Overview -- Mount Meru, Tanzania
Mount Meru is a dormant volcano located approximately 70 kilometers (43 miles) west-south-west of Mount Kilimanjaro. It is the second highest peak in Tanzania and the fifth highest in Africa. Like Kilimanjaro, trekking on Mt. Meru is relatively easy, except the summit day. Since Kilimanjaro is the go-to destination for trekking in Tanzania, Mt. Meru gets only a small fraction of the hikers that trek Kili.
Mount Meru, however, makes an excellent stand-alone trek or a great acclimatization hike before trekking Kilimanjaro. The summit hike along the crater rim is considered to be one of the most spectacular hikes in Africa.
Summit trailhead at 3,570 m (11,710 ft) | Summit at 4,566m (14,980 ft) |
Total elevation gain of 1,100 m (3,620 ft) | Out and back trail,11 km (6.8 mi) |
Summit hike takes 8-10 hours | Class 1 with some Class 2 |
The trail classification system used in this blog is the YDS, Yosemite Decimal System
https://www.devilslakeclimbingguides.com/blog/understanding-climbing-ratings
We used Mt. Meru as an acclimatization hike prior to trekking Kilimanjaro. Our trek took four days and three nights, including transportation to and from Arusha. We found summiting Mt. Meru to be as challenging as summiting Kilimanjaro, which surprised us. This is a fairly common opinion of those who have summited both peaks.
Another attraction is that you will see far more wild game while trekking on Mt. Meru than Mt. Kilimanjaro. Due to the amount of wild game, an armed ranger is required to accompany all trekking groups.
This is an out and back route, you should see a fair amount of big game on the first and last day. We saw zebra, giraffes, water buffalo and a few different types of antelope. Black and white colobus monkeys along with leopards are found in the rain forests, but are difficult to spot due to the high vegetation density and their inherent shyness. For bird watches there are almost 400 species residing in the park.
Directions and Logistics
The closest airport for climbing Mt. Meru and Mt. Kilimanjaro is the Kilimanjaro International Airport located between the towns of Arusha and Moshi in north-eastern Tanzania. A good website to find flight options is https://www.climbmountkilimanjaro.com/practical-information/getting-to-kilimanjaro/flights-to-tanzania/.
The drive from Arusha or Moshi, to the trailhead, takes less than two hours You take the A23 west from Moshi or east from Arusha to the Usa River Village and then go north to the entrance to the park. Once in the park the road becomes a slightly bumpy dirt road to the trailhead at Momella Gate.
This was my third trip to Africa and each time we used local tour companies for our trips, always with excellent results. With a little research, using a local tour company can save you some money and your money goes completely into the local economy. Yes, there are some bad local companies, so do your research.
Our trip included climbing both Mt. Meru and Mt. Kilimanjaro, visiting Zanzibar and three game parks including the Serengeti. With flights the trip only took twenty-one days.
For this trip, we chose Gosheni Safaris (https://goshenisafaris.com/tours/), since they were the most proactive with helping us with planning and offered a reasonable price. Although they specialize in big game safaris, they also have an excellent team for climbing in Africa. Gosheni Safaris did a fabulous job of making this a safe and adventuresome vacation. Their Trip Advisor rating is five stars; https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g297913-d4868282-Reviews-Gosheni_Safaris_Africa-Arusha_Arusha_Region.html
Blogs in progress from this trip
Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Meru, Serengeti and Zanzibar in 21 days.
Kilimanjaro-Summit Trek
Zanzibar-Beach Vacation
Tarangire Game Park-Largest elephant heard in Tanzania
Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater Camping Safari
Trail Info – Mount Meru
The trail up the mountain is easy to follow, except during the night hike to the summit.
