Three hundred and thirty square
kilometres against the escarpment.
Lake Manyara covers about 330 square kilometres, and roughly two thirds of that is water. What is left is a narrow strip of land pressed between the lake and the wall of the Rift Valley escarpment, and that compression is what makes the park interesting. You pass through groundwater forest, open floodplain, acacia woodland and soda lake shore inside a couple of hours. It is an hour and a half from Arusha and usually the first stop on a northern circuit.
Northern Tanzania
Approximate park area
Ideal length of stay
Driest months, easiest viewing
Why visit Lake Manyara
Manyara is one of the few places where lions habitually rest in the acacias. Not guaranteed, but this is where to try.
Numbers swing with water levels, and at the right time the shoreline turns pink across a long stretch.
Groundwater forest, floodplain, woodland and lakeshore inside a park you can cross in a morning.
Among the largest concentrations in Africa, and the troop behaviour is worth stopping for.
Around four hundred recorded species, helped by the mix of forest, water and open ground.
Ninety minutes from Arusha, so it works as an easy opening day before Ngorongoro and the Serengeti.
What there is to do
Game Drives
Morning and late afternoon drives in an open-roof vehicle, timed for when the animals are actually moving.
Canoeing
Paddling the shallows when the water level allows, level with the hippo and the waterbirds.
Birdwatching
Several hundred recorded species, with migrants arriving from November through to April.
Cultural Visits
Time with the communities living alongside the park, arranged directly rather than through an agent.
Rift Valley Viewpoint
The escarpment road above the park, looking down over the lake and the forest.
Wildlife you can expect
Lion
Prides hold large territories here and are seen on most drives, usually resting up through the middle of the day.
Elephant
Family groups move between water and feeding ground, and the bulls are often encountered alone.
Flamingo
Greater and lesser flamingo feed in the shallows, and numbers rise and fall with the water level and the algae.
Baboon
Troops of over a hundred move through the groundwater forest, and the social behaviour is worth the stop on its own.
Hippo
Submerged through the heat of the day and out grazing after dark. The pools hold groups of twenty or more.
When to go
A short park that rewards a well-timed visit more than a long one.
Dry season
Animals concentrate near the lake and the roads are straightforward throughout.
Flamingo season
Water levels rise and the flamingo numbers on the soda lake go up with them.
Long rains
Green, quiet and cheaper, with some tracks turning heavy after rain.
Peak season
Busiest months, and the easiest conditions for game viewing and photography.
Plan a Lake Manyara safari
Manyara is nearly always a one-night stop at the start of a northern circuit, before the crater and the Serengeti.