Explore more curated experiences in Hakone
View all Hakone toursPrivate Two-Day Mount Fuji Climb on the Prince Route Through the Hoei Crater in Hakone
A private, strenuous two-day ascent of Mount Fuji by the Prince Route, crossing the 1707 Hoei Crater on the quiet Gotemba side and descending the Osunabashiri sand slope. The rate covers the whole party of up to five, not each traveller.
Highlights
- Cross the Hoei Crater, the scar of Mount Fuji's most recent eruption in 1707
- Follow the Prince Route, the line taken by Japan's Emperor on his 2008 climb
- The Gotemba side of Fuji, the quietest and least developed of the four routes
- Sunrise watched from the mountain hut, with no pre-dawn summit race
- Around 1,300m of ascent, from 2,380m to roughly 3,700m
- Descend the Osunabashiri, a long slope of deep volcanic sand
- Licensed local Fuji guide with consultation before, during and after the climb
- Private booking for up to five people at a single group rate
Private Two-Day Mount Fuji Climb on the Prince Route Through the Hoei Crater: Key Facts
| Price | From $1667 per person |
|---|---|
| Duration | 2 days / 1 night (12-13 hours of climbing total) |
| Group size | Up to 5 people |
| Languages | English |
| Tour type | Guided Tour |
| Booking | Direct with the local operator — no OTA markup |
Choose from 2 available options
Private Two-Day Mount Fuji Climb on the Prince Route Through the Hoei Crater
Private Two-Day Mount Fuji Climb on the Prince Route Through the Hoei Crater
Full description
The Prince Route is Fuji's connoisseur's line. It starts at the Fujinomiya 5th station at 2,380m, traverses across the mountain into the Hoei Crater, the great gouge left by the eruption of 1707, and then joins the Gotemba trail for the upper cone. It takes its name from the climb made by Japan's present Emperor in 2008, when he was Crown Prince, and it exists because the Gotemba side of Fuji is the emptiest: fewer huts, fewer people, a longer walk, and a landscape that reads as volcano rather than as attraction.
Two days of walking add up to twelve or thirteen hours of climbing and roughly 1,300m of ascent, from 2,380m to about 3,700m. Much of it is across open cinder and lava with no shelter and very little company. The reward is a version of Fuji almost nobody sees: the crater floor with its scoured walls, long views down the southern flank to the Pacific, and stretches of trail where you may not pass another party for an hour.
This itinerary makes one decision that sets it apart from most Fuji climbs. Rather than dragging you out of a hut bunk at three in the morning for a headlamp race to the crater rim, sunrise is watched from the mountain hut itself. You sleep a little longer, you see the sun come up over the cloud sea from a sheltered spot with a hot drink in hand, and you climb the last section in daylight, at a human pace. It is a trade: you lose the summit-at-dawn photograph, and you gain a far more civilised mountain. The descent uses the Osunabashiri, the long sand-running slope on the Gotemba side, where the volcanic grit is deep enough to stride down in great loping steps.
Be clear about the difficulty. This is the longest of Fuji's four routes and the guide's own description of it is strenuous. You are walking for six hours or more each day at altitudes where the air is thin, sleeping in a communal hut, and covering ground that is relentlessly loose and exposed. Above 3,000m, headache, nausea and breathlessness are common in fit people, and the standard defence is a slow pace and steady drinking. Summit-area temperatures can be near freezing with strong wind in high summer. This suits experienced hikers who want the mountain, not first-timers who want the trophy. Your licensed local Fuji guide consults with you before the climb, walks with you through it, and follows up afterwards.
On price, this is a private booking and the rate is charged for the whole party of up to five people rather than per head, so five climbers pay exactly what two would. What it buys is the licensed guide and the personal consultation around the trip. Hut lodging and meals, the mountain entry and climbing fees, personal expenses and transport to and from the Fujinomiya 5th station are all separate. The tour starts and finishes at that trailhead, so plan your own bus or car up the mountain. The season is short, early July to early September, and worth booking well ahead.
Tour Itinerary
The schedule below is a suggested plan and can be adjusted to suit your preferences.
Fujinomiya 5th Station, 2,380m
Meet your licensed guide at the trailhead in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka, for a gear check and briefing.
Traverse to the Hoei Crater
Leave the Fujinomiya trail and cross into the crater torn open by the 1707 eruption.
Onto the Prince Route
Join the Gotemba side of the mountain and climb steadily on open cinder toward the hut.
Mountain hut
Arrive at the hut for the night. Lodging and meals are paid directly and are not part of the tour price.
Sunrise from the hut
Watch first light over the cloud sea from the hut rather than pushing to the summit in the dark.
Climb to around 3,700m
Continue up the Gotemba trail in daylight to the summit area.
Osunabashiri descent
Drop down the deep sand-running slope and finish back at the trailhead.
Detailed Itinerary
[{"time": "Day 1, morning", "title": "Meet at the Fujinomiya Trail 5th Station", "description": "Your licensed Fuji guide meets you at 2,380m on the Shizuoka side. Transport to the trailhead is not included, so allow time for the mountain bus or your own vehicle."}, {"time": "Day 1, late morning", "title": "Briefing and gear check", "description": "Layers, water, food and pace are reviewed. The guide sets the slow rhythm that keeps altitude sickness at bay over a long two days."}, {"time": "Day 1, midday", "title": "Traverse toward Hoei", "description": "The route leaves the Fujinomiya trail and cuts across the southern flank on loose volcanic ground with the Pacific behind you."}, {"time": "Day 1, early afternoon", "title": "Hoei Crater", "description": "Walk into the crater complex left by the 1707 eruption: scoured walls, deep cinder and almost nothing growing on it three centuries later."}, {"time": "Day 1, afternoon", "title": "The Prince Route climb", "description": "Join the line the Crown Prince took in 2008 and climb onto the Gotemba trail, the emptiest of Fuji's four routes."}, {"time": "Day 1, evening", "title": "Mountain hut for the night", "description": "Reach the hut, eat and rest early. Huts are communal sleeping platforms; lodging and meals are payable separately on the day."}, {"time": "Day 2, dawn", "title": "Sunrise from the hut", "description": "First light over the cloud sea, seen from shelter rather than from a wind-scoured crater rim after a 3am start."}, {"time": "Day 2, morning", "title": "Upper Gotemba trail", "description": "Climb the last section in daylight toward roughly 3,700m, on cinder slopes that steepen as you go."}, {"time": "Day 2, midday", "title": "High point and turnaround", "description": "Time at the top of the route before starting down, weather and the group's condition permitting."}, {"time": "Day 2, afternoon", "title": "Osunabashiri sand run", "description": "The Gotemba descent is a vast slope of deep volcanic sand you can stride down in long steps. Gaiters keep it out of your boots."}, {"time": "Day 2, late afternoon", "title": "Finish at the trailhead", "description": "The tour ends back at the Fujinomiya 5th Station, where it began."}]
Includes
- Licensed local Mt. Fuji climbing guide, Personal consultation before, during and after the tour
Excludes
- Mountain hut lodging and meals, Mountain entry / climbing fees, Personal expenses (toilets, food, souvenirs), Transportation to and from the starting location
Important information
Meeting point
Starts and ends at the Fujinomiya Trail 5th Station, Fujinomiya city, Shizuoka. No pickup stated; transport to/from the start is not included.
Know before you go
- Free cancellation available up to 24 hours before the activity starts