Meru is about 270 km north of Nairobi, a five- to six-hour drive on the well-paved A2 highway via Nyeri or Embu. Frequent buses and matatus run both routes from Nairobi's Tea Room and Machakos terminals. From the coast, the journey is much longer and most travellers come via Nairobi.
Within the central highlands, Meru is well connected by matatu to Nanyuki (around 2 hours west), Embu (1.5 hours south), and Isiolo (1 hour north on the way into the northern frontier). For Meru National Park, hire a 4WD with driver in town — the road in from Maua becomes rough.