Lake Manyara National Park
Lake Manyara national park is a beautiful park located 130 km from Arusha town at the base of the Great Rift Valley escarpment and was established as a national park in 1960.
Lake Manyara National Park is a small but beautiful reserve of some 330sq km of which 220sq km is covered by the lake while the remaining area is taken by forest, woodland and grassland.
The land area of the park is located west of the lake, hemmed in on the other side by the Great Rift wall. Three quarters of its area is the lake itself, a shallow alkaline lake and the flood plains that surround it. It also has giant fig and mahogany trees and areas of acacia forest. The area is well supplied with underground springs bringing water from the lands above the Manyara basin, giving lush grazing that attracts plenty of game.
Lake Manyara have pretty of wildlife including elephant, buffalo, hippo, giraffe, impala, zebra, waterbuck, warthog, leopard and the famous tree climbing lions. Due to its dense vegetation it’s an idle natural play ground for baboons and monkeys.
It is one of the most scenic lakes in Africa surrounded by forests and with the Rift Valley walls beyond, this small park offers a different landscape to other Tanzania parks and offers the chance to see the famous tree-climbing lions.
The park’s amazing variety of birds makes it an ornithologists’ paradise and a perfect destination for bird watching safaris. There are over 350 species which include pelicans, storks, flamingo and cormorants.
When to Visit
Lake Manyara national park can be visited for a safari all year round and because of its closeness to Arusha town, it is perfect for a day’s excursion.
Accommodation
One luxury tree house-style camp, public bandas and campsites inside the park.One luxury tented camp and three lodges perched on the Rift Wall outside the park overlooking the lake. Several guesthouses and campsites in nearby Mto wa Mbu.