The Maundi Crater is a very small lake that is located on the Kilimanjaro Mountain. It’s found at an altitude of about 2760 meters above sea level.
The crater is within the vicinity of the Mandara huts camp on the Kilimanjaro Mountain.
The volcanic soils around the Maundi crater are a bit rocky and they don’t support any vegetation here especially in the depression of the crater.
The lower part of the crater however, some plant life.
Activities at the Maundi Crater
The crater is endowed with beautiful views of the surroundings of the slopes of the Kilimanjaro Mountain.
Hiking to this cater will give you a chance to acclimatize of the hike to the summit of the Kilimanjaro mountain.
The camp is a few meters away for the first camp if you are using the Marangu route.
Location of Maundi crater
The crater is located on the Marangu route just a few meters from the Mandara huts camp. The camp is in the tropical rainforest vegetation zone of the Kilimanjaro.
How to get to Maundi Crater
It’s about a 15 minutes trek from the Mandara huts camp to the Maundi crater. The fact that the camp is at a lower altitude and the crater is on a higher altitude.
15 minutes a hike and the time you spend at this crater ill help you acclimatize for the altitude change for the next day hike.
One Day Hike to the Maundi Crater
If your intent is just to hike the Maundi crater, you will use the marangu gate and use the Marangu route to ascend onto the Kilimanjaro. To reach the gate, it’s about 45 minutes form Moshi and about three hours from Arusha.
Like all the hikers to the Kilimanjaro, you will be required to register and go through all the formalities. It takes about 4 hours to hike from the base to the Mandara huts camps and about 15 minutes from this camp to the craters.
Best time to visit the Maundi Crater
You can visit this crater any time of the year but given that it’s on the Kilimanjaro Mountain, you are advised to visit in the dry months.
This however doesn’t guarantee that the area won’t receive rains during these months as the crater is in the tropical rain-forest and can received rain any time of the day or year.
The dry months run from Mid June to September and December to February. The wet months are March to Mid June and October and November.
It is however right that you contact your operator to advise you on the best time. They monitor the day today weather conditions.
