Crater camp on the Lemosho route

Crater Camp

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If you want your Kilimanjaro climb to be a really unique adventure then how about planning to sleep on the Roof of Africa. At 5730 metres, Crater Camp on Mount Kilimanjaro is an almost untouched and unvisited wilderness. For climbers who are confident that they acclimatise well and have successfully been to altitude before then climbing Kilimanjaro and sleeping overnight in the Crater is a fantastic option.

 

You know you are on a really unique adventure when you can stay tucked in your sleeping bag while everybody else sets off up Kilimanjaro just after midnight. Instead you get a full night’s sleep, have a good breakfast and climb to the summit without all the crowds.

 

And while everyone else is heading back down with little time to explore, you can enjoy the summit before dropping just 150m down into the crater where your camp will have been set up. You will then have time to explore the remaining glaciers in the crater and visit the still smoking ash pit before getting to the Western ridge to watch the sunset. Next morning you then have a short hike to the Eastern ridge to be there before anyone else to see the sunrise.

 

Be warned though, if you choose the Crater Camp option you do run a real risk of getting  altitude sickness and it is therefore only suitable if you know you acclimatise well. Most climbers on Kilimanjaro will suffer some degree of altitude sickness but they descend quickly after summiting before any condition deteriorates.  When you sleep overnight in Crater Camp you stay high for a full 24 hours and this can cause problems.

 

To minimise the dangers we only offer the option of sleeping in Crater Camp on the Machame route,  Lemosho route and Northern Circuit routes. You will also spend more time at the summit itself before descending  down into the crater to sleep, following the golden rule of acclimatisation - 'climb high, sleep low'.

 

You should know that some climbers who have booked the Crater Camp option have changed their minds while on the mountain having decided that they have not acclimatised enough to make the overnight stay safe and comfortable. Remember always, sleeping in Crater Camp is optional: getting down safely is mandatory.