Mount Meru is an active volcano of 4566 metres about 70 kilometres west of Mount Kilimanjaro and our trek is six days to reach the summit and come back. It is an excellent standalone trip or a prequel to climbing Kilimanjaro itself. Some people say that Meru is actually more challenging, and for sure it is much quieter. Therefore there is a lot more wildlife to be seen and the sense of remoteness and solitude is much stronger than on the more famous peak nearby.
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.
Don't Underestimate Mount Meru
While Kilimanjaro is taller and more famous, Mount Meru arguably still offers trekkers an amazing experience. Mount Meru trekking takes you through different landscapes and offers its' own stunning vistas, and really, this mountain cannot be considered small! At 4,565 metres high, Meru is an imposing active stratovolcano that lost its whole eastern wall during a massive explosion some 8,000 years ago. With a large mass of the volcano blown away, Mount Meru was given its impressive horseshoe crater that is still one of its most talked about features today.
The steep slopes mean that Mount Meru trekking is far from easy, and with the added distraction of the altitude, the trek becomes even more challenging.