Mount Meru trek 3 days itinerary
Mount Meru is the conical volcanic Mountains near Arusha town. It is the second highest mountain in Tanzania at 4,5685m, the fifth highest in Africa.
Mount Meru is located within Arusha National Park, Tanzania’s gem. This chief location gives hikers the chance to spot some of the birds and wildlife that inhabit the area. The ascend is quite sheer, the route to the summit passes over streams, through parkland, montane forest, a giant heather zone and moorland. The summit is reached by a narrow, barren ridge, which provides stunning views of the Ash Cone lying several thousand feet below in the crater. Weather permitting, Kilimanjaro can be seen in the West. There are two huts available to climbers on the mountain and firewood is supplied.
The best time to climb Meru is between October and February. But also June to September, while it is colder then.
Getting to Mount Meru?
To get to Mount Meru you need to fly to Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA): CODE (IATA: JRO, ICAO: HTKJ ) which is served daily by many airlines. The closest major cities to Kilimanjaro National Park are the city of Arusha and the town of Moshi.
Depending on where you are traveling from, you can usually fly direct to Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO) via the Gulf (Qatar airlines, Emirates) or via Europe (KLM).
Alternatively, you can fly into Tanzania’s capital, Dar-Es-Salaam (DAR), for a short internal flight to (JRO), or to Kenya’s Jomo Kenyatta International (NBO) airport for a connection to JRO (Kenya Airways, Precision Air).
3 Days Climb Itinerary for Mount Meru
3 Days Mt Meru trekking & tours via momella route is one of the best hiking in Tanzania as it includes wildlife spotting along Arusha national park. Mt Meru is the second highest Mt in Tanzania & the fifth in African landmass. Climbing Mount Meru in 3 days is a great hike & can be combined with Zanzibar beach holidays or short Tanzania safaris.
Duration Approx. 5 – 7 hours of hiking
Vegetation Type: Forest
The tour starts after breakfast in your lodge (1400 m) where you drive for about 30 minutes to Ngongongare gate via Usa river town. At the gate your guide will do all paper work before driving along Arusha National Park with some stops for wildlife spotting, reach Momella gate for final checkup of porters & luggage.
Afterward 3 days Mt meru trekking will start with polepole pace, the first day is more or less similar to a walking safari, on the way you may spot some animal species like reticulated Giraffes, Zebras, Waterbuck and Buffaloes. Since the hiking is inside the park an armed TANAPA ranger will be escorting you all the way to the camp.
You may take long or short route but this will depend on the time of starting, during the hike way you will pass across Ngarenanyuki River and a beautiful waterfall at the base of Meru Mountain. You will possibly arrive at Miriakamba Hut (2500 m) before sunset, porters & your chef will have already be there coffee or tea and a hot water for washing will be served. Enjoy the beautiful sunset & the area around.
Dinner and overnight at Miriakamba Hut (2,500 m).
Duration: 4 – 5 hours of hiking.
Vegetation Type: Forest Zone.
After breakfast start your 3 days Mt Meru trekking along the steep path on the forest zone, see various birds and animal along the way. On the way you will view Mount Meru Crater & the Ash Tray. Reach Saddle Hut situated at the alpine desert zone for hot lunch (but this will depend on your pace).
After Lunch and some rest, you have an option of acclimatization hike at Little Meru (3,820 m), this is a good hike with some great view of great Meru & the area around & it makes you ready for a night attempt on summit the main Meru Mountain. Early dinner will be served on this day so that you can have enough rest before your midnight summit attempt. Go to sleep as early as possible possibly around 19:00 hrs.
Duration Approx. 9-12 hours of hiking.
Vegetation Type: Alpine desert.
Wake up at 00:30 after midnight for tea and biscuit before you start your final push to the summit at 01:30 hrs. This final day of your 3 days Mt Meru trekking you will start by trading on the steep grade path up to Rhino point at (3800 m) then reach Cobra point at (4,350 m).
From there the trekking will be on rocky ridge in between the Crater and the inner cliffs of Meru Mountain. Reach the summit during the first rays of sun from the East (4,566 m). During clear days, morning can be the best time to view his Majesty Kilimanjaro Mountain, the total cliffs of the crater drops intensely at almost 1000 feet or more.
Spending sometimes at the summit for pictures before return back to Saddle Hut for some rest & afterward continue down to Miriakamba Hut & to Mommella gate for check out.
The van will have already be there waiting to take you back to Arusha or to the airport if flying with KLM at around 21.45 hours.
If you made it to the summit a certificate for Meru trekking (4,566 m) will be presented to you & for those who did the acclimatization hike at little Meru will also rewarded a certificate.
End of the Service.
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Serengeti Trips Tanzania helped us plan an unforgettable week in Tanzania. They listened to what we were looking for and then created a custom itinerary that perfectly fit what we wanted.
We absolutely loved our accommodations, guides, and entire trip! All of our transfers and logistics were seamless and it was so helpful having contacts within country (via Whatsapp) to answer any questions.
Thank you again to Serengeti Trips Tanzania for designing and coordinating an amazing trip! - Nguyen, travelled July 2021
Mount Meru Cost
The price for a 3 day Meru climb is USD 950 Per Person and the price for a 4 day Meru climb is USD 1050 per person. You can climb Mount Meru all year round and you can pick and choose your own travel dates but we recommend you avoid the rainy season. The best time to climb Mount Meru is January to early March and June to October.
