Lake Manyara National Park

Size 330 km², about two thirds of it lake

Best time November to June for birds; the forest is good all year

Getting there 2 hrs by road from Arusha

Location Below the Rift escarpment, Manyara Region

Manyara is the smallest park on the circuit and the one people most often skip, which is a mistake for anyone who likes forest and birds. Springs at the foot of the escarpment feed a band of tall groundwater forest — figs, mahogany, palm — that runs the length of the park, and it feels nothing like the open country an hour up the road.

The tree-climbing lions are real but they are not a scheduled event. Lions climb here more often than elsewhere, probably to escape biting flies and the heat; whether you see one depends on the day. We would rather tell you that in advance than have you spend a morning disappointed.

Half a day covers the park comfortably, which makes it a natural stop on the way between Tarangire and the Ngorongoro highlands. The canopy walkway and the night drive are both worth adding if you have the time.

Where it is

How to get there

By road — about 2 hours from Arusha, and directly on the way to Ngorongoro.
By air — Lake Manyara airstrip sits just above the park on the escarpment.

Best time to visit November to June for birds; the forest is good all year

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What to see

Attractions

01

The groundwater forest

Springs at the foot of the escarpment feed tall fig and mahogany forest along the whole length of the park. Cool, green, and nothing like the plains an hour away.

02

The tree-climbing lions

A real habit here rather than a rumour — probably to escape flies and heat. Not a guarantee on any given day, and we will say so before you go.

03

The lake shore

Shallow, alkaline, and pink with flamingo when the water level is right. Pelican, stork and thousands of waders on the flats.

04

The Rift escarpment

Six hundred metres of wall running the length of the park. The viewpoint above the gate is the best free thing on the northern circuit.

What to do

Activities

Half-day game drive

The park is narrow and the circuit is short. Half a day covers it properly, which is why it pairs so well with the drive to Ngorongoro.

Canopy walkway

A treetop walkway through the forest canopy, high enough to change what you can see and safe enough for children.

Night drive

Permitted here, unusually. Bushbaby, genet, porcupine and the occasional leopard working the forest edge.

Mto wa Mbu

The town at the gate — a cultural walk through irrigated smallholdings, a banana beer brewery and a rice farm, arranged with the local guides' association.

Itineraries

Trips that include Lake Manyara National Park

3 days

Manyara and the crater

Arusha · Lake Manyara · Ngorongoro · Arusha

A short trip that still gets you onto the crater floor, with the forest and the lake on the way in.

7 days

Classic Northern Circuit

Arusha · Tarangire · Manyara · Ngorongoro · Serengeti

Manyara as a half day between Tarangire and the highlands, which is exactly the length it deserves.

Shapes rather than fixed packages — every one of these is adjusted to your dates, your pace and the month you can travel before it is priced.

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