Lake Manyara National Park
In the shadow o the escarpment of the Great Rift Valley, Lake Manyara is best used as a soft introduction to a East Africa safari. While the scenic beauty of this park certainly makes it worth a visit, the game viewing here pales into insignificance when compared with that on offer in Tarangire, the Ngorongoro and the Serengeti. Famous for its tree-climbing lions, flamingos, breath-taking scenery and the soda-ash lake in the centre, Manyara merits a day trip but not much longer.
Lake Manyara is a lovely scenic park on the road from Arusha to the Ngorongoro Crater, famous for its tree climbing lions, great birdlife, good elephants and baboons. The lake itself takes up much of the park, leaving a strip of land running along its shores where game concentrates.
Often visited for an afternoon game drive on the way to Ngorongoro, it would be a shame to miss out Manyara if you’re driving straight past it – but it’s really not up there with the heavyweight big boys in terms of game viewing. However, if you’re going on to Ngorongoro and Serengeti, you’ll see plenty of game there anyway…
Lake Manyara – When to go
According to the regional migration pattern, Manyara’s official peak season is from July to October. However for such a small park this should not be a deciding factor; if you are in the area and have time, Lake Manyara is consistently good as a soft game viewing park at any time of the year. Lake Manyara is a great way to start your Tanzania safari and we recommend visiting on your Northern Tanzania circuit whilst on your way to the Ngorongoro Crater.
