Lake Manyara National Park is a beautiful little park of 330 sq km, tucked below the majesty of the Rift Valley wall. At the base of this 600m wall is a scenic stretch of forest which has streams of water running into it from the waterfalls spilling over the Rift Valley cliffs. Further out from the forest are the white shores of an ancient soda lake, with thousands of flamingos forming pink streaks along it. Although a small park, Lake Manyara is home to an amazing variety of birds and animals. Though famous for its elusive tree-climbing lions, elephants and large troops of baboons, visitors will also be able to see lots of buffalo, hippos and possibly a cheetah resting on a termite hill in the middle of the day. The park boasts more than 400 bird species, where any one day visitors would be able to reasonably expect to see 100 of these.
Things to Do
- Canopy Walk
- Mto wa Mby Cultural Tour
- Mountain bike tour
- Visit the Maasai Tribe
- Visit the Hadzabe Tribe
- Night game drive
Best Time to Visit
The best time for you to visit, depends on if you’re more into game viewing or bird watching. However, if you prefer to spot game, the best time to visit would be in the dry season, between June and October.
Facts about the Park
- This is small, beautiful park is at the base of the Great Rift Valley escarpment and comprises of forest, woodland, grasslands and swamps.
- The park is famous for lions climbing trees, non-migratory and migratory birds such as flamingos, hippopotamus pools.
- The compact game-viewing circuit through Manyara offers a virtual microcosm of the Tanzanian safari experience.
- Highlights include thousands of pink-hued flamingos on their perpetual migration, as well as other large water birds such as pelicans, cormorants and storks.
