By Callum Godde, Jack Gramenz and Tess Ikonomou in Cooma

Medical student Hadi Nazari has revealed his miracle return came down to surviving on two muesli bars and berries he foraged while spending 13 days lost in rugged alpine bushland.

The 23-year-old from Melbourne was reunited with loved ones after he was found by hikers on Wednesday afternoon near Blue Lake in Kosciuszko National Park in southern NSW.

Mr Nazari was winched to the search command post and treated for dehydration before being taken to Cooma hospital, where he remained on Thursday morning.

The extent of his injuries are understood to be blistering on his feet.

Joshua Dart, part of the group of hikers who found Mr Nazari, shared a photo of them together on social media, showing the missing man smiling as they sat on the ground.

“Thank God we found the missing hiker on our hike in Kosciuszko!,” the post reads.

NSW Police Superintendent Andrew Spliet said the spot where he was found was about 10km from the Geehi campground near where he was last seen.

Mr Nazari, who is studying to become a neurosurgeon at Melbourne University, told police he had barely eaten anything apart from two muesli bars since going missing.

“He found a hut up there in the mountains,” Supt Spliet told reporters in Wagga Wagga.

“There were two muesli bars up there that he’s eaten and that’s pretty much all that he’s had to consume over the last two weeks.”

Mr Nazari drank fresh water from creeks and had been walking “from morning to night”, police said.

In a statement on behalf of the family, sister Zahra Nazari said they were relieved he was safe and sound.

“We are grateful for everyone involved in helping us find my brother,” the family said.

NSW Premier Chris Minns described it as the “first good news story of 2025”.

“It’s a story of survival and resilience,” he said.

He said the case highlighted the need for all hikers to ensure they had communications devices and extra food and water.

“NSW and Australia is a big place … and as a result, you can get lost quite quickly,” Mr Minns said.

Mr Nazari was reported missing on Boxing Day by two friends after failing to turn up to Geehi campground as planned.

He had last been seen descending the Hannels Spur trail near Geehi, between Khancoban and Thredbo, about 2.30pm on December 26.

His disappearance sparked a multi-agency air and ground search that involved up to 400 people, who were elated he was found alive.

Locals told AAP the area where Mr Nazari went missing was very dangerous and had low visibility.

They said it would be easy for experienced hikers to find themselves lost among the dense bush.

There were signs the experienced bushwalker was alive after rubbish, hiking poles, a campfire, lighter and camera belonging to him were found during the search.

Once Mr Nazari leaves hospital, police plan to speak to him to find out more information about how he became lost and survived the ordeal.