Climb Mount Meru
Trekking · 4,566m
Tanzania's second mountain, inside a national park where the walk starts among giraffe and buffalo. The best acclimatisation there is before Kilimanjaro.
- 4,566m — Africa's fifth highest peak
- Inside Arusha National Park
- Often climbed before Kilimanjaro
Mount Meru Climbs
2 itineraries — pick one, or tell us your dates and we will shape the climb around them.
Booking a climb
What a Mount Meru Climb Includes
Every Meru climb we run is private — your group, your pace, your departure date — with a licensed mountain guide, a cook, porters, and the armed park ranger the national park requires on the mountain. Park fees, hut fees and rescue fees are included in the quoted price, as are all meals on the mountain and transfers from Arusha to the Momella gate.
Three days is the standard itinerary and it works for anyone arriving reasonably fit and already a little acclimatised. Four days is the better choice if Meru is your first mountain, if you have just flown in from sea level, or if you are using it to prepare for Kilimanjaro — the extra night at Saddle Hut does more for your summit chances than any amount of gym work.
You carry a daypack with water, layers and a camera. Porters carry everything else. We follow the same porter welfare standards on Meru as on Kilimanjaro: capped loads, proper wages, and equipment for the crew.
What to bring
Mount Meru Packing List
- Broken-in hiking boots with ankle support and good grip for the summit ridge
- A sleeping bag rated to around minus ten — the huts have mattresses but no bedding
- A head torch with spare batteries, essential for the pre-dawn summit push
- Layers: base layer, fleece, insulated jacket and a windproof shell
- Gloves and a warm hat; the ridge at dawn is genuinely cold and exposed
- Two litres of water capacity, plus sun cream and sunglasses
- Walking poles, which help a great deal on the long descent
- A small daypack of 25 to 35 litres — porters carry everything else
Practical questions
Climbing Mount Meru FAQs
How much does it cost to climb Mount Meru?
Considerably less than Kilimanjaro, mainly because the trek is shorter and the park fees are lower. The price depends on group size — the guide, cook and ranger cost the same whether one person climbs or five, so a small group brings the per-person figure down sharply. Send us your dates and group size and we will quote a firm all-inclusive price with the park fees itemised separately.
Three days or four?
Four, if you can spare the day. The third day on a three-day itinerary means summiting in the dark and then descending the entire mountain, which is a long, punishing stretch. The four-day version splits that descent and adds acclimatisation time at Saddle Hut. If Meru is preparation for Kilimanjaro, take the four days without hesitation.
Do I need technical climbing skills?
No ropes, no equipment and no technical climbing. What the summit ridge does require is a head for heights and confidence on narrow, rocky ground in the dark — there are substantial drops on both sides between Rhino Point and the summit. Anyone genuinely uncomfortable with exposure should say so at the briefing; Rhino Point itself is a fine turnaround with an excellent view.
Can I combine the climb with a safari?
It is the natural pairing, and Arusha National Park is already around you on the way up. A common itinerary climbs Meru over four days, rests a day in Arusha, then runs a northern-circuit safari through Tarangire, the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater. Doing the mountain first and the safari second is much the better order — after the summit, sitting in a Land Cruiser watching elephants is exactly what you will want.
Speak to Our Team
We are based in Arusha and plan every trip ourselves. Tell us what you have in mind.
Yue / Mar 2026
They are so warm and friendly, the safari tour is perfect and amazing
Lappet Faced Safaris was very reliable, and we had an incredible time in Tanzania during the Spring Festival holiday. Our guide, Noel, showed us…
TripAdvisor reviewer
很棒！
我们的向导noel非常棒，很认真负责，对我们的需求有求必应，在机场等我们两个小时值机完成登机后再离开，带我们看了所有的非洲五霸。体验感非常好
Liza / Mar 2026
Excellent, reliable tour operator with professional guides
I've been back from Tanzania for a while now, but I still can't stop thinking about this amazing trip. We were two families, seven people in…
Scott
7-Day Wildebeest Migration Safari
We had an amazing 7-day safari visiting Tarangire National Park, the Ndutu region of southern Serengeti, Central Serengeti National Park, and Ngorongoro Crater. Before arriving in Tanzania I had regular communication with Francisco, the owner of Lappet Faced Safaris. Francisco always responded promptly and answered all of our questions as we planned this custom safari. I was very impressed by his prompt and thorough responses to questions and his willingness to be flexible with our itinerary during the planning stages of this trip. We were met at the airport by our driver/guide, Amani, who accompanied us for the duration of the safari. To say that Amani went above and beyond was an understatement. He was an amazing guide and he did a great job in finding various wildlife and putting us in an excellent position to observe and photograph. He was also very good at answering our questions about the wildlife, the vegetation and the people of Tanzania. I was very impressed and I could tell that he enjoyed his work and that he knew what he was talking about when explaining things about different animals. It really made the trip a more complete experience. I was very pleased with our accommodations throughout our safari, as well as with the food. Everything matched the information that we received from Francisco when we were planning our trip. Lappet Faced Safaris is a small locally-owned safari company and they provide first-class service. I would highly recommend them to anyone who is interested in visiting Tanzania and experiencing a safari. Francisco is flexible in putting together a trip itinerary so do not hesitate to share what your interests are for your safari experience and he will work with you to meet those plans. We wanted to see the wildebeest migration during their calving season, as well as seeing other resident wildlife and what we experienced during our safari was simply amazing.
CHEN / Aug 2026
GOOD
I think this travel agency responds very quickly. The planning is thorough and the execution is excellent. It's reassuring, as any unexpected issues can be promptly resolved…
Yiqing S
A memorable journey for a lifetime 💙
This was my first time travelling in Africa. Together with my Mum and two aunties we travelled as a family group of four. Generally it was an educative, cheering and lifetime memorable journey. All of us loved the safari. A genuine big thank to Lappet Faced Safari and our guide Frank. The trip was not only well arranged, safe and sound, but also full of luck. At the trip planning stage, the company general manager Francisco was very patient to answer all kinds of questions and made adjustments according to my demands as effective as possible. The cost breakdown was highly detailed. Before starting the trip, I had some concerns because my mum and aunties whose average age are nearly 60 and do not understand English. I expected that the trip might be a bit uneasy. But our guide Frank turned out to be an easy-going guy. He is so nice and got on well with three ladies. Even they don’t really understand each other’s language, there was no barrier at all :) And the car had been kept clean and tidy every morning before we get on. The ladies often praised “Frank你真棒！” (Frank you are so reliable!)During the safari, Frank could always discover those special animals that we never had such sharp eyes to notice🤣. We managed to spot the big five without much difficulties. Apart from those, we also spotted some rare creatures such as cheetah cubs, honey badger, serval, lappet faced eagle (safari company logo :D), steppe eagle, etc. Frank is absolutely professional. He introduced me all the animals alone the way in great details. Sometimes he would carefully double check the bird species in a beautiful birds illustration book. The safari was full of joy and surprise. We enjoyed every second in the wild nature of Tanzania so much that we even feel reluctant to back to city life🥲.P.S. I fulfilled my wish —— to make my own work of animal illustrations! Check them out 👇👇👇