Suzanne Al Houby is a mountain climber, entrepreneur, and humanitarian activist with concern for ecological balance. Initiatives that can be described as daring and innovative in many fields have one thing in common: They accomplish what had been considered impossible. Suzanne Al Houby was told that she couldn’t do it, but she did – and that is what she is all about! Her favorite quote? “It is easy to be inspired, but it is not so easy to act.”
On May 21, 2011, Suzanne Al Houby became the first Arab woman to climb to the summit of Mount Everest; at 8,850 meters, it is the highest mountain on earth. She is also the first Arab woman to climb Mont Blanc (twice), Elbrus (three times), Aconcagua (twice), Vinson, and Denali (four times) – the highest mountains in Western Europe, Europe/Russia, the South American Andes Mountains, Antarctica, and North America, respectively. In addition, she has climbed the Kilimanjaro in Tanzania (ten times) and Toubkal in Morocco, the highest mountains in northern and eastern Africa, respectively, among many others. Suzanne has visited more than 100 destinations worldwide, carried a backpack half her weight, and camped in extreme conditions. Having developed a sense of what to look for in an adventure, she decided to put this into her dream project and founded Rahhalah Explorers, an adventure travel company. An environmentalist, humanitarian, and explorer with a set of values that defines integrity, she believes “It is never about greed, fame, or even the summit; it is about doing the right thing in a world that has a significant number of people losing sight of what is important.” Suzanne Al Houby runs the only company in her business and in the region that has a payback promise.
In January 2014, Suzanne led Mutassem Abu Karsh and Yasmeen Najjar – Palestinian youth from Gaza and the West Bank, both amputees with prosthetic legs – up to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in a Climb of Hope. Aiming to raise funds for and awareness about the treatment of children injured in conflict areas, this project was carried out in affiliation with the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF). Suzanne has won a number of awards. A mother of two, she enjoys – in her rare free time – reading and playing charades with her two daughters.
