Can I overnight at crater camp during Kilimanjaro trek?

An overnight stop at Crater Camp is an optional extra on any customized Kilimanjaro climb with operators usually lasting eight actual mountain days or more on the Shira, Lemosho, Umbwe and Machame routes. Possibly the most bizarre place you will ever see, it is visited by less than 5% of the 40,000 to 50,000 people who annually ascent Kilimanjaro on a distinct highlands voyage in northern Tanzania. Although, it is an unforgettable experience for anyone who is highly fit, determined and very well-acclimatized, if you do not match this description, forget it.

It is the main boarding platform for the “Kilimanjaro Express”, the one-wheeled all-terrain stretcher used for speedy evacuation of sufferers from HAPE, HACE, hypothermia and other varieties of the dreaded Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) which affects most people to some degree at this altitude and actually kills 0.1% trekkers and porters each year on Africa’s shining mountain, many of whom took inadequate precautions for their challenging Mount Kilimanjaro trek, or overestimated their capabilities and spent too long at high altitude, often at Crater Camp. But if you are well-prepared and backed up by very experienced guides: if you are warmly clothed and housed in strong, warm tents during a restless, uncomfortable night; the headache you will inevitably suffer will be repaid a hundredfold by the experience of a mind-changing, utterly alien landscape, totally unexpected on an African mountain tour.

Is a crater camp option available on most routes?

For more adventurous souls who want to explore the remaining snowfields and glaciers in Kibo Crater, or stand on the edge of the bottomless central ash pit, glazed with sulfur deposits and belching occasional fumes of bad egg scented steam, an extra night can be added to Machame, Umbwe, Lemosho and Shira routes to allow camping in the crater itself. First tackle the summit itself, then, if you still have the desire, descend the snow slopes into the crater where you can stay overnight if you are sufficiently acclimatized, sleeping well below Uhuru Peak. The following morning, you have to re-climb the crater rim before descending to Mweka Camp.

This option is risky because you are spending a longer time at high altitude which should be avoided where possible. Favorably, you are not attempting the long descent on the same day as the summit, so you will be less exhausted. The polar wilderness crater environment provides an amazing climax to a Kilimanjaro climbing tour. Tour operators are an ecologically responsible outfitter. Please do not pollute the crater. Crater Camp on Mount Kilimanjaro locates on some different route such as the Lemosho and Northern Circuit routes.

These routes with crater camp are very unique place because these camps are highest campsite on Mount Kilimanjaro. Some tour companies offer extra time to stay at Crater Camp after the summit for better acclimatization but there is added cost to do so. To use route with crater camp it requires more ability. The Crater Campsite near Reusch Crater and areas around Furtwangler Glacier. Reusch Crater is a wonderful place. On all other Kilimanjaro routes only the guides and clients summit while the cookers, porters and other staffs remains at high camp which is Barafu camp.

Many clients attracted at Crater Camp but all in all there are disadvantages of sleeping at this high altitude. The most disease caused by high altitude is Altitude Mountain Sickness. The ability of adapt this situation and avoiding of getting AMS can developed if adequate altitude acclimatization has achieved. According to safety concerns for clients and staff, these Lemosho and northern circuit routes are done only by special request and are subject to approval by Eco-Africa Climbing.

Some climbers they do not understand about crater Camp on the Kilimanjaro Trails. But there are short distance from the crater camp to the uhuru peak or in other word to the top of the highest mountain in Africa and among of the seven summit in the world. Not only through these two routes you can move up to crater camp but also Lemosho and northern circuit route allow you to get up closer to glacier. Suddenly bring to an ending by the side of Crater Camp be an possible additional lying on several personalized Kilimanjaro climb through frequently permanent eight definite mountain on the Shira, Lemosho, Umbwe and Machame routes.

Even though it is require experience for any person who be extremely healthy, strong-minded along with incredibly in good health of acclimatize but condition you carry out not equivalent with this explanation stop thinking about it. It is the most important boarding display place intended for the good health persons. One wheeled every single one topography stretcher second-hand on behalf of immediate mass departure of victims commencing High Altitude Pulmonary Edema, High Altitude Cerebral Edema and hypothermia.

