Mount Meru (Momella Route)

Information

Distance

45.0 km

Duration

3–4 days

Max elevation

4,562 m

Country

Tanzania (TZ)

Difficulty

Menantang — malam summit panjang di ketinggian; kerap dipakai sebagai aklimatisasi sebelum Kilimanjaro

Best Season

Juni–Februari (paling kering); hindari puncak hujan Maret–Mei

Permits & Fees

Wajib melalui operator berizin; ranger bersenjata TANAPA menyertai sepanjang jalur karena satwa liar, plus biaya masuk Taman Nasional Arusha

Description

Mount Meru (4,562 m) is a dormant volcano in Arusha National Park, Tanzania, and the country's second-highest peak after Kilimanjaro. Its most common ascent, the Momella Route, starts at Momella gate on the eastern side and is usually completed in 3–4 days via Miriakamba Hut (2,500 m) and Saddle Hut (3,570 m) before a pre-dawn summit push along the crater rim to Socialist Peak. Because the whole route lies inside the national park, climbers must be accompanied by an armed ranger and frequently encounter giraffes, buffalo, and primates on the lower slopes. Thanks to its gradual altitude profile, many trekkers use Meru as acclimatization ahead of Kilimanjaro, which stands only ~70 km to the east.

Trail Highlights

Gunung berapi tak aktif tertinggi kedua di Tanzania yang seluruh jalurnya berada di dalam Taman Nasional Arusha — pendaki melewati jerapah, kerbau, dan monyet di lereng bawah, menyusuri hutan dan padang heather ke Miriakamba Hut lalu Saddle Hut, mendaki tepi kawah menuju Socialist Peak, dan menyaksikan siluet Kilimanjaro saat matahari terbit.