Lake Manyara National Park

Lake Manyara, its name derived from the Maasai word for the euphorbia bush, is formed by the waters which flow from the walls of the Great Rift Valley. A shimmering white soda lake, surrounded by verdant forests and open grassland, it occupies a saucer-shaped depression in the rift valley floor, where it is largely hidden from view. Most travellers will approach Lake Manyara from Arusha, or else via Karatu coming from the Crater Highlands, so that their first glimpse of the lake is from the top of the Rift Valley escarpment, where the land drops away to reveal the valley floor 1,000 feet below.

Lake Manyara National Park protects most of Lake Manyara and the wilderness immediately surrounding it. Easily accessible from Arusha and commonly visited on tours of Northern Tanzania’s popular safari circuit (incorporating the Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Manyara and Tarangire, or a combination thereof), it was for many years a major hunting ground, but today it is a protected haven housing a diversity of wildlife.

At approx. 90 square miles, Lake Manyara is small compared to other Tanzanian safari parks, but it encompasses within its boundaries several different vegetation zones, ranging from dry acacia woodland and open grassland to wet bog and ground-water forest. The Lake naturally forms the heart of the park and its ecosystem, but around it you’ll find a hugely diverse landscape. To the south, Manyara adjoins the Marang Forest Reserve.

Lake Manyara National Park’s varied habitats allow it to support an equally varied collection of wildlife. Huge herds of buffalo, several hundred strong, graze on the open plains, which they share with zebra, wildebeest and elephant. Pods of hippo huddle in the shallow waters, while the forests that surround the lake are home to huge troops of baboon, blue monkey, and, one of East Africa’s greatest curiosities, the tree-climbing lion. Found nowhere else in Tanzania (though they do occur in Uganda), the tree-climbing lions are an oddity to say the least. Whole prides can be found in a single tree, perhaps to escape the heat, or perhaps to escape the marauding buffalo herds below!

More than anything else, however, it is the birdlife that sets Manyara apart from Tanzania’s other great safari parks. Around the lake shore, the variety of water birds on display is simply astonishing. These include cormorants, pelicans, an array of waders, geese, heron, storks and kingfishers, to list just a few. Manyara’s forests are home to an equally diverse array of birds, though you’ll need a keener eye to spot the swallows, hornbills, barbets and doves that perch in the trees! Altogether, there is just shy of 400 recorded bird species in the region, making it one of East Africa’s birding paradises.

In and around Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania
Lake Manyara National Park is regularly included in tours of Tanzania’s northern safari circuit, though most visitors will only stay one or two nights as they hurry towards the Serengeti and Ngorongoro. This is a shame, for it’s a beautiful park, with a number of unique attractions and marvellous birdlife. It doesn’t, of course, offer the Serengeti’s famous migratory herds or wide open plains, but the variety of wildlife on display at Manyara is hugely impressive.

Some of Lake Manyara’s best lodges, such as Lake Manyara Serena, are perched on the promontory of the escarpment (in many cases just outside the park boundaries), from where they enjoy stunning views of the park below. Others, such as Manyara Tree Lodge, are located in the dense mahogany forests that surround the lake. Lake Manyara doesn’t offer luxury safari camps to rival the best of the Serengeti, but there are some fantastic lodges in the region (though the best, such as Tree Lodge, charge a premium).

Don’t be put off by those lodges located outside the park boundaries – most are a short drive away, and in many cases offer a better range of activities for being located outside the park, such as mountain biking (at E Unoto Lodge and Migunga Forest Camp) and guided walks. They also tend to be more reasonably priced. Another option is to stay in a mobile campsite, as is possible on one of our unique light mobile safaris.