Maundi Crater, Mount Kilimanjaro

Maundi crater Elevation / Altitude: 2760 meters

Maundi crater is an extinct and small-sized depression that was an outcome of Mount Kilimanjaro’s volcanic activity. This Crater is located near Mandara huts campsite on the slopes of the mountain.

There is little or no vegetation at all at the Maundi Crater as volcanic soil has hindered any growth of plants inside the depression. However, the lowest part of the crater has signs of a few plants here and there.

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Activities at the Maundi Crater

Using the Marangu Route, the crater is a great hiking site as it offers stunning views of the towering Mount Kilimanjaro with an aerial view of the slopes below.

The Maundi crater hike also proves to be a great acclimatization exercise for climbers plying the Marangu Route, especially on day one of the hike, for climbers that arrive the earliest at the first camp.

Location of Maundi crater

Maundi Crater is located just near the Mandara Huts Campsite, only about a kilometer away and within the rainforest zone of Mount Kilimanjaro.

How to get to Maundi Crater

To get to Maundi Crater you will have to start from the Mandara Huts and trek to the crater.

Climbers usually use this hike as a mode of acclimatizing in a bid to minimize the effects of Altitude Sickness on day one or as a detour en route to the Horombo huts on the second day.

The trek to the Maundi Crater takes only 15 minutes but it is not usually part of the itinerary. In order to get to Maundi Crater, you will need to arrange with your Tranquil Kilimanjaro guide.

One Day Hike to the Maundi Crater

Your day trip to Maundi Crater along the Marangu Route begins with a drive to Marangu Gate on Mount Kilimanjaro’s eastern slope from Arusha, which is approximately a three-hour drive away, or from Moshi, which is about a 45-minute drive away.

Register at the park office before beginning your hike through a rainforest to the higher forest boundary. If the weather permits, lunch will be provided on the route. The hike to Mandara Huts Camp takes around 3 to 4 hours. to go to Mandara Huts Discover the camp’s abundance of wildlife, like the black and white colobus monkeys, birds, and huge trees. You will also run into other hikers here.
The route travels through a brief section of the rainforest after a brief tour at the beginning of the camp stretch to Maundi Crater, which is around 15 minutes distant.

Best time to visit the Maundi Crater

For the best views, the rim of the Maundi Crater must be clean of precipitation that is why the best time to visit the Maundi Crater should be the warm and dry months of January through early March and from June to October. When the weather is clear, you can see all the way to Kenya thanks to the rim’s proximity to Tanzania’s and Kenya’s northern borders. Take a few pictures, then descend to the Marangu gate and travel to the hotel to take a shower.