Mount Meru dominates the skyline west of Arusha — on clear mornings, before cloud covers the summit, the volcanic cone is visible from much of the city. At 4,566m, it is Africa's fifth-highest peak and a serious mountain in its own right, not just a training climb for Kilimanjaro. The standard four-day ascent via the Momella Gate inside Arusha National Park passes through montane forest, through heather and moorland, to the ash cone that forms the final approach.
The climb is harder and more technical than Kilimanjaro's tourist routes, involving some scrambling on the crater wall. It is also far quieter: while thousands attempt Kilimanjaro each month, Meru sees only a fraction of that traffic. Rangers are required, and an armed escort accompanies walkers through the lower forest where buffalo and elephant range. From the summit, on clear days, the view of Kilimanjaro across the Maasai Steppe is one of the finest mountain panoramas in Africa.