Soaring above Tanzania's Massai Steppe, Mount Meru is reputed to be a more exhilarating climb than nearby Kilimanjaro. A trek to Meru's snow dusted summit takes hikers along precipitous ridges and, in our case, within arm's reach of a grazing giraffe.
The view as we flew over the Kenyan border was to die for: on our left, Kilimanjaro jutted majestically above its cloud skirt, whilst looking the other way gave us our first mesmerising view of Mount Meru’s cavernous caldera and knife-edge summit ridge. Months of anticipation turned to a buzz of excitement as our eyes wandered to its summit.
Meru is a spectacularly beautiful classic volcanic cone that soars above Tanzania’s Masai Steppe to a height of 4,562 metres. Geologists believe it was once bigger than Kilimanjaro, but it lost much of its bulk about 8,000 years ago in a sideways eruption that obliterated its eastern slopes. Left behind is a horseshoe ridge, harbouring a slowly growing ash cone.
The well-watered and fertile lower slopes support a forest habitat that is home to a diverse collection of wildlife: buffalo, giraffe, vervet and colobus monkeys, warthogs and zebra are all common, not to mention nearly 400 bird species. At least one herd of elephants inhabits the park, too, and although they are rarely sighted, there was plenty of evidence along the trail that they had passed by a few hours before us!
The trek
From Momella gate to the summit is just 19 km, but there is over 3,000m of ascent, so the climb is spread over two and a half days, with a further day and a half for the descent.
Day one (10 km, 1,000m ascent)
The lower slopes offer a deceptively relaxing start to the trek, as the path follows a gentle gradient through lush woods and grassland, with an abundance of wildlife. But by mid-afternoon, having ascended to a dizzy height of 2,514m, we were feeling the altitude and delighted when the bunkhouses appeared unexpectedly through the trees.
The Miriakamba huts are crowded together on a level perch just outside the caldera and provide comfortable although basic accommodation. But the majestic beauty of the surroundings is unsparing compensation for the absence of life’s luxuries. Ahead, the mighty crater wall rises above the ash cone to Socialist Peak, the mountain’s highest point. Behind, the forested slopes drop steeply towards the distant savannah far below. This is where, on our way down, we would stand shoulder to shoulder with a wild giraffe. It wandered past, unhurriedly grazing on leaves from the tree tops that rise level with a veranda behind the canteen. But there were many hours of hard climbing to face before that enchanting sight could be enjoyed.
Day two (4 km, 1,050m ascent)
Shortly before dawn, while Miriakamba was still in shadow, the day’s first golden shafts of sunlight spread a warm glow over the breathtaking summit cliffs. We were woken by the sound of ravens’ claws on tin roofs and coaxed out of bed by the gentle aroma of dew, coffee and breakfast. Having slept well, we were eager to push on.
Climbing higher takes you to cooler temperatures and striking changes in the landscape and flora. The vivid green forest gives way first to bushland peppered with red-hot poker flowers and then moorland before you finally reach the alpine desert zone close to the summit. Our long, hard slog through ever thinner air eventually brought us to Saddle Hut (3,500m) by mid-afternoon. From here, you may continue to the summit of Little Meru (3,801m), barely half an hour away, or simply relax before your summit assault the next morning.
Day three (5km, 1,000m ascent, then 9km, 2,050m descent)
The final summit push began at 1:30 am, after just a couple of hours' sleep - but seeing dawn from Socialist Peak is a reward for which it is worth being torn from the warm comfort of a sleeping bag in the middle of the night. A head-torch is definitely recommended, and you need to bring a couple of warm layers for the chilly, pre-dawn temperatures, too.
Rhino Point, the first milestone, is arguably as good a place as the summit to watch the sunrise. Understandably, this is where many turn back – you need grit and determination to battle oxygen deprivation in the dark after so little sleep. From here, the trail also becomes more challenging, with some rocky scrambles to negotiate and precipitous drops encroaching upon the path.
