Eastern Ice Field

The Eastern Ice Field (EIF) is the smallest of the three remnant ice bodies that crown the summit of Kibo, Mount Kilimanjaro’s highest cone. Set on the eastern part of the summit plateau — facing the jagged peak of Mawenzi across The Saddle — it is the ice that first catches the sunrise as climbers reach the crater rim near Gilman’s Point.

Once part of Kilimanjaro’s continuous summit ice cap, the Eastern Ice Field has shrunk more dramatically than its neighbours, leaving a reduced but still striking remnant of ancient ice high above equatorial Africa.

Overview of the Eastern Ice Field

The Eastern Ice Field is a plateau glacier occupying the eastern edge of Kibo’s summit. Together with the larger Northern Ice Field and the sun-facing Southern Ice Field, it is what survives of the ice cap that once covered the top of the mountain.

Because it faces east toward Mawenzi and receives the earliest and most direct morning sun, the Eastern Ice Field has been especially exposed to the solar radiation that drives Kilimanjaro’s ice loss. It is therefore the smallest and most fragmented of the three summit ice fields today.

Where Is the Eastern Ice Field Located?

The Eastern Ice Field lies on the eastern summit plateau of Kibo, above 5,700 metres and just below the crater rim, on the side of the mountain that overlooks The Saddle and the peak of Mawenzi.

Key location details:

• Mountain: Mount Kilimanjaro (Kilimanjaro National Park)
• Position: Eastern summit plateau of Kibo, facing Mawenzi
• Nearest summit point: Gilman’s Point on the crater rim
• Elevation: approximately 5,700–5,895 m
• Status: smallest and most reduced of Kilimanjaro’s summit ice fields; retreating

The Smallest of the Three Summit Ice Fields

Kilimanjaro’s summit ice was once a single, continuous cap. As it thinned and retreated, it separated into the northern, southern, and eastern ice fields. Of these, the Eastern Ice Field has suffered the greatest relative loss, reduced to a modest remnant clinging to the eastern rim.

Like the other ice fields, its edges are marked by dramatic vertical ice walls — sheer cliffs that reveal layers of ice built up over centuries. These walls are the leading edge of the retreat, undercut and eroded by the intense equatorial sun even though the air around them never rises above freezing.

Size, Elevation, and Climate

The Eastern Ice Field lies in Kilimanjaro’s arctic summit zone, where the air stays permanently below freezing while the equatorial sun is fierce. Facing east, it takes the full force of the morning sun as it rises over Mawenzi.

Conditions on the ice:

• Summit surface temperatures remain below freezing year-round, from a few degrees below zero by day to well under −15 °C on cold, clear nights.
• Precipitation falls as snow and graupel and often disappears within days.
• The early, direct morning sun is especially effective at eroding the east-facing ice walls.
• The ice field has no active accumulation zone, so it loses more ice than it gains.

A Vanishing Ice Field: Retreat and Climate Change

The Eastern Ice Field is part of 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.
• The Eastern Ice Field, being smallest and most exposed, has retreated proportionally faster than the northern and southern ice.
• One 2013 assessment estimated most of Kilimanjaro’s ice will vanish by around 2040, and that it is highly unlikely any ice body will remain after 2060.

Why the Eastern Ice Field Is Retreating

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 rarely melts from the top. Instead it is lost mainly through solar radiation striking the vertical ice walls and through sublimation, where ice turns directly to vapour in the dry, sunlit air. On the east-facing plateau, the strong morning sun makes this process particularly efficient, helping explain why this ice field has shrunk so far.

Seeing the Eastern Ice Field

The Eastern Ice Field is best seen from the eastern crater rim, which climbers reach on the classic Marangu and Rongai approaches.

• Climbers who crest the rim at Gilman’s Point arrive right beside the eastern ice at sunrise before continuing to Uhuru Peak.
• The Marangu Route and Rongai Route both approach the summit from the east.
• Crossing The Saddle between Mawenzi and Kibo, trekkers see the eastern face of the summit and its ice ahead of them.

At dawn, as the sun rises over Mawenzi, the Eastern Ice Field is the first summit ice to glow gold — a quietly spectacular reward at the end of the long night-time climb.

Why the Eastern Ice Field Matters

Though the smallest of the three, the Eastern Ice Field is a meaningful part of Kilimanjaro’s summit landscape and its scientific story. Its rapid retreat offers a clear illustration of how exposure and aspect shape the fate of tropical glaciers, and its ice preserves a record of the mountain’s climate history.

The loss of the summit ice would have little effect on the region’s water supply — that role belongs to the forests far below — but the Eastern Ice Field remains a vivid, visible marker of a changing climate on the roof of Africa.

What the Experience Feels Like

For climbers on the eastern routes, the Eastern Ice Field is often the first glacier they meet, appearing at Gilman’s Point as the sun breaks over Mawenzi. After hours of climbing in darkness and cold, arriving beside its glowing ice walls is a moment of pure elation — proof that the crater rim, and the summit beyond, are finally within reach.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Eastern Ice Field

Where is the Eastern Ice Field on Mount Kilimanjaro?

The Eastern Ice Field lies on the eastern summit plateau of Kibo, above 5,700 m and just below the crater rim, facing The Saddle and the peak of Mawenzi.

Why is the Eastern Ice Field the smallest of the three?

Facing east, it takes the full force of the direct morning sun, and as the most exposed of the summit ice fields it has retreated proportionally faster, leaving a reduced remnant.

Is the Eastern Ice Field disappearing?

Yes. Along with the rest of Kilimanjaro’s ice, it has retreated sharply — nearly 85 percent of the mountain’s ice was lost between 1912 and 2011, and most is projected to be gone by around 2040.

Why is the ice retreating if the summit stays below freezing?

Loss is driven mainly by reduced atmospheric moisture, intense solar radiation on the vertical ice walls, and sublimation — ice turning directly to vapour — rather than by melting from above.

Can you see the Eastern Ice Field when climbing Kilimanjaro?

Yes. It is seen at close range from Gilman’s Point on the crater rim, reached on the Marangu and Rongai routes, and glimpsed while crossing The Saddle toward Kibo.

Need help with Kilimanjaro National Park?

If you’d like help understanding Kilimanjaro National Park, choosing an eastern approach such as the Marangu or Rongai route, or planning a safe and well-paced climb toward features like the Eastern Ice Field, we’re happy to guide you through the options and logistics so you can experience the roof of Africa at its most memorable.