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Climb Kilimanjaro and stay in Crater camp

The Crater Camp option when climbing Kilimanjaro is a unique wilderness experience that is a fabulous option ideal for the more adventurous and experienced climber. If you have experience at altitude and love something challenging then sleeping overnight in Kilimanjaro's Crater Camp is the best option for you.

You can get away from the crowds and are likely to find you are the only group sleeping in Crater Camp on the roof of Africa. Stopping in Crater Camp gives you time to visit Kilimanjaro's remaining glaciers, see the sunset over Africa and be the first to the rim of Kilimanjaro for the sunrise. You also get to avoid the busy overnight hike to the summit as you can climb Kilimanjaro during the day and just drop down into Crater Camp for the evening.

Sleeping in Crater Camp is certainly not for the faint-hearted though and must only be undertaken by those who have acclimatized well. There are obvious dangers of sleeping in Crater Camp at 5730m as there is a higher risk of suffering from altitude related symptoms. In order to best minimise this risk we summit first prior to sleeping in the crater, thereby ensuring that we observe an imperative principle of acclimatisation, 'climb high, sleep low', at this critical altitude.

Please note that we also only offer the Crater Camp option on the 8 day Machame, and 9 day Shira and Lemosho routes as the acclimatisation on other routes is insufficient. You should also be aware that amongst those requesting to spend a night in the Kilimanjaro's crater some climbers change their minds while on the mountain after consulting with the guide and agreeing that they have failed to obtain a sufficiently safe level of acclimatisation for this option. Remember always sleeping in Crater Camp is optional: getting down safely is mandatory.

Our Crater camp private climbs program is as follows:-