Mount Meru Trekking - Africa Natural Tours ( africanaturaltours.com )
Mount Meru
Trekking:
Africa Natural Tours
AFRICA
NATURAL TOURS
(The best tour company in Tanzania)
Specialized in: Mountain climbing,
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Mount Meru Trekking
Mount Meru is an active (but dormant) volcano located
Tanzania North Arusha.
At
4562 meters it is Tanzania’s second highest mountain and the fourth highest
mountain in Africa. Mount Meru became well known mainly because it is only 70
km from Mount Kilimanjaro: Mt. Meru has become a popular “warm up” trek for
Kilimanjaro climbers
Mt. Meru is indeed the perfect preparation for a Kilimanjaro
climbing. It
offers you a taste of what you can expect on Kilimanjaro Mountain.
You
trek in a group with porters, cook and guides You climb through different vegetation zones over several days
You start your summit attempt around midnight and reach the peak around sunrise
And you then descend an awesome 2000 meters on the same day, very similar to your Kilimanjaro summit day.
Most
importantly, at a height of 4562 meters (14967 feet) Mt. Meru
requires your body to make changes to adapt to the altitude. It’s called acclimatization
and as a result you will be much better prepared for you Kilimanjaro climb. I
think it is a shame that so many people who visit Tanzania and Kilimanjaro view
Meru only as a warm up trek for Kilimanjaro.
Mount Meru is a very rewarding trek in its own right.
And
it is also a challenging climb. Do not underestimate it! The height is
certainly enough to bring on altitude sickness if you ascend too
fast. And bad weather can make the trek along the knife edge ridge of the
crater rim a positively dangerous undertaking. But when the weather plays
along Mt. Meru crater rim
walk is one of the most spectacular walks you can do in Africa.
Even
just hiking and camping on the slopes or visiting the ash cone in the much
lower crater are walking safaris that I can warmly recommend. You will be
amazed by the amount of wildlife you can find on this mountain, the vegetation
is stunning all the way, and Meru simply isn’t as overrun as Kilimanjaro is.
(For
people who are doing walking safaris on the lower slopes or in other areas of
Arusha National Park there are several campgrounds. And for those wanting to do
a safari in style there are a couple of very comfortable lodges just outside
Arusha National Park.)
Climbing Mount Meru
Arusha
National Park is about an hour’s drive from Arusha, and Momela Gate
(1514 m/4967 ft), the start of the Mt. Meru climb, is about 15 km
from the national park entrance.
(Mt.
Meru differs from Mt. Kilimanjaro in that you don’t HAVE to trek with a
licensed operator. But organizing all the food, equipment, permits, transport,
porters, a ranger and a guide yourself will likely not work out any cheaper,
and the hassle just isn’t worth it.)
If you want to climb to the summit of Mt. Meru you need two
or three nights on the mountain. You ascend about 1000 m/3300 ft per day. The
third night does NOT give you extra time to acclimatize to the height. It is
spent on the way down.
It
is possible to skip the third night by descending over 3000 meters
(9850 ft) in one single day, all the way from the summit back down to
Momela Gate (where your transport should be waiting), but I would not recommend
that.
It
is cruel on the knees. You will also be so tired that the whole descent is just
a painful slog, when it could be a very enjoyable trek through some of the best
forests Tanzania has to offer. And believe me, the jungle on the slopes of Meru
looks totally different when viewed coming down than when you climb up. You see
so many things you never noticed on the way up!
Having
said that, skipping the third night does save you money…
On
Meru there is only one climb route.
Accommodation for climbers on Mount Meru is in two very well
appointed, big huts, the Miriakamba Huts at 2514 m
(8248 ft) and the Saddle Huts at 3570 m
(11712 ft).
For more information
visit www.africanaturaltours.com
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