An American farmer, Mr Richard Byerley, 84, on Sunday took the challenge to climb the snow-capped Kilimanjaro Mountain in six days.

Mr Byerley who comes from Walla Walla in Washington is aiming at breaking the Guinness World Records as the oldest person to climb the African top.

Accompanied by his two grandchildren, Bren, 24, and Annie, 29, Mr Byerley is scaling the mountain through Machame route.

The trio is also expected to go for a two-day safari in Ngorongoro Crater which is also a Natural World Heritage Site.

The current oldest Guinness World Record holder to the summit of Kilimanjaro on foot is a retired British man, Professor George Solt, who earned the title last year at the age of 82.

However, it is purported that 87-year-old Frenchman, Valtee Daniel, reached the summit of Kilimanjaro but his ascent was not documented.

Byerley’s attempt to complete this feat could have gone unrecognized if not for the trained eye of Robin Paschall, founder of the US-based Adventures Within Reach, a tour operator located in Boulder, Colorado, specializing in customized and affordable adventures.

While arranging his trip, Paschall, a Kilimanjaro booking specialist, realized that a successful ascent would land Byerley a place in the Guinness World Records and therefore her company was arranging to document Byerley’s climb in order to fulfill the stringent criteria required by Guinness World Records.

Mr Byerley and his two grandchildren are escorted by a tour guide and porters from the Moshi-based Tanzania Journeys, according to the company’s senior officials, Mr Patrick Lemmy and Joyce Dickson.

By PETER TEMBA, Tanzania Daily News