Rebmann Glacier

The Rebmann Glacier is one of the summit glaciers on the southern side of Kibo, Mount Kilimanjaro’s highest cone. Fed by the Southern Ice Field, it carries perhaps the most storied name of all the mountain’s ice — that of Johannes Rebmann, the missionary who in 1848 became the first European to report the astonishing snows of Kilimanjaro, and was ridiculed for it.

To stand before the Rebmann Glacier is to stand before the very ice whose existence, once dismissed as impossible, changed the map of Africa.

Overview of the Rebmann Glacier

The Rebmann Glacier is a summit-zone glacier fed by the Southern Ice Field, on the southern side of Kibo. It sits among the famous cluster of southern glaciers — alongside the Ratzel, Kersten, Decken and Heim glaciers — that form the wall of ice above the southern approaches to the summit.

Because it faces the sun and the main climbing routes, the Rebmann Glacier is among the most visible of Kilimanjaro’s glaciers, its layered ice walls glowing in the dawn light as climbers make their final push to the top.

Where Is the Rebmann Glacier Located?

The Rebmann Glacier lies on the southern side of Kibo, high on the summit near the crater rim above 5,700 metres, on the side of the mountain that overlooks the Machame, Umbwe and Barafu approaches.

Key location details:

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

The Missionary Who Discovered the Snows

The Rebmann Glacier is named after Johannes Rebmann (1820–1876), a German missionary working in East Africa who, on 11 May 1848, became the first European to see and report the snow-capped summit of Kilimanjaro. When his account reached Europe — the claim that a mountain on the equator was crowned with permanent snow and ice — it was met with open ridicule. Leading geographers of the day insisted that snow could not possibly exist so close to the equator, and dismissed what he had seen.

Rebmann was right, and his critics were wrong. In the years that followed, further expeditions — including those of Baron von der Decken, honoured by the neighbouring Decken Glacier — confirmed the snows beyond doubt. Naming a summit glacier for Rebmann is a fitting tribute to the man whose disbelieved report first revealed Kilimanjaro’s ice to the wider world.

Size, Elevation, and Conditions

The Rebmann Glacier lies in Kilimanjaro’s arctic summit zone, where the air stays permanently below freezing while the equatorial sun is fierce — the very paradox that Rebmann’s critics could not accept.

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 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 Rebmann 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 Rebmann, 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.

There is a quiet irony in this: barely more than a century after the world finally accepted that Kilimanjaro’s snows were real, those snows are disappearing before our eyes.

Why the Rebmann 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 Rebmann Glacier

The Rebmann Glacier is one of the most accessible of Kilimanjaro’s glaciers to view, because it sits high on the southern side above the main summit approaches.

• Climbers ascending from Barafu toward Uhuru Peak pass beneath the southern glaciers, with the Rebmann prominent among them.
• The Machame Route, Lemosho Route and Umbwe Route all bring trekkers up the southern side toward this ice.
• From Stella Point on the crater rim, the southern ice cliffs spread out below in the sunrise.

Why the Rebmann Glacier Matters

No glacier on Kilimanjaro carries a more meaningful name. The Rebmann Glacier honours the man who first told the world of the mountain’s impossible snows, and it stands today as living proof of what he saw. Its retreat gives that story a poignant final chapter — the ice that was once too incredible to believe is now vanishing within a single human lifetime.

What the Experience Feels Like

To reach the crater rim at dawn and look upon the Rebmann Glacier is to close a circle begun in 1848. After a long, cold night-time ascent, the ancient ice glows gold and rose in the rising sun — the very snows of Kilimanjaro that a disbelieving world once denied, now shining above the plains of Africa for all to see.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Rebmann Glacier

Where is the Rebmann Glacier on Mount Kilimanjaro?

The Rebmann Glacier lies on the southern side of Kibo, high on the summit near the crater rim, on the side of the mountain facing the main southern climbing routes.

Who is the Rebmann Glacier named after?

It is named after Johannes Rebmann (1820–1876), the German missionary who in 1848 became the first European to report the snows of Kilimanjaro — a claim widely ridiculed at the time.

Why was Rebmann’s report of the snows disbelieved?

Leading geographers of the day insisted that permanent snow could not exist on a mountain so close to the equator. Later expeditions confirmed Rebmann was right, and his critics were wrong.

Is the Rebmann 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.

Can you see the Rebmann Glacier when climbing Kilimanjaro?

Yes. It is one of the visible southern glaciers, seen at close range 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 historic summit glaciers, or planning a safe and well-paced climb toward features like the Rebmann Glacier, we’re happy to guide you through the options and logistics so you can experience the roof of Africa and the snows that once astonished the world.