Meru Travel Guide

Meru is a fairly big town northeast of Mt Kenya. It’s home to the Meru people, close relatives of the Kikuyu and Embu. There’s little reason travelers would stay in Meru, but if you do, it can be a fun place. Meru’s famous for its miraa, twigs of a plant that has stimulant properties. It is grown legally in large amounts here, so you won’t get fresher miraa anywhere. After chewing the bark of the twigs for an hour or so, you’ll feel like you’ve drank two or three strong cups of coffee. Stay at the Milimani Hotel on the junction north of town. It has nice singles/doubles for KSh 600/800 including breakfast and the bar turns into a disco on the weekends. There’s a museum in town if you have any free time.