Western Breach Still Closed

Climbing Closed

As of March 2006, the Western Breach is still closed, due to the Western Breach investigation that is still taking place. A number of porters and tourists were killed back in January 2006, due to a number of rocks that broke loose from the glacier. Most of the climbers planning to ascend via the Western Breach, through Arrow Glacier Camp, are now going up the Machame Route. You could also climb the Marangu or Rongai route to make it to the summit.

The Western Breach generally is the most technical route going up Kilimanjaro and is the route that many of the high-end climbing companies use. The great thing about the Western Breach is that you get to walk inside the crater of Kilimanjaro, which is full of glaciers that you want up next to. You then have an hour or two to the summit. People also camp inside the Western Breach too - it’s the highest camp on Kilimanjaro.