Eastern Rift Mountains: Mount Meru

0 ft

Elevation

Tanzania

Country

Days

1A

Difficulty

Early Dec

Start

Late Mar

End

About the Mountain

WHY CLIMB IT?

Situated less than 50 miles away from Mount Kilimanjaro – the highest mountain in Africa, at 19,341 feet – Mount Meru (14,980 ft) is an ideal acclimatization climb for those with extra time, who want to experience more of East Africa’s impressive mountain landscapes. Even if you aren’t heading to the ‘Roof of Africa’ after, Mount Meru is worth climbing in its own right. It’s not often you have the opportunity to see monkeys, elephants, and giraffes on your way up a +14,000-foot mountain!

“We broke out into green meadows, and saw giraffes, buffaloes and warthogs grazing only a few metres away from us.”

- Mark Horrell

One of the most striking features of Mount Meru is its crater rim, where you can hike around and enjoy 360-degree views of Arusha National Park. On a clear day, you can even see Mount Kilimanjaro. But the best views are into the crater itself, where you can see the crater rim walls rising 5,000 feet from the crater floor. There is only one official route up to this incredible vista and that is the Momella Route. While Mount Meru is a non-technical peak, the Momella Route is steep in places, so you should be comfortable with rugged, exposed terrain. The beauty of this route is that it passes through a range of ecosystems, including tropical rainforests, grasslands, moorlands, and alpine meadows, before reaching the snowy peak.