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Lake Manyara National Park
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.
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.
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.
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.
Dry season (July-October) for large mammals;
Wet season (November-June) for bird watching, the waterfalls and canoeing.
Accommodation
One luxury treehouse-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.
One luxury treehouse-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.
SOURCE: TANZANIA NATIONAL PARKS
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