The only route allowed up Mt. Meru is the Momella trail. The route starts in the game rich savanna on the east side of Meru. During the first day you transition from the savanna to the rain forest and late on the second day you transition into the heather and moorlands ecozones. Both the first and second day are light hiking days of less than six hours. You summit on the third day, a long hiking day of 12 to 15 hours. Most groups start for the summit around one or two in the morning, allowing you to reach the summit around sunrise. The forth day is a short hike starting in the rainforest and ending in the savanna, where we hiked past a fair amount of big game
.
Accommodations are in multi-bedroom huts, with each bedroom having four bunk beds, the mattress were reasonably comfortable. Bathrooms are basic and shared. There are separate huts for cooking and dining.
Day One of Four (Arusha - Miriakamba Huts)
Hiking time: 4-6 h; Distance: approx.10 km; Elevation Gain: appox.1000 m; Effort: Moderate
The two photos below show a sample of the big game we saw while driving inside Arusha National Park as we approached the trailhead.
Due to the large amount of big game that live on and around Mt. Meru, all trekking groups are required to have an armed ranger along while trekking. Our ranger accompanied us at all times, except on the summit hike.
You start hiking from the Momella Gate (1,500 m/4,921 ft). This first day you have the option of two routes to the Miriakamba Huts (2,488 m/8163 ft), where you will sleep. The short and steeper option is about 6 km. The more gradual and longer option is about 10 km. Our guides selected the longer option, about four to six hours of hiking, which allows for a more leisurely hike and more time sightseeing in the rainforest.
The hike starts in the savannah, but soon transition to rain forest. Some key sights on the longer route are Maio waterfalls, the tunnel tree, the ash cone, and Meru’s volcanic crater and rim.
You reach Maio Falls after about two hour of hiking, a good place for lunch.
An other hour of hiking brings you to the tunnel tree. Our group at the tree tunnel, a large African fig tree that was carved out to allow vehicular access to the Miriakamba Huts.
The photo below shows the gradual nature of the hike through the rain forest on the way to the Miriakamba Huts.
On the last part of this hike the trial flattens as you enter the volcanic crater and walk across the crater floor.
From the crater floor are good views of the ash cone, crater walls, and summit. In the photo below the ash cone is located on the middle-left side and the summit sits on the crater rim behind the ash cone.
After exiting the crater floor, you gain a little elevation and arrive at the Miriakamba Huts.
These huts offer bunk beds in each room with moderately comfortable mattresses. There is running water and shared toilet facilities, plus a dining area and kitchen. Ask your guides about taking an evening walk back to the crater to look for wildlife at one of the crater’s watering holes.
Day Two of Four (Miriakamba Huts – Saddle Huts)
Hiking time: 3-4 h; Distance: 6.5 km; Elevation gain: approx.1080 m; Effort: Moderate
The second day is a short hike of about 6.5 km to the Saddle Hut. This section of the trail is steeper than day one, you gain about the same amount of elevation, about 1,000 meters, but the distance is 3.5 km shorter. While hiking we have great views of the crater and the ash cone, plus good views of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
This hike starts in the rainforest, but soon transitions into the heather ecozone at around 2700 m. The photo below shows one of the many twisted ancient trees draped in moss that are common in the rainforest. The trail is well maintained and easy to follow.
Below, our group including guides and porters taking a break at the transition zone between the rain forest and heather ecozones.
The photo, below, shows the tall scrubs that are common in the heather zone.
Since the hike to the Saddle Huts was short and easy, we decided to eat a quick lunch and then hike Little Meru (3,801 m).
The Saddle Huts lies in a saddle between Little Meru to the north and the crater walls to the south.
The trail up Little Meru follows a series of switchbacks up a ridge line on the mountain's southern flank. See the the orange path on the Google Earth image, above. The yellow path was the morning hike from the Miriakamba Huts.
The peak is only 1.3 km from the huts, with an elevation gain of 230 m, making for a pleasant two hour round trip hike. The trail is fairly steep, but mostly class one except near the summit where you will encounter some class two sections, seen in the photo below.
