Kitoto is an open space with superb views across the Park and up to the mountain. The two most obvious plants are Erica arborea and Stoebe kilimandscharica. Both are typical heath bushes, with the former being green and the latter grey.
From Kitoto you can drive to Miriakamba and the Meru Crater, but the road is very steep and four-wheel drive is essential. Much more enjoyable is to walk to Jekukumia River and up to the crater. The walk includes some steep gradients and takes about an hour.
As you walk through the forest, after the long rains, you will see "red hot pokers," Kniphofia thomsoni, in the clearings, and the pink flowered balsam, Impatiens papilionacea. For several months after the short rains in November, the beautiful red flowers of the fire-ball lily, Scadoxus multiflorus, can be seen. They are related to the common onion and grow in much the same way.
The track divides and the left path leads to Njeku whilst the other leads to Meru Crater. Njeku means an old woman who has the power of rain making, and a nearby sacred juniper tree was the site of sacrificial ceremonies by the Meru people in times of drought. From Njeku a short walk takes you to an observation point overlooking the magnificent waterfall in the gorge of the Ngare River.
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