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| spectacular morning welcoming to sun |
Mount Meru is Tanzania's
second highest peak and 10th highest mountain in Africa standing at 14,980 ft (4566 m). Mount Meru is a
beautiful, conically shaped volcano located in northern Tanzania in the
heart of the Arusha National Park. Mount Meru is not an active volcano, its last minor eruption was over a century ago. On a clear day you can see Mount Kilimanjaro
from Mount Meru, they are less than 50 miles apart. The first
successful (recorded) ascent is still in dispute. It is credited to
either Carl Uhlig in 1901 or Fritz Jaeger in 1904, both Germans,
reflecting the colonial power of Germany over Tanzania at this time.
I want to click photographs at Mount Meru's photographic centerpiece of Arusha National Park. Its fertile slopes rise above the surrounding savannah and support a forest that hosts diverse wildlife, including nearly 400 species of birds, and also monkeys and leopards.
When on a Mount Meru trek , the ascend is quite steep, the route to the summit passes over streams, through parkland, forest, a giant heather zone and moorland. The summit is reached by a narrow, barren ridge, which provides stunning views of the Ash Cone lying several thousand feet below in the crater. Weather permitting, Mount Kilimanjaro can be seen in the West. Mt. Meru most recently had a minor eruption about a century ago. The several small cones and craters seen in the vicinity probably reflect numerous episodes of volcanic activity