However, this final, narrow ridge is reputed to be one of the most dramatic and exhilarating sections of trekking anywhere in East Africa! On our left, mist swirled around the ash cone beneath the sheer cliffs of the inner wall. Meanwhile, the sloping outer wall of the crater dropped steeply away to our right and the snow-capped peak of Kilimanjaro could be seen in the distance.
Shrugging off our exhaustion, we continued past Cobra Point, scrambling doggedly over rocky outcrops, grinding our way up slopes of soft, black volcanic sand, and balancing fearlessly along narrow ledges, edging ever closer until the summit flag came into view. Silhouetted against the vivid blue sky, it looked deceptively close through the crisp, cold, early morning air, as we gasped our way up the final tumble of rocks to the top of Africa’s third highest mountain.
Standing on the top of Mount Meru, we were euphoric! The climb there was one of the hardest things I have ever done and the sense of achievement was indescribable. It was undoubtedly one of the most thrilling moments in my life, and I often wish I was still up there, panting for oxygen in the crisp, clear air!
We exchanged congratulations, peered down the vertical wall of the crater, took photos and signed the summit book. Then our gaze drifted to Kilimanjaro, which stood 70 kilometres away, jutting through its skirt of cloud. Even as the summit of Meru lay conquered beneath our feet, ambitions were stirring - before the year is out, several of us hope to look down on Meru from the top of Africa’s highest peak.
Descent
The summit air is sickeningly thin so we made a quick descent to Saddle Hut for lunch. There was time for a quick snooze before continuing down to Miriakamba, where we spent the night and mingled with climbers on their way up.
On our fourth and final day, we retraced our steps to the start, but took a detour to a spectacular 50-foot waterfall just before Momella gate. It is the ultimate power shower, and the perfect way to clean up after four strenuous days on the mountain!
Planning a trip
Ice and Dust (www.iceanddust.com) can organise everything from your arrival in Tanzania until your departure: guides, permits, transport, porters, accommodation, food and water on the trek, indeed pretty much everything except your flights... they’ll sort you out with a safari too if your budget stretches to it and you fancy more than just a mountain adventure. Isaac, our guide, works for Ice and Dust and met us in Moshi. He looked after us before and after the trek as well as accompanying us on Meru.
Getting there
Kilimanjaro international airport is halfway between the regions two big mountains: Meru and Kilimanjaro. It is served by
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Mount Meru seen from Momella park gate at the start of the trek and below, the lower trail, through dense woodland.
Dawn view of the summit ridge from Miriakamba Hut and the breathtaking vista from Rhino Point as dawn breaks over Kilimanjaro.
The summit ridge with clouds boiling over the crater rim and below, Socialist Peak.
Recommended reading
Trekking Guide to East Africa
Years ago the first edition of this Lonely Planet title just leapt off the bookshop display: Africa and mountains - the sleeve just conjured up so many exotic possibilities that I had to own it. It's now in its third edition.
Arusha NP & Mt. Meru Tourist Map
Forget T-shirts; for me it's "Been there, got the map." I can relive a holiday or climb, or go on a brand new fanciful adventure, just by poring over a map. This one is GPS approved, whatever that may mean!
My firm favorite is the Lonely Planet trekking guide (above) but it was first published nearly 20 years ago and has not been revised since 2003. So, I feel duty bound to suggest a more recent guide too:
Kilimanjaro the trekking guide to Africa's Highest Mountain: Includes Mount Meru & guides to Arusha, Moshi, Marangu, Nairobi & Dar-Es-Salaam
"Stedman is something of a Kili obsessive... and that shows on every page of this fully revised and expanded edition of his guide..." Trek & Mountain, March 2010
"A comprehensive and informative guide." Wanderlust magazine, February 2011
Swahili (Lonely Planet Phrasebook)
Portable, pocket-size and cheap, but packed full of useful phrases. Swahili is an uncomplicated language and Tanzanians are patient with beginners. Believe me, a few Swahili words go a long way.
'Power shower' on the decent.
All images © Jon Bigg. All rights reserved.