Acute Mountain Sickness AMS is the most common disease which affects most people to several amount by the side of this disease and in point of fact kills many people who climbing Kilimanjaro every year including clients, guides, cookers, porters and other staff, however numerous of whom take insufficient safety measures intended for their demanding Mount Kilimanjaro ramble otherwise overvalued their capability in addition to washed-out excessively extended by the side of far above the ground elevation over and over again at Crater Camp.

Condition you be well prepared in addition to back positive

condition you be well prepared in addition to back positive as a result of exceptionally knowledgeable guides.

I. You should wear warmly dressed in addition to housed within physically powerful. It is advised that every client should carry their own quality or their personal equipment like warm jackets with high quality material in order to avoid the risk of getting altitude mountain sickness.

II. You should sleep in warm tents during a restless in order to be comfortable at night. Also the tour operator company should provide high quality. Camping equipment or gear like warm tents. So as they will handle the problem of mountain disease starting Crater Camp one be capable of obtain an discretionary one hour ramble to Reusch Crater, basically see the sights the areas approximately Furtwangler Glacier. Reusch Crater is a wonderful prospect. It is just about completely spherical in addition to the powder crater.

Crater Camp is an extraordinarily only one of its kind position with the intention of allows you in the direction of walk around the glaciers or smooth trek to Reutsch Crater. However for the reason that of its tremendous elevation condition you are not acclimatized appropriately. It can be exceptionally hazardous and severe Altitude Mountain Sickness is a physically powerful opportunity. Proviso you aspiration in the direction of take account of a night at crater camp please make sure that you have quality equipments. All camping equipments on crater camp during the night climb contain obligatory Gamow Bag as measurement of the normal paraphernalia.

An hours of darkness at crater camp be capable of be present supplementary in the direction of a good number routes. Subsequent to summiting Uhuru Peak you beginning downstairs hooked on the crater camp and position camp at an altitude of unsympathetic cosmological background. This gives you the daylight hours to distinguish the tourist attractions the straightforwardly further than confidence sites of the crater previous two caption flipside the subsequently break of day to no win situation the break of day happening the crater circumference.

But for those who can uncover the substantial embarrassment. Crater Camp is over and over again the draw attention to of Kilimanjaro. The background is the neighboring you determination increasingly move toward to stepping on top of the moon. The floorboards of the high point are enclosed in unfathomable dust sand and lumps of unprocessed volcanic astound. A unfathomable sapphire glacier sits surrounded by the crater, beseeching to be explored at the same time as in the central point is the forthrightly frightening cinders whole in the ground or pointed complete in the desert smooth.

Which route offers a crater camp?

Northern circuit route
Northern Circuit is also the longest because you see so much of what the mountain offers. Due to the additional length of time for acclimatization, success rates for the summit are higher. When using this route you will summit Uhuru Peak via Gilman’s Point as like other route. You will get an opportunity to travel through the quiet and rarely visited northern slopes, which really give a heightened sense of adventure and remoteness on this mountain which attracts so many hikers every year.

Lemosho Route
Lemosho route is considered the most scenic trail on Kilimanjaro, granting panoramic vistas on various sides of the mountain. As one of the newer routes, Lemosho is a superb choice for your climb. It is our preferred route due to its ideal balance of low crowds, beautiful scenery and a high summit success rate.

The route approaches Mount Kilimanjaro from the west, beginning with a long drive from Moshi to Londorossi Gate. From there, the first two days are spent trekking through the rain forest to Shira Ridge. The Lemosho route crosses the entire Shira Plateau from west to east in a pleasant, relatively flat hike. Crowds are low until the route joins the Machame route near Lava Tower. Then the route traverses underneath Kilimanjaro Southern Ice Field on a path known as the Southern Circuit before summiting from Barafu. Descent is made via the Mweka route.