Mapping Uganda’s Disappearing Tropical Glaciers
Nestled along the border of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Rwenzori Mountains are one of Earth’s most remote and dramatic landscapes. The range’s highest peak, Mt Stanley (5,109 m), is Africa’s third tallest, with snow-capped summits and glaciers remarkably close to the equator. It is in this ice where the Bakonzo god Kithasamba lives, but the house of god is melting away.
Project Pressure has conducted mapping project builds for over a decade and now have data from expeditions in 2012, 2020, 2022, 2024 and 2025. It represents the most comprehensive record of the region’s glacial decline.
Project Pressure, in collaboration with UNESCO and the Uganda Wildlife Authority, led a groundbreaking expedition to the Rwenzori surveying all three mountains (Stanley, Baker, Speke) and created the first-ever 3D model of Mt. Stanley’s glaciers and install long-term monitoring equipment. The team returned with critical mapping data, scientific measurements, and comparative imagery—with a stark warning about the future.
Findings show that Mt Speke and Mt Baker have lost their glaciers, while the surface of the Stanley Plateau Glacier has decreased by 29.5% since 2020 and is undergoing severe fragmentation. This highlights the rapid ice loss in East Africa, with profound consequences for climate science and spiritual heritage.
Beyond the science, the loss is deeply cultural. For the Bakonzo people, the glaciers are sacred, believed to be home to their god, Kithasamba. The glaciers’ disappearance signals not just an environmental crisis, but the erosion of an irreplaceable cultural heritage.
Left: Mt Stanley viewed from Mt Baker 1906 by Vittorio Sella and 2022 by Klaus Thymann
Right: Mt Stanley viewed from Scott-Elliott Pass 2012 & 2024 by Klaus Thymann
“In a world where the impact of climate change is not uniformly distributed, acquiring data on glacier recession in equatorial regions has become paramount. This is invaluable for comprehending local warming trends and their consequences to help local communities adapt.” – Klaus Thymann science and expedition leader
The Rwenzori mountains have three main peaks, Mt Stanley, Mt Baker and Mt Speke. The ice on Rwenzori is the highest and most permanent sources of the River Nile and constitute significant water catchment areas in Uganda – relied upon by 5 million people.
For the Rwenzori’s Bakonzo people, loss of the ice has enormous cultural implications. The Bakonzo hold deep spiritual beliefs that are intricately connected to the natural landscape, particularly the snow-capped peaks. A central belief is that their gods, Kithasamba and Nyabibuya, reside in the ice of Rwenzori. For centuries, this spiritual connection has influenced how the Bakonzo interact with their environment, reinforcing conservation efforts and sustainable use of natural resources, long before colonial or modern times.
“The Bakonzo people who live among the mountains are strong people who believe that the mountain is a very important aspect of their life. The disappearance of the ice is bad news, because it means our gods are being destroyed.” – Alfred Masereka, Uganda Wildlife Authority
The work is generously supported by Parajumpers, Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, Trimble & GuidelineGeo