— km²
Size
5-25°C on the trail, below freezing on the summit
Temperature
4,566 m
Altitude
Forest, heath and alpine desert; cold and windy above 3,500 m
Climate
Africa's fifth-highest peak rises inside Arusha National Park. It is a proper mountain with wildlife on the lower slopes, a crater rim to walk, and a view of Kilimanjaro at sunrise.
Mount Meru is the volcano most visitors photograph from the road to Arusha without realising you can climb it. The trail starts at Momella Gate, climbs through forest where giraffe, buffalo and colobus monkeys share the path with an armed ranger, and finishes on a knife-edge crater rim above a 1,500 metre drop into the ash cone.
It is the best acclimatisation walk in northern Tanzania. Many people climb Meru first and Kilimanjaro second, because the extra altitude in the legs and lungs shows on the bigger mountain. It also works on its own: four days, huts rather than tents, and a summit at 4,566 metres that feels earned without the queue of the bigger peak.
The lower slopes belong to Arusha National Park. We book the ranger, the huts and the porters, and we tell you plainly if the weather makes a summit night a bad idea.
Things to See & Do
Getting There
Road
Momella Gate is about 45 minutes from Arusha town by road. We collect from your hotel.
Wildlife you can see here
All 4 speciesPrimates
Blue Monkey
Cercopithecus mitis
A dark, forest-dwelling monkey that eats fruit high in the canopy.
Arusha, Lake Manyara +4 more
Primates
Black-and-white Colobus
Colobus guereza
A striking black monkey with a flowing white cape and tail.
Arusha, Mount Kilimanjaro +3 more
Alpine plants
Giant Groundsel
Dendrosenecio kilimanjari
A strange, cabbage-headed tree found only on the high slopes of Kilimanjaro.
Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Meru
Alpine plants
Giant Lobelia
Lobelia deckenii
A tall, spiky flowering plant of the high mountain moorland.
Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Meru
Best Time to Visit
FAQs
Is Meru easier than Kilimanjaro?
It is shorter, not gentler. The last stretch to the summit is steep and exposed on a narrow rim. Fit walkers with a head for heights manage it well.
Do we see animals on the climb?
Usually. Buffalo, giraffe, warthog and monkeys are common on the first day, and an armed ranger walks with the group.
Add Lake Manyara National Park to Your Safari
The route is ours to design — you just pick the places that call you.
Prefer to talk? Call +255 754 123 456