Mt. Meru is with its 4.566m Tanzania’s second highest peak (metric converter). It is located in the Arusha National Park and with its graceful jagged profile clearly visible to anyone visiting Arusha town.

For the Waarusha people who live in the area around Mt. Meru, the mountain is still regarded as sacred and even nowadays, a bull or a sheep is sacrificed every year to ensure rain in the upcoming season.

Like most of the mountains in this region, Mt. Meru was created by volcanic action associated with the formation of the Great Rift Valley. Once a perfect volcanic cone with internal crater (actually caldera) lost its top and its entire eastern side in a gigantic explosion million of years ago; as a result of the explosion the top half of the mountain is now shaped like a huge horseshoe, with the highest point, Meru Summit, directly opposite the missing eastern side. More recent eruptions have created an additional peak inside the caldera, the Ash Cone; small eruptions recorded in last 100 years indicate that Mt. Meru is not extinct.

Climb up the Mt. Meru (there is only one route to reach Meru Summit, Momela Route) offers spectacular scenery, wildlife, flora and geology and is well worth a visit!

Views from the Meru Summit are amazing; to the west you can see towards the Great Rift Valley and volcanoes of Kitumbeini and Gelai; down below a town of Arusha with plains of Maasai Steppe beyond; and in the east a stunning view of Mt. Kilimanjaro Shira Plateau and Kibo.

Although climbing Mt. Meru is nowhere difficult and no technical equipment is necessary, the altitude may have an affect on you so do not take your trip too lightly!

Activities
Trekking to the Meru Summit, Game drive and Bird-watching in the Arusha National Park.

Have a look at our Mt. Meru Trekking Tours!
And for more photos, take a look at our Photo Gallery!

Map of the Mt. Meru

When to go
All year round, but the best months are between June and February.

Accommodation
There are two mountain huts on the Momela Route to the Meru Summit. Within the Arusha National Park there are also three campsites and a rest house. Three middle-ranged and two exclusive top-end lodges are located outside the park boundaries. A wide range of accommodation is offered in the near Arusha town (have a look at Arusha Accommodation).

Getting there
To the Arusha National Park a drive from Arusha (30min) and Dar es Salaam (8-9h), or a flight from Dar es Salaam or Moshi. Kilimanjaro International Airport is only 60km away.

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