This is a wonderful acclimation hike, fills up your afternoon, and provided us with some great views of Mt. Meru, the ash cone and Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Below, a Mt. Kilimanjaro photo taken from the top of Little Meru. Kili is about 70 kilometers to the east-north-east.
Day Three of Four (Saddle Huts – Summit – Miriakamba Hut)
Hiking time: 12-15 h; Distance:18 km; Elevation gain: approx.1000 m up and 2100 m down; Effort: High
Day three starts early, we got up around midnight, dressed, eat a snack and then departed for the summit around 1 am. The hike to the summit takes 5 to 7 hours, the trail is a mix of class one and two (Yosemite Decimal System). Our guides got us to the summit just after sunrise, perfect timing.
Summit Hike
0.0 km to 0.6 km - From the huts, hike a gentle gradient to the slope leading to the crater rim.
0.6 km to 1.6 km - Climb numerous switchbacks to Rhino Point on the crater rim.
1.6 km to 2.2 km - Trail follows the crater rim and gently drop 50 m & crosses a class 2 rock slab.
2.2 km to 3.4 km - Trail turns uphill, still following the crater rim, a moderately steep section.
3.4 km to 5.1 km - Trail changes to a steeper gradient while still following the crater rim.
5.1 km to 5.6 km - The last part is up a steep boulder covered slope with some class 2 sections.
It was chilly but comfortable as we began hiking. This changed to cold and windy, just after Rhino Point, when we encountered strong winds common when hiking the crater rim.
Your first views, of the crater, are just after Rhino Point, once you start hiking along the crater rim. The summit is in the right background of the photo above with he ash cone in the left center and a lava vent in the front center. Since we climbed in the dark, these photos were taken on our decent.
The photo above show a good example of the YDS class 1 trail that you follow along the crater rim. Our headlamps only illuminated a small section of the trail, so we saw very little of this scenery on the way up. This is an easy trail to follow during daylight and going downhill, but the cold, wind and dark make this a challenging hike going up and wandering off the trail could be very dangerous.
Above is the upper section of the crater rim trail. At this point we were still in the dark with a strong wind blowing going up to the summit.
The winds decreased on the last stretch, but this is also the steepest part, making the final section a bit of an endurance test.
The photo above shows the last section to the summit, Socialist Peak. We climbed this at first light, which is both a blessing and a curse.
The blessing is you can finally see what lies ahead. The curse is the summit seems a painful distance away, up a steep boulder covered slope. Much of this is a class 2 scramble without a defined trail. Getting to the peak, however, requires no route finding, since the peak can be seen while climbing the slope.
It took our group just over six hours to reach the summit. We arrived at the summit, Socialist Peak, just after sunrise, on July 6, 2014. Our summit group consisted of three guides and our group of four. Our original group was five, but my wife was having boot issues and wisely declined to join us on the summit hike.
Above, a photo of our group, minus myself, on the small pinnacle of rocks that makes up Mt. Meru’s summit, Socialist Peak. We snacked, rested and took a few photos on the summit, but within thirty minutes we were chilled so the guides suggested we begin our descent.
We hiked down to the Saddle Huts, ate a leisurely lunch and rested a bit, then hiked a couple more hours down to the Miriakamba Huts arriving about 3pm. Start to finish for us, fourteen hours.
Day 4 Miriakamba Hut - Arusha
There are two routes from the Miriakamba Huts to the Momella Gate. We took the long route hiking up the mountain, so our guides recommended we descend using the six kilometer short route. This route saves some time, and in our case provided some great game viewing once we reached the savanna.
The photo below shows our group at the transition zone between the rain forest and the savanna.
The photo below shows three of our group and our guide, with a herd of water buffalo in the background less than 100 meter. away. The armed ranger was nearby.
All of the big game we walked by were concentrated in the savanna. We passed by zebras, water buffalo, antelope and giraffes on the way to our bus. On the drive out of the park we passed a small village located in the grasslands of the savanna, see below.
