking about.

Nobody signs up for a Discover Adventure challenge to fix their mental health.

They sign up because a friend did it a few years back and came home changed in some way they couldn't quite explain. Because a charity they care about needed fundraisers. Because something in them wanted to find out what they were made of. Because they needed a reason to get outside more. Because they said yes before they could talk themselves out of it.

But something happens out there that isn't in the itinerary.

When Jazz, our Charity Support here at Discover Adventure, casually suggested to her mum, Nikky, that they tackle one of our Himalayas Trek together, neither could have imagined just how transformative the journey would be. What started as a "spur of the moment discussion"evolved into something far more meaningful - a chance to raise money for Parkinson's UK in honour of Jazz's grandad, who had lived with the condition.

When Sam, Discover Adventure's Office Manager, swapped her desk for a trek up Mount Kilimanjaro, she discovered that the greatest challenges often lead to the most rewarding moments. Here's her honest, inspiring account of climbing Africa's highest peak via the stunning Machame Route.

For Mental Health Awareness Week 2025

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” — African Proverb.

There’s something quietly powerful about the moment a group of strangers becomes a team. If you’ve ever joined a challenge, you've seen it: day one is full of slightly awkward introductions, nervous smiles, and last-minute kit checks. By the time you hit the halfway point, you're swapping snacks, sharing life stories (and toilet anecdotes!) and waiting for each other at the top of every climb.

This Mental Health Awareness Week, with its theme of community, we’re reflecting on those moments and how adventure has a habit of bringing people together when they need it most.