Mount Meru rises to 4,566 meters (14,980 feet) within Arusha National Park, making it Tanzania’s second-highest peak after Kilimanjaro — and one of East Africa Sauvage’s favorite lesser-crowded climbs on the Northern Circuit. Just 70 kilometers west of Kilimanjaro, Meru is climbed via the single official Momella Route over three to four days.

Meru is a dormant stratovolcano, its dramatic horseshoe-shaped caldera the result of a massive eruption that blew out the mountain’s eastern side roughly 8,000 years ago; a more minor eruption followed in 1910. The summit itself is known as Socialist Peak, reached via a narrow, exposed ridge past a point called Rhino Point on the final overnight push.

Climbers overnight in two mountain huts along the way — Miriakamba Hut at 2,514 meters and Saddle Hut at 3,570 meters — with an optional side hike to Little Meru for extra acclimatization. The lower slopes wind through rainforest alive with giraffes, buffalo, colobus monkeys, and warthogs, with an armed ranger required to accompany every group for safety.

Many climbers use Meru as a warm-up for Kilimanjaro, since sleeping above 3,500 meters helps the body acclimatize for the bigger climb ahead. Others tackle it purely for its own reward: a quiet, varied trek through rainforest, moorland, and alpine desert, ending with sunrise views across the Rift Valley to Kilimanjaro itself — a journey East Africa Sauvage is proud to guide you through.