Described by Ernest Hemmingway as “the loveliest I had seen in Africa” Lake Manyara stretches 50kms at the foundation of the 600 m Rift Valley Escarpment. As one drives through the entrance gates the rusty red dirt road winds through a jungle like forest where troops of baboon form an entourage alongside your vehicle and blue monkeys decorate the ancient mahogany trees. A symphony of hornbills honk for your listening pleasure as you make your way to the grassy floodplain with views across the alkaline lake to the toothed blue volcanic peaks that rise from the endless Maasai Steppes. For your viewing pleasure large Buffalo, Wildebeest and Zebra herds as well as Giraffe litter the grassy plains. Further into the floodplain a narrow belt of Acacia woodland is the best spot to view Manyara’s legendary tree-climbing lions in addition to the impressively tusked Elephants. Klipspringer pairs can be seen on the rocks above a field of searing hot steaming, bubbling springs in the far south of the park. Manyara is home to more than 400 species of birdlife and it is not unusual to observe 100 of these in one day even for the novice twitcher. The lake is frequented by flamingoes giving the lake a pink tinge during migration seasonplus pelicans, cormorants and storks.
Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge overlooking Lake Manyara on the escarpment
Size
330 sq km of thich 200 sq km is lake when water levels are high
Location
Northern Tanzania. Entrance gate lies 1,5 hours west of Arusha along newly surfaced road
Getting There
By road en route to the Serengeti and Ngorongoro and charter or scheduled flights from Arusha, Dar es Salaam or Zanzibar
When to go
Dry Season July to October to view large mammals and the West Season November to June for Bird Watching, the waterfalls and canoeing.
7 HIGHLIGHTS
• Tree Climbing Lions
• Bird Watching
• Cultural Tours
• Mountain Bike Tours
• Abseiling
• Forest Walks on escarpement outside the park
• Canoeing when water levels allow
