Mt Meru summit trip : It takes 3 to 4 day to reach at the peak of the second highest mountain in Tanzania as well as the 5th highest mountain in Africa. Mount Meru is the dormant volcanic mountain located in Arusha region and has the height of about 4,566 meters and about 70 kilometers from the west of Mount Kilimanjaro. Hiking Mountain Meru is the perfect adventure and it will also give you the experience of what it is like to climb mountain Kilimanjaro in the smaller scale. More than 4,000 people have reached to the peak of this mountain, it’s considered hard to climb because it’s so steep. The mount Meru is also well known as the sister to Mount Kilimanjaro not just that considered as the warm up for the Kilimanjaro Mountain. It’s also named as ant-Everest because of it’s revered by climbers for its technical difficulties due to its steep nature.
The beauty of mountain Meru begins to be visible just at the gates of Momella where hiking begins, you will have a spectacular views of different animals as well as the birds along the way. You will trek through the forests and up Meru volcanic slopes, while enjoying the breath taking views of the landscape and rare wildlife that is found in Arusha national park, Mt Meru summit trip.
Upon arrival you will be picked at the airport and your host guide will take you to the accommodation for the night following trekking the oncoming day.
Day 01 of trekking
This day normally begins early, around 8am you will be heading to Arusha national park, for registrations and as soon as the registrations are done you will begin trekking. You will be accompanied by the armed guide who will be leading the way and ensuring safety of all the visitors trekking.
You will begin trekking towards the Mariakamba hut from the gates of Momella which is about 2,500 meters. It’s a 5-6 hours walk and you will reach at the right time where you will meet hot dinner prepared for you. At this point of hiking is where you will have a spot of different animals as you will hike through the mountain forest. The sight of different wild animals such as giraffes, elephants, zebras, baboons and many more animals will be not be missed. You will also have the chance to see the rare and exotic bird species as well as that of the animals, Mt Meru summit trip.
Day 02
On this day there won’t be along of hiking, instead there will being hiking through the most difficult part of this mountain as is very steep. You will hike from the Mariakamba hut towards the Saddles of Meru. Upon reaching at the saddles you will have the amazing views of Meru crater as well as the spectacular views of Mountain Kilimanjaro from far. It’s about 3-5b hours walk and the point of elevation at the saddles of Meru is 3,820 meters. After reaching at this point you will walk towards the Little Meru for the breath taking views and watching the beautiful sunset.
Day 03 summit
The journey towards the summit normally begins at the midnight; we will ascend to the socialist peak which is the highest peak of mount Meru. The day of summit is normally the hard one because you will have to hike more hours than normal. It will take about 12-24 hours of trekking; there are some parts of this route which are challenging due to the nature of the steepness of this route, it will require some fitness. Along the way to the summit you will pass through the rhino point which is 3,800 meters high and the cobra point which elevates about 4350 meters. The loose gravels, the rocky ridges to transverse as well as the steeps make this journey to summit a little challenging. After reaching at the summit you have the opportunity to watch the beautiful sceneries as well as the sunrise in the early morning before trailing back to the Mariakamba huts. The breathtaking views of the beautiful surrounding from this point of this mountain will be the unforgettable memory; the clear and perfect view of the Mount Kilimanjaro can also be enjoyed from this high point.
Trailing down the mountain begins on the same day, you will be moving back for the rest of the day and arrive at the Mariakamba hut around evening just at the time of the dinner, the hot meals will be served for you and you spend a night at these huts.
Day 04 departure
Soon after the breakfast you will head back to the gates of Momella national park, ready to be picked by the guides for departure or tour to some other places.
What to expect at Mountain Meru
While hiking the Mountain Meru expect to see the spectacular views of the mountain forests, the beautiful views of the craters in the rock as well as the view of Mountain Meru. At the lower point of this mountain expect to have the sight of different while animals and different colorful bird species. Also expect to gain fitness and acclimatization ready for hiking the highest mountain in Africa, Mt Meru summit trip.
Cost for hiking the mountain Meru
The cost for hiking the Mountain Meru is cheaper than that of mountain Kilimanjaro because of the number days to reach at the summit. The other simple way to cut cost is having a group trekking, which can be from the 2-8 people per group as the cost will be shared among the group. For a person who prefers to hike on your own you will be charge 928 USD. The price covers the cost of many services which includes the
- Guiding fee
- Transport from the hotel to Arusha national park and back to the hotel after hiking
- Permits and entry fee to this national park as well as the hiking fee
- Meals, which includes lunch, breakfast and dinner
- Camping equipments, the tents and the sleeping pads.
The price doesn’t include the flights, tips for the mountain crew, items of personal nature or the doctor for the group.
