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Mt. Meru Trekking – to the second highest mountain in Tanzania

Tanzania Tanzania
Component

Trekking Map

The summit of Mt. Meru (4,566 m), with its magical cliffs, awaits you on this varied and challenging trekking tour. This tour is also popular as a preparation for Kilimanjaro.

However, the technical requirements are higher than on the Kilimanjaro routes. With a bit of luck you will see giraffes, buffalo, antelopes and baboons on the four-day trekking tour. A park ranger will therefore accompany you for your safety. The way to the summit leads through a beautiful tropical mountain forest, a huge heather zone and an impressive moor landscape. The exciting summit is reached via a narrow, barren ridge that offers a breathtaking view of Mount Kilimanjaro and the entire Arusha National Park.

Good fitness, sure-footedness and experience at altitude are prerequisites for this tour.

We warmly recommend booking a safari for at least two days on this trip. Tanzania should not be left without a short visit to the unique wildlife.

Trip Details

Day 1: Arrival in Arusha – Briefing and visit to the art gallery –welcome dinner
Arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport. There you will be picked up and driven by private transfer to Arusha, to your booked hotel. Your guide will come and give you an introduction to the tour. Depending on your arrival time, at noon you will be picked up and driven to the unique cultural center, ‘Cultural Heritage Gallery’ on the outskirts of Arusha. The variety of sculptures, masks, furniture, drawings and photos from all parts of Africa on display here is extremely impressive and worth visiting. Overnight at Hotel Ilboru Safari Lodge, (D).

Day 2: Arusha to Miriakamba Hut (2,514m) – 4 to 6 hours hike
Early morning departure to Momella Gate of Arusha National Park (1,500 m). After the formalities for entering the park, we begin our hike, led by a park ranger, who will accompany us for our safety. The route runs through open grasslands and offers the chance to see buffalo, warthogs and other wildlife. The path continues as a steady ascent through a dense tropical mountain forest. We have lunch near a giant fig tree arch. Our hike continues through less dense forests, in which there are many birds and black and white colobus monkeys. In the late afternoon, weather permitting, we can see towering cliffs and the Ash Cone. We reach the Miriakamba Hut (2,514 m), which lies on an idyllic grass clearing, in time to enjoy the last rays of the afternoon sun and a wonderful view over the surrounding plains towards Kilimanjaro. Overnight in the Miriakamba Hut (B|L|D).

Day 3: Miriakamba Hut (2,514 m) to Saddle Hut (3,570 m) – 4 to 5 hours hike
The walk from the Miriakamba Hut to the saddle below the Little Meru is a short day but a steep climb. We slowly ascend through lush mountain forests and reach the “Elephant Ridge” halfway through the hike. From here we enjoy an excellent view of the summit ridge and the crater floor. The path continues through Riesenheide and other fascinating moor vegetation to Saddle-Hut (3,570 m), where you will be served lunch. Overnight in the Saddle Hut (B|L|D).

Day 4: Saddle Hut (3,570 m), ascent to Socialist Peak (4,566 m) and back to Miriakamba Hut (2,514 m) – 10 to 12 hours
We start early at around 2 a.m. and climb steeply to Rhino Point (3,800 m). From here the path becomes demanding and requires full concentration and sure-footedness. At sunrise we reach an undulating ridge of ash and rocks and we reach Cobra Point (4,350 m). The view is breathtaking: the cliffs of the crater rim, the ash cone protruding from the crater floor, Mount Kilimanjaro, which seems to float on the morning clouds, and when the weather is clear you can see to the west as far as the Rift Valley. The summit of ‘Socialist Peak’ (4,566 m) is an hour further on a good but steep path that can be slippery at times. After a couple of beautiful summit photos, we descend back to Saddle-Hut. The way to Rhino Point in the morning light on a narrow ridge will have a different charm than on the way there. After a hearty breakfast we climb back to the Miriakamba Hut. Overnight in the Miriakamba Hut (B | L | D).

Day 5: Miriakamba Hut (2,514 m) – Hotel in Arusha – approx. 3 hours hike
We take the direct route through open grassland and mixed forest with a good chance of spotting wild animals. This trail offers excellent views back to the crater and across the plains of the national park. We should get to Momella Gate in the late morning. At the gate we will say goodbye to our great crew and will be driven back to Arusha. Overnight in Hotel Ilboru Safari Lodge or similar category (B).

Day 6: Departure Drive to Arusha-Kilimanjaro International Aiprort or connection component Kilimanjaro / Safari / Zanzibar
Free time until departure. Our driver will pick you up from the hotel according to your flight details and drive you to the airport or you can continue with your connection program (B).

We reserve the right to make changes to the program due to special events, force majeure or weather reasons.

Legends: B = breakfast | L = lunch | D = dinner

 

Our trips start every Saturday:

German guided tour
English guided tour

This trekking tour can also be booked for individual travelers at an additional cost or for your group at dates other than shown here.

Duration: 6 days
Costs: € 1.290 per person
Group size: min. 2 Persons (all the tour dates are guaranteed with a minimum group size of only two persons)
€ 80 for single room supplement (only for hotel accommodation, for hut and camping overnight stays during the trek single accommodation is not available).

