• Arusha, Tanzania
  • +255-714 094 921/689 332 181
  • info@maasaiwanderlust.co.tz
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Climbing Mount Meru Highlights

At 4566m, Mt Meru is Tanzania’s second-highest mountain. Although overshadowed by Kilimanjaro in the eyes of trekkers, it’s a spectacular volcanic cone with one of East Africa’s most scenic and rewarding climbs, involving a dramatic walk along the knife edge of the crater rim.

Mt Meru starts its steep rise from a circular base some 20km across at 2000m. At about 2500m some of the wall has broken away, so the top half of the mountain is shaped like a giant horseshoe. The cliffs of the inner wall below the summit are more than 1500m high, making them among the tallest in Africa. Inside the crater, more recent volcanic eruptions have created a subsidiary peak called the Ash Cone that adds to the scenic splendour.

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The mountain is the centrepiece of Arusha National Park and its fertile slopes rise above the surrounding savanna and support a forest that hosts diverse wildlife, including nearly 400 species of birds, and also monkeys and leopards. Trekkers have the opportunity to see a lot of wildlife as they approach and climb the mountain.

The ascent is quite steep in places and the route to the summit passes over a number of streams, moving through grasslands, tropical rainforest, alpine meadows, moorlands and desert uplands to snow and ice. The summit is reached by a narrow, barren ridge, which provides stunning views of the Ash Cone lying several hundred feet below in the crater.

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There are two blocks of four-bed bunkhouses (‘huts’) spaced for a 4 days or 3 days climb. Tent camping possible especially during the July–August and December–January high seasons, Miriakamba hut and Saddle hut are often full.