After returning to Arusha we took a day off for laundry and a day trip to Tarangire Game Park, which has Tanzania’s largest elephant population along with an assortment of other big game. After the rest day we departed for our seven day trek to summit Kili.
History
Arusha National Park was created in 1960, the park covers 137 km² (53 mi²) and it's most dominate feature is Mount Meru. The park takes it's name from the Arusha people that settled in this area about 800 years ago. Prior to the Arusha's migrating to this area, the area was occupied by the hunter-gather Koningo people, whom the Arusha people assimilated into their culture.
The Maasai consider the Arusha to be sub-set of their society and the Arusha speak the Maasai language. Unlike most Maasai communities, who built a pastoral way of life around their cattle, the Arusha communities are predominantly agriculture. Decedents of the Arusha people still live in the surrounding area.
The German occupation of Tanzania began in 1880 and ended after WW1 in 1919. Soon after the German occupation, persecution of the Arusha people began and much of their farmland was stolen. The British occupied Tanzania from 1919 until it became an independent country on December 9,1961.
Meru's first successful ascent, on record, is still in dispute. It is credited to either Carl Uhlig in 1901 or Fritz Jaeger in 1904 – both Germans.
Flora and Fauna
While summiting Mt. Meru you pass through five climate zones.
Savanna - 1,200 m (4,000 ft) to 1,800 m (6,000 ft)
Tropical Rainforest -1,800 m (6,000 ft) to 2,800 m (9,000 ft)
Heather - 2,800 m (9,000 ft) to 3,800 m (12,500 ft)
Moorlands - 3,800 m (12,500 ft) to 4,000 m (13,000 ft)
Alpine Desert - 4,000 m (13,000 ft) to Socialist Peak
The savanna that surrounds the volcano is where you find most of the big game. The lower slopes are dominated by tropical rain forests, so dense that it is difficult to spot animals and birds.
Above the rainforest is the heather ecozone. This zone is dominated by scrubs that can exceed 8 m/26 ft in height. In this ecozone the temperatures are erratic, sometimes exceeding 38 C/100 F in the daytime and going below freezing at night.
The scrubs of the heather zone are replaced by stunted shrubs, grasses, and wild flowers as you climb into the moorlands. Expect amazing blue skies at the upper end of this zone, as the clouds are normally below you at this elevation. Now that you are above the cloud line the views of the rainforest below and the top of Kilimanjaro 70 km/43 mi to the ENE are breathtaking.
Above the moorlands is the alpine desert which has oppressive sun and at night subzero temperatures often accompanied by high winds. In this environment, few plants or animals survive.
Geology
Mt. Meru is a dormant stratovolcano about 3 mi/5 km across and has some of the highest crater walls in Africa. The crater rim partially collapsed about 7,800 years ago during a catastrophic eruption leaving behind a 5 km wide breach on the east side of the caldera (crater). The Google Earth image below shows the summit in the mid-background, The ash cone mid-center, and the breached caldera wall middle front. The image has some banding that is not real, so ignore this.
Meru’s famous ash cone dominates the below photo. Also present is a large lava vent, just in front of the ash cone, both the ash cone and lava vent have formed since the crater walls collapsed 7,800 years ago. Flows from this lava vent now cover much of the crater floor. Mt Meru’s last eruption occurred in 1910, making it an active but currently dormant stratovolcano.
Stratovolcanoes, like Mt. Meru and Mt. Kilimanjaro are conical shaped, with steep slopes and a summit crater. The lava flowing from stratovolcanoes typically cools and hardens before spreading far, due to high viscosity. Catastrophic eruptions are common.
Three famous examples of stratovolcanoes are Vesuvius in Italy, this 79 AD catastrophic eruption buried the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Krakatoa in Indonesia, that underwent a catastrophic eruption in 1883, and more recently the 1980 catastrophic eruption of Mt. Saint Helens in the USA.
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