Can you see Mount Meru from Arusha?
Mount Meru is located at the heart of Arusha National Park and it is 50 miles west of Mt. Kilimanjaro and it is easily seen from Arusha Town on a clear day being the second highest mountain in Tanzania and the fifth in Africa.
It’s a massive volcano reaching 14,980 feet (4,565 meters). This trek serves as an ideal warm-up for Mt. Kilimanjaro due to its altitude acclimatization and hiking distances. This trek is also geared towards hikers that prefer less crowds and a challenging ascent.
Since Mount Meru is located in Arusha National Park, hikers must climb with an armed ranger due to the wide range of wildlife living on the mountain. On the lower slopes of the mountain, hikers are more likely to see elephants, giraffes, buffaloes and nearly 400 hundred species of birds!
The ascent is sort of steep in places and the trail follows the north rim of the volcano’s crater along a dramatic ridge line, therefore the route to the summit passes over variety 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 within the crater and they will have spectacular views of Mount Kilimanjaro and of the Mount Meru’s Crater.
Where is Arusha National Park / Mount Meru and How big is it?
Size: 552 sq km 212 sq miles).
Location: Northern Tanzania, northeast of Arusha town.
How to get to Mount Meru in Arusha National Park
An easy 40-minute drive from Arusha. Approximately 60 km (35 miles) from Kilimanjaro International Airport.
NOTE: Mountain Climbing Permits duration time is 12 hours.
What to do in Mount Meru
Forest walks, numerous picnic sites;
Three- or four-day Mt Meru climb – good acclimatization for Kilimanjaro.
When to Climb Mount Meru
The best time to climb Mt Meru June-February, although it may rain in November. And the best views of Kilimanjaro is during December-February.