Mount Meru – an alternative

If you fancy climbing a mountain but aren’t up for the challenge of Kilimanjaro, then Mount Meru is a brilliant alternative. It’s a 4 day climb through verdant montane forest into high altitude alpine desert with stunning views of a dormant volcano. It makes a good pre-safari adventure for keen hikers. It’s still high though – 4,565m is not just a ramble!

Some people use this as a pre-Kilimanjaro trip to give extra acclimatisation, but beware of completely knackering yourself before you even start Kili. If you want to do this consider leaving out the final ascent to the peak of Meru. And for the real diehards you can do a trilogy of East Africa’s highest peaks; Mt Meru, Mt Kilimanjaro and Mt Kenya.

DAY 1  – MT MERU / MIRIAKAMBA
In the morning we are collected from your hotel and transfer to Arusha National Park. At the Momella gate we finish registration formalities before setting off with your guide and armed ranger – there is abundant wildlife in the forests! The forest section is especially scenic with strangler figs and the possibility of seeing buffalo grazing in one of the clearings. In the late afternoon we reach a viewpoint before heading onto Miriakamba hut for dinner.

DAY 2  – MT MERU / SADDLE
We set off from Miriakamba initially still in the forest zone but in a few hours as we reach Saddle hut for lunch in the alpine desert zone. In the afternoon a walk to the summit of Little Meru can be taken for stunning views before heading back to Saddle Hut for dinner.

DAY 3  – MT MERU SUMMIT / MIRIAKAMBA
We rise early and our hard work is rewarded at dawn as the sun rises to the East. Kilimanjaro is normally clearly seen from here and the sheer cliffs of the crater fall dramatically 1000 feet or more. We return back and after some brunch at Saddle Hut, we continue down to Miriakamba hut for dinner.

DAY 4  – ARUSHA NATIONAL PARK / ARUSHA
The final section takes up to 3 hours to return to our vehicles where we say farewell to our crew and have time for a short picnic lunch and game drive before returning to Arusha for a well deserved shower!