Arrow Glacier

The Arrow Glacier was a glacier on the western side of Kibo, Mount Kilimanjaro’s highest cone, below the dramatic Western Breach. Today the ice itself has all but vanished — yet its name endures on the mountain, carried by the well-known Arrow Glacier Camp that still serves climbers tackling the steep and adventurous Western Breach route to the summit.

The Arrow Glacier is a striking example of how quickly Kilimanjaro’s ice has retreated: a glacier that has effectively disappeared within living memory, leaving behind only its name and the rugged terrain it once covered.

Overview of the Arrow Glacier

The Arrow Glacier was a small western-flank glacier lying below the Western Breach, the great gap in the crater rim on the western side of Kibo. Where a body of ice once clung to this steep, rocky ground, there is now largely bare rock and scree — the ice reduced to insignificance by the same retreat that has stripped the whole mountain of most of its glaciers.

Its position, high on the route toward the Western Breach, made it a natural landmark, and the camp that took its name remains a key staging point for one of Kilimanjaro’s most exciting ascents.

Where Was the Arrow Glacier Located?

The Arrow Glacier lay on the western side of Kibo, below the Western Breach, at around 4,800–5,000 metres on the steep approach to the crater rim.

Key location details:

• Mountain: Mount Kilimanjaro (Kilimanjaro National Park)
• Former position: Western flank of Kibo, below the Western Breach
• Namesake camp: Arrow Glacier Camp (still in use)
• Leads to: the Western Breach and the summit crater
• Elevation: around 4,800–5,000 m
• Status: effectively vanished

A Glacier That Gave Its Name to a Camp

Although the Arrow Glacier itself has essentially disappeared, its name is among the most familiar on the mountain, because Arrow Glacier Camp sits at roughly 4,800 metres on the western side of Kibo. The camp is the last high camp before climbers tackle the Western Breach, the steep, rocky route that leads directly into the summit crater.

In this way the glacier lives on: every climber who stays at Arrow Glacier Camp on their way to the crater is reminded of the ice that once gave the place its name — a quiet, everyday memorial to a vanished glacier.

Gateway to the Western Breach

The ground once occupied by the Arrow Glacier lies on the approach to the Western Breach, one of the most adventurous ways to reach the summit of Kilimanjaro. From Arrow Glacier Camp, climbers ascend the steep breach in the crater rim, often emerging near Crater Camp and the Furtwängler Glacier before making their way to Uhuru Peak.

This is a demanding route with objective hazards from rockfall, and it is chosen by climbers seeking a wilder, more direct line to the top. The Arrow Glacier’s name is bound up with this route’s history and character.

A Vanished Glacier: Ice Loss on Kilimanjaro

The disappearance of the Arrow Glacier fits within one of the world’s most studied examples of tropical glacier loss. Almost 85 percent of Kilimanjaro’s ice cover disappeared between 1912 and 2011, shrinking from about 11.4 km² to under 1 km².

Key facts about the retreat:

• Average annual ice loss was about 1.1 percent from 1912 to 1953, rising to 1.4 percent (1953–1989) and 2.5 percent (1989–2007).
• Of the ice still present in 2000, nearly 40 percent had gone by 2011.
• Smaller and lower glaciers, like the Arrow, were among the first to disappear almost completely.
• One 2013 assessment estimated most of Kilimanjaro’s remaining ice will vanish by around 2040, and that it is highly unlikely any ice body will remain after 2060.

Why the Arrow Glacier Disappeared

The causes of Kilimanjaro’s ice loss are subtler than simple warming. Research points to a decline in atmospheric moisture — lower specific humidity following a sharp climate shift at the end of the 19th century — rather than rising air temperature as the main long-term driver. No clear warming trend was found at the elevation of these glaciers between 1948 and 2005.

Because the summit air stays below freezing, the ice did not simply melt from the top. Instead it was lost mainly through solar radiation and sublimation, where ice turns directly to vapour in the dry, sunlit air. For a small, relatively low glacier like the Arrow, this steady loss meant an early and near-complete disappearance.

Where the Arrow Glacier Once Stood

Although the glacier is gone, the terrain it once covered is crossed by climbers on the Western Breach route.

• Climbers stay at Arrow Glacier Camp before ascending the breach.
• The Lemosho Route is commonly combined with the Western Breach approach to this side of the mountain.
• Above lies the Western Breach, leading into the crater near the surviving Furtwängler Glacier.

Why the Arrow Glacier Matters

The Arrow Glacier is a powerful, everyday reminder of how much Kilimanjaro has changed. Its name is spoken by climbers constantly — at the camp, on the route — even though the ice itself is essentially gone. Few things illustrate the mountain’s retreat more plainly than a glacier that survives only as a place name on the map.

What Its Loss Tells Us

To rest at Arrow Glacier Camp, look up at the Western Breach, and realise that the glacier which named this place has all but vanished, is a quietly sobering moment. The Arrow Glacier reminds every climber that Kilimanjaro’s ice is not permanent — and that some of it has already slipped into memory.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Arrow Glacier

Does the Arrow Glacier still exist?

The Arrow Glacier has effectively vanished. Its name survives mainly through Arrow Glacier Camp on the western side of Kibo, still used by climbers on the Western Breach route.

Where was the Arrow Glacier located?

It lay on the western flank of Kibo, below the Western Breach, at around 4,800–5,000 m on the steep approach to the crater rim.

What is Arrow Glacier Camp?

Arrow Glacier Camp is a high camp at roughly 4,800 m that takes its name from the glacier. It is the last camp before climbers ascend the Western Breach into the summit crater.

Why did the Arrow Glacier disappear?

Like the rest of Kilimanjaro’s ice, it was lost to reduced atmospheric moisture, solar radiation and sublimation. As a small, relatively low glacier, it disappeared almost completely sooner than the larger summit ice.

Can you still visit where the Arrow Glacier was?

Yes. Climbers on the Western Breach route, often via the Lemosho Route, stay at Arrow Glacier Camp and cross the terrain the glacier once covered.

Need help with Kilimanjaro National Park?

If you’d like help understanding Kilimanjaro National Park, planning an adventurous Western Breach ascent past the Arrow Glacier site, or choosing a safe and well-paced route to the summit, we’re happy to guide you through the options and logistics so you can experience the roof of Africa and its changing ice.