Mountain Meru - Tanzania

Our three-day hiking tour on Mount Meru started in Moshi. We spent the first two nights at the beautiful Chanya Lodge, where we recovered from the flight and prepared for our mountain tour. We got a SIM card for our mobile phone with our guide and a hotel employee and also organized sticks, water bottles, and gloves for the tour. In Moshi, we were actually the only tourists and were quickly surrounded by sunglasses and souvenir sellers. We were glad that we weren't alone and that Manu didn't get ripped off too much when buying sunglasses ;-)

And then it started. Our backpacks were packed and we were ready to go. With our six-person team - consisting of a driver, guide, assistance guide, cook, and two porters who carried the utensils - we set off in the morning around eight o'clock. During the drive, we could already catch a glimpse of Mount Kilimanjaro with its white, snow-covered peak. Mount Meru, the opposite mountain, a volcano, 4562m high, is slightly smaller than Kilimanjaro, but the hiking route is more strenuous, as we found out during the tour. During the drive, we already saw giraffes in a meadow. Our first highlight. At the gate, we met our ranger. Since it is not allowed to walk alone - because of the buffalos - we went together with other groups, the ranger leading the way with his rifle. At first, the trail was quite pleasant and there was hardly any uphill. We took a break at an impressively large fig tree and ate our packed lunch consisting of noodles, fruit, yogurt, eggs, and sandwiches. The trunk of the tree was split in the middle like a gate, through which even a car could pass. In case of emergency, an ambulance can pass through there, one of the guides told us. The march continued through green nature and forests with jungle-like trees. At the same time, it became steeper and there were longer, exhausting sections. My backpack became heavier and heavier and I was really out of breath when we reached a meadow from which we had a great view of Mount Kilimanjaro. I heard barking and looked around for a dog. But it was monkeys jumping over the meadow so fast that I couldn't take a picture of them. Then we continued, and after about 4 hours of walking, we reached the first hut - Miriakamba Hut - at an altitude of 2,500m. We were happy because we even had a room to ourselves - what luck. Probably because of Corona, because there were two bunk beds in the room, enough space for four people. We were given bowls with warm water and soap to wash ourselves, and then we had popcorn and tea. Hungry, we enjoyed it and then had dinner. Baboons were running around outside. So our first day of hiking ended successfully and we fell tired into bed. But wait... somehow we didn't have any blankets. And it can get quite chilly at 2500 meters. We probably should have brought sleeping bags. But we were lucky and our guide Alfred arranged two for us. Unfortunately, he wasn't feeling well that evening. He had a fever and chills. :-(

The next morning - neither of us slept well, so we didn't get much sleep - we got up around seven, then had breakfast, and I think we started walking between 8 and 9 o'clock. Unfortunately, our guide still wasn't feeling well, so he couldn't continue with us. He might have malaria. We and another couple were concerned about him, so we gave him some of our malaria pills and hoped that he would soon feel better and be able to go to the hospital. So we started without Alfred. The next hut was supposed to be only four hours away, but the path was just steep uphill, making it really exhausting. The sun was blazing down and the sky was bright blue, so we had a great view of Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru again. The path led through green nature at first, but then there was a section with burned bushes and it became rocky. But it was always uphill, uphill, uphill. And no more shade. Despite sunscreen, we got sunburned. After another few thousand meters of altitude, we reached the Saddle Hut at an altitude of 3,500 meters in the early afternoon. We enjoyed the warm rays of the sun because it was already really cool in the shade at that altitude. Here, too, we had our own room again. The rooms there looked exactly the same as at Miriakamba Hut. We rested a bit, had a small lunch, and then headed to the summit of Little Meru at an altitude of 3,801m. It took us about an hour to reach the summit and from up there, we enjoyed the view. The path was rocky but also covered with interesting plants, so we could once again enjoy nature.

On the third day, we set off early in the morning because we had a long way back to the valley ahead of us. We were able to enjoy a fantastic sunrise while descending the mountain. It was really cold at first, but as soon as the sun rose, it got very warm. When we reached the Miriakamba Hut after a few hours, we met our guide Alfred there again. He was feeling a bit better, but still weak. Instead of going back to the valley and the hospital, he had waited for us. He assured us, however, that he would go to the hospital and get a malaria test immediately after the tour. We drove back to the park entrance in the ambulance car. It was a bumpy ride and we were sitting in the tin like sardines with other tired hikers. Back in the valley, we drove back to Arusha with our driver to our accommodation, the Outpost Lodge. On the way, we saw more giraffes and monkeys and made another stop at a viewpoint. When we arrived at the lodge, we were really looking forward to our shower. Exhausted, hungry but happy, we enjoyed the luxury of a big bed, fresh clothes, and the opportunity to take a shower and do our laundry.