Mount Meru is a dormant stratovolcano in Tanzania, the second-highest mountain in the country after Kilimanjaro. It’s located within Arusha National Park and is known for its challenging climb, beautiful scenery, and diverse wildlife. While not as high as Kilimanjaro, Mount Meru is often considered more technically demanding and is sometimes used as a warm-up for Kilimanjaro climbs.
Eclipsed by the majestic dome of its near neighbor, Kilimanjaro, Mount Meru has never gained its rightful place as a major tourist attraction in the Northern circuit. But to anyone visiting Arusha, the jagged profile of this grand volcano, rising from densely forested flanks, inevitably sends a fascinating, challenging call.
Once a volcano cone, Mount Meru lost its top and its entire eastern side in a gigantic explosion, perhaps a million years ago, that left the asymmetric walls of a cove or crater that now constitutes the main mass of the mountain. Rising inside the cratera is an ash cone, the result of post-explosion volcanism. Viewed from the crater rim, its bare slopes are a reminder of the recentness of apocalyptic activity. The latest eruption of Mount Meru was a lava flow believed to have occurred in 1879.
Recurrences are certainly not ruled out, as steam vents and hot springs attest to the life of fires below. Making it to the peak, you find yourself emerging on a prominent rocky knob (4566m) with a spectacular view. To the south, you look straight down to Arusha town, southwest you’ll see the Masai Steppe, to the east the Shira plateau and Kibo, and northwest, the Natron Badlands.
The climb up Meru is nowhere difficult or technical, but the altitude may well affect some people adversely. For the 3 or 4 days invested in the climb, Mount Meru will yield a rich reward of scenery, wildlife, flora, and geology. She will also provide the radical changes in environment that refresh the spirit and the physical challenge that renews the body. Whether as a warm-up for the trek of Kilimanjaro, as a weekend trip for a visitor to Arusha, or in combination with an extended visit to the varied and beautiful National Parks in Arusha, Mount Meru will reward its visitors.
Typically, a 3-days/2-nights climb, with some climbers opting for a 4-days/3-nighst climb to spend an extra night at Miriakamba Hut.
Overnight stays in Alpine huts along the route.
While not requiring technical equipment, some sections of the climb are very steep.
Generally recommended to avoid the rainy season, with the best time being January to early March and June to October, the same as with Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
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