What’s included

  • Transfer from and to the airport
  • All transfers in Tanzania by private vehicle
  • Accommodation and breakfast in Arusha
  • Professional, English speaking local mountain guide
  • Camping team (cook & porter)
  • Accommodation, three meals and drinking water on the trekking tour
  • All national park fees
  • Welcome dinner

Not included

  • Sleeping bag
  • All flights
  • Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks other than water
  • Visa fees (US $ 50)
  • Tips
  • Personal expenses
  • Personal travel insurance

Visa
To enter Tanzania, a passport that is valid for at least 6 months and a tourist visa are required. The visa for German citizens can be applied for three to four weeks before departure at the Tanzanian embassy (approx. 50 EUR plus postage). Alternatively, the visa is also available when entering Tanzania (50 USD, to be paid in cash on site). We recommend this option; it is less complicated and cheaper. An exit tax of USD 30 is required for international flights from Zanzibar (payable locally in cash).
These visa and passport regulations are valid for the EU countries and Switzerland. Other citizens would like to inquire at the respective country consulate.

Vaccinations
No compulsory vaccinations, in particular no yellow fever vaccination, are required for direct entry from Germany / Switzerland, Austria to the mainland of Tanzania and Zanzibar. This also applies when entering a yellow fever endemic area in transit; as long as the airport is not left during the stopover and the stay is less than 12 hours. However, you should be vaccinated against tetanus, hepatitis A, diphtheria and polio. Hepatitis B and typhoid vaccinations are recommended for long stays.
We recommend that you consult your doctor in good time. Further information can be found on the website of the Federal Foreign Office.

Insurance
A travel health insurance (with rescue costs) is essential for your own safety and a prerequisite for booking our trips. In the event of an accident in the mountains or on safari that requires a helicopter, the helicopter will not take off until full coverage of the costs has been clarified.
We strongly recommend that you take out travel cancellation insurance. Flights at bargain prices in particular cannot usually be rebooked or cancelled free of charge. In Tanzania there could also be complications with the weather, your health, etc., which would force you to abandon your trip.
We asked ERGO Reiseversicherung to put together different service packages for you. You can book the right travel health insurance for you at https://www.reiseversicherung.de.

It should be noted that geoDiscovery Tours only recommends that its guests book travel insurance through ERGO and assumes no responsibility for the contractual content between the travel guest and the insurance provider. It is up to each guest to book their travel insurance through ERGO or another provider.

Standard of hotels and accommodations
In Tanzania, the hotels we have booked are good and correspond to mid-western standards. The sanitary facilities are clean and functional. The hotel kitchen is adapted to Western eating habits and the food is safe to enjoy. Sometimes there can be power cuts or sometimes no hot water is available. The hotel staff is generally very friendly and makes every effort to ensure the well-being of each guest. The hotels we have booked are as follows:

Arusha: Ilboru Safari Lodge, Mount Meru Game Lodge, Karama Lodge
Moshi / Kilimanjaro: Chanya Lodge, Weru Weru, Kaliwa Lodge, Salinero

Tour program
The travel program is optimally coordinated for all of the trips we recommend. However, it can happen that roads are closed or impassable without prior notice, that waiting times of several hours arise due to traffic jams or fuel shortages, that access to sites can be closed for various reasons, or other restrictions such as flight delays or even cancellations due to bad weather, strikes, Health of the participants, a pandemic or unfavourable conditions during trekking make the implementation of the travel program difficult or, in the worst case, impossible. However, our local guides are prepared for such situations and will endeavour to carry out all program points to your satisfaction. The inconvenience is usually limited. Nevertheless, it must be pointed out at this point that, for the reasons mentioned, program changes are possible at any time and are not the responsibility of the organizer. Any resulting costs are borne by the traveller. We ask for your understanding.

Flying in Tanzania
Domestic flights in Tanzania may be postponed for days due to limited airspace or weather conditions, or for technical or other reasons. Under these exceptional circumstances, our team will try – in cooperation with you – to relocate the tour to other regions or to organize road transport. The risk of delay and cancellation of these flights is borne by all participants.
In the event of a delay of several days, all participants are personally responsible for changing their flight home at least 48 hours in advance. We are of course happy to help you.

The domestic flights booked by us are:

  • Air Tanzania
  • Precision Air
  • Flightlink
  • Coastal Aviation
  • Auric air

Please note that our trips are not suitable for people with limited mobility.

Trip Details

  • Duration: 6 days
  • Holiday Type: Hut & Camping
  • Best trekking period: Jun/Jul/Aug/Sep/Dec/Jan/Feb
  • Difficulty: Demanding
  • Max Altitude: 4.566 m
  • Group size: Min. 2 persons (all the tour dates are guaranteed with a minimum group size of onl two persons)
  • Tour guide: English speaking, trained Tanzanian mountain guide
  • Difficulty:
  • Fitness:
  • Price: 1.290,00 €
  • Single room supplement: 100,00 €
    (only for hotel accommodation, for hut and camping overnight stays during the trek single accommodation is not available)
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