Stretching for
50km along the
base of the
rusty-gold
600-metre high
Rift Valley
escarpment, Lake
Manyara is a
scenic gem, with
a setting
extolled by
Ernest Hemingway
as “the
loveliest I had
seen in Africa”.
The compact
game-viewing
circuit through
Manyara offers a
virtual
microcosm of the
Tanzanian safari
experience.
From the
entrance gate,
the road winds
through an
expanse of lush
jungle-like
groundwater
forest where
hundred-strong
baboon troops
lounge
nonchalantly
along the
roadside, blue
monkeys scamper
nimbly between
the ancient
mahogany trees,
dainty bushbuck
tread warily
through the
shadows, and
outsized forest
hornbills honk
cacophonously in
the high canopy.
Contrasting with
the intimacy of
the forest is
the grassy
floodplain and
its expansive
views eastward,
across the
alkaline lake,
to the jagged
blue volcanic
peaks that rise
from the endless
Maasai Steppes.
Large buffalo,
wildebeest and
zebra herds
congregate on
these grassy
plains, as do
giraffes – some
so dark in
coloration that
they appear to
be black from a
distance.
Inland of the
floodplain, a
narrow belt of
acacia woodland
is the favoured
haunt of
Manyara’s
legendary
tree-climbing
lions and
impressively
tusked
elephants.
Squadrons of
banded mongoose
dart between the
acacias, while
the diminutive
Kirk’s dik-dik
forages in their
shade. Pairs of
klipspringer are
often seen
silhouetted on
the rocks above
a field of
searing hot
springs that
steams and
bubbles adjacent
to the lakeshore
in the far south
of the park.
Manyara provides
the perfect
introduction to
Tanzania’s
birdlife. More
than 400 species
have been
recorded, and
even a
first-time
visitor to
Africa might
reasonably
expect to
observe 100 of
these in one
day. Highlights
include
thousands of
pink-hued
flamingos on
their perpetual
migration, as
well as other
large waterbirds
such as
pelicans,
cormorants and
storks.
About
Lake Manyara
National Park
Size: 330 sq km
(127 sq miles),
of which up to
200 sq km (77 sq
miles) is lake
when water
levels are high.
Location: In
northern
Tanzania. The
entrance gate
lies 1.5 hours
(126km/80 miles)
west of Arusha
along a newly
surfaced road,
close to the
ethnically
diverse market
town of Mto wa
Mbu.
Getting
there
By road, charter
or scheduled
flight from
Arusha, en route
to Serengeti and
Ngorongoro
Crater.
What to
do
Game drives,
night game
drives, canoeing
when the water
levels is
sufficiently
high.
Cultural tours,
picnicking, bush
lunch/dinner,
mountain bike
tours, abseiling
and forest walks
on the
escarpment
outside the
park.
When to
go
Dry season
(July-October)
for large
mammals;
Wet season
(November-June)
for bird
watching, the
waterfalls and
canoeing.
Accommodation
More info on
accomodation
