Aschenkegel des Mount Meru

The ash cone is the secondary summit crater of Mount Meru, a 4,566-metre stratovolcano in northern Tanzania, roughly 70 kilometres west of Kilimanjaro. Though one of East Africa's more active volcanoes — its last major eruption occurred in 1910 — the summit area is today the destination of a demanding multi-day trek through Arusha National Park. The ascent typically takes three to four days, passing through tropical rainforest, open moorland, and a stark high-altitude landscape of cooled lava and volcanic ash. On a clear day the ash cone offers one of Africa's most striking panoramas: Kilimanjaro rising in full profile above a sea of clouds to the east.