Ratzel Glacier

The Ratzel Glacier is one of the summit glaciers on the southern side of Kibo, Mount Kilimanjaro’s highest cone, lying high on the mountain close to the crater rim. Part of the family of southern glaciers fed by the Southern Ice Field, it is among the ice that climbers pass on their final approach to the roof of Africa, near the point where the popular routes crest the rim.

Named for one of the founding figures of modern geography, the Ratzel Glacier ties Kilimanjaro’s ice to the very discipline that studies the mountain’s place in the world.

Overview of the Ratzel Glacier

The Ratzel Glacier is a summit-zone glacier associated with the Southern Ice Field, high on the southern side of Kibo near the crater rim. It sits among the cluster of southern glaciers — alongside the Rebmann, Kersten, Decken and Heim glaciers — that form the wall of ice above the southern approaches.

Because of its high position close to the rim, the Ratzel Glacier is among the last ice that climbers pass as they make the final push toward Uhuru Peak, its layered walls catching the early light of summit morning.

Where Is the Ratzel Glacier Located?

The Ratzel Glacier lies high on the southern side of Kibo, close to the crater rim above 5,700 metres, near the point where the southern routes reach the summit plateau between Stella Point and Uhuru Peak.

Key location details:

• Mountain: Mount Kilimanjaro (Kilimanjaro National Park)
• Position: Southern side of Kibo, near the crater rim
• Source: Southern Ice Field
• Neighbouring glaciers: Rebmann, Kersten
• Elevation: high on the summit, near 5,700–5,895 m
• Status: retreating summit glacier

Named for a Founder of Modern Geography

The Ratzel Glacier is named after Friedrich Ratzel (1844–1904), the German geographer regarded as one of the founders of modern human geography and biogeography. Ratzel pioneered the study of how landscapes, climate and environment shape the distribution of life and human societies — ideas that helped shape geography into a rigorous scientific discipline.

Honouring him with a glacier on the highest mountain in Africa reflects the era when European geographers and scientists were mapping and interpreting Kilimanjaro for the first time, and when the mountain’s ice was far more extensive than it is today.

Size, Elevation, and Conditions

The Ratzel Glacier lies in Kilimanjaro’s arctic summit zone, where the air stays permanently below freezing while the equatorial sun is fierce.

Conditions on the ice:

• Surface temperatures remain below freezing year-round, from a few degrees below zero by day to well under −15 °C on cold, clear nights.
• Its high southern position is exposed to intense direct sunlight, which erodes the vertical ice walls.
• Precipitation falls as snow and graupel and often disappears within days.
• The glacier has no active accumulation zone, so it loses more ice than it gains.

A Retreating Glacier: Ice Loss on Kilimanjaro

The Ratzel Glacier 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 southern glaciers, including the Ratzel, have thinned and retreated, and some once-connected ice has fragmented.
• 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 Ratzel Glacier 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 sun-facing southern side, this process is especially effective.

Seeing the Ratzel Glacier

Because it sits high on the southern side near the crater rim, the Ratzel Glacier is one of the glaciers most climbers pass close to on summit morning.

• Climbers ascending from Barafu cross the rim near Stella Point, close to the southern summit glaciers, before continuing to Uhuru Peak.
• The Machame Route, Lemosho Route and Umbwe Route all approach the summit up the southern side.
• The neighbouring Rebmann Glacier lies along the same southern rim.

Why the Ratzel Glacier Matters

The Ratzel Glacier links Kilimanjaro’s ice to the founding of modern geography itself — the science of how environment and life are bound together across the surface of the Earth. Its retreat, high on the crater rim where thousands of climbers pass each year, makes it one of the most directly witnessed examples of the mountain’s vanishing ice.

What the Experience Feels Like

For climbers cresting the crater rim at dawn, the Ratzel Glacier is part of the extraordinary summit landscape that greets them after the long night-time ascent — walls of ancient ice glowing in the sunrise, high above the plains of Tanzania. Passing so close to this ice on the way to Uhuru Peak is one of the defining moments of a Kilimanjaro climb.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Ratzel Glacier

Where is the Ratzel Glacier on Mount Kilimanjaro?

The Ratzel Glacier lies high on the southern side of Kibo, close to the crater rim near where the southern routes reach the summit between Stella Point and Uhuru Peak.

Who is the Ratzel Glacier named after?

It is named after Friedrich Ratzel (1844–1904), the German geographer regarded as one of the founders of modern human geography and biogeography.

Is the Ratzel Glacier retreating?

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 Ratzel Glacier when climbing Kilimanjaro?

Yes. Because it sits high near the crater rim, it is among the glaciers climbers pass close to on the final ascent from Barafu toward Stella Point and Uhuru Peak.

Need help with Kilimanjaro National Park?

If you’d like help understanding Kilimanjaro National Park, choosing a southern route that brings you close to the summit glaciers, or planning a safe and well-paced climb toward features like the Ratzel Glacier, we’re happy to guide you through the options and logistics so you can experience the roof of Africa at its most spectacular.