Mount Meru Climb Followed by a Safari, 6 Days

Duration Approx. 5 – 7 hours of hiking

Vegetation Type: Forest

The tour begins after breakfast at your lodge (1400 m). You drive for about 30 minutes via Usa river town to Ngongongare gate, where your guide handles all the paperwork. You then drive through Arusha National Park, with a few stops for wildlife spotting, to Momella gate for a final check of porters & luggage.

From there, 3 days Mt Meru trekking starts at a pole-pole pace. The first day is more or less like a walking safari, and on the way you may spot animal species such as reticulated Giraffes, Zebras, Waterbuck, and Buffaloes. Because the hike is inside the park, an armed TANAPA ranger escorts you all the way to the camp.

Duration: 4 – 5 hours of hiking.

Vegetation Type: Forest Zone.

Following breakfast, your 3 days of Mt Meru trekking continue up a steep path through the forest zone, where you see various birds and animals. Along the way you will view Mount Meru Crater & the Ash Tray. Saddle Hut lies in the alpine desert zone, and you get there for a hot lunch (depending on your pace).

After lunch and some rest, you can choose an acclimatization hike to Little Meru (3,820 m). It is a good hike with great views of Meru itself and the surrounding area, and it prepares you for the night attempt on the main summit of Meru. Dinner is served early today so that you get enough rest before your midnight summit attempt. Try to go to sleep as early as you can, ideally around 19:00 hrs.

Duration Approx. 9-12 hours of hiking.

Vegetation Type: Alpine desert.

Tea and biscuit are served when you wake at 00:30 after midnight, and the final summit push starts at 01:30 hrs. On this closing day of your 3 days Mt Meru trekking, you first trade along the steep grade path up to Rhino point at (3800 m), then continue to Cobra point at (4,350 m).

Next the trek follows a rocky ridge between the Crater and the inner cliffs of Meru Mountain. The summit (4,566 m) is reached as the first rays of the sun come from the East. On clear days, morning is the best time to view his Majesty Kilimanjaro Mountain, and the total cliffs of the crater drop intensely at almost 1000 feet or more.

After a while at the summit for pictures, go back to Saddle Hut for some rest & then carry on down to Miriakamba Hut & to Mommella gate for check out.

After breakfast, leave Arusha for Serengeti National Park via Ngorongoro. We follow the wildebeest migration for the whole day in the south Serengeti and then drive to central Serengeti, with overnight at Seronera Camping site. Dinner and breakfast are included!

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After breakfast comes a half-day game drive in Serengeti National Park. The park covers 14,763sq km, and its name comes from the Maasai language, meaning “endless plains”. Wildlife here includes Lion, Thompson and Grant Gazelle, Zebra, Buffalo, Hippo, Elephant & Cheetah. You then drive to Ngorongoro for the overnight stay at Simba campsite. Meal plan: Full Board.

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After breakfast, you leave for Ngorongoro Crater at 6:30. Near this historical caldera you will find unique attractions, where man and wildlife live together without harming one another. You get the chance to see wildlife including Lion, elephants, hippos, Wildebeest, Warthog, and Zebra, and to see lake Magadi, Lerai Forest, and Ngoitokito swamp, with lunch boxes along. After lunch, begin the drive to Arusha.

End of the Service