A Pakistani hiking guide in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) won widespread praise online after he carried a woman suffering severe heatstroke on his back for three hours across a remote mountain trail to reach emergency services in Ras Al Khaimah.

Accordig to reports, Faisal Shalmani, a 43-year-old mountaineering coach known in the hiking community as ‘Faisi’, was leading 16 hikers along the Stairway to Heaven trail in Ras Al Ashr village on April 25 when he was alerted to an emergency involving another group. He handed his team over to a fellow guide and reached the scene in 15 minutes.

The woman’s condition had already deteriorated sharply by the time he arrived.

“She was already experiencing seizures, had speech impairment and was losing consciousness,” Faisal said.

With over 15 years of hiking and guiding experience, he began emergency first aid immediately, wetting a cloth and fanning her to bring her body temperature down while coordinating with others to contact authorities.

Evacuation from the remote, rugged terrain near the country’s border area presented a serious challenge, with no immediate access to air or ground rescue available. Faisal took the decision to carry out the evacuation himself, hoisting the semi-conscious woman onto his back and walking for three hours along the narrow, exposed trail until he reached the waiting emergency team.

At least four official vehicles were on standby when they arrived. “Ambulance and police teams immediately took control of the situation,” he said. The woman was initially treated in Ras Al Khaimah before being transferred to a Dubai hospital, where she was discharged on April 29.

Faisal, who has lived in the UAE for 22 years where he founded AFT Adventures, trains hikers and mountaineers professionally. He has summited Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania nine times and Mount Elbrus in Russia five times.

Having witnessed numerous search-and-rescue operations over the years, he said most emergencies on trails come down to the same two problems: lack of preparation and underestimating trail conditions.

He said that many hikers fail to account for the impact of heat and physical strain, particularly as the UAE moves into summer.