A strong El Ninio current and a warm Indian Ocean surface temperature usual means heavy rains in Tanzania but this year the rainfall is off the chart. Some locations have had a full year’s average rain in just 6 weeks, having devastating effects in many locations. Tanzania’s 3rd highest peak, Hanang, has had so much rain that a huge chunk of the mountain washed away, flooded villages and killing over 80 people in the process.
Kilimanjaro has also had massive rain and the Western Breach is literarily washing down the mountain. This huge runoff has carved new ravines on the slopes and seems to be dislodging the sediment that cements the rock together, disrupting the rock stability. At the base of the route rain water has opened new drainages and there is an active, flowing river through the Arrow Glacier Camp were there has been no water at all for decades.
For now, we feel it is prudent to wait and watch and, in the meantime, we will use temporary alternate routes to the Western Breach. It is totally impossible to know what the future holds. We will continue to monitor the situation and keep everyone informed.
FYI:
January 20th 2024 the Tanzanian National Parks circulated a memo stating that they had temporarily closed the Western Breach climbing route.
