Lake Manyara
Rift Valley shoreline
From - $350
per person, sharing
Destination Overview
Lake Manyara is a small park with a big personality. The protected area is only 330 square kilometres, two thirds of which is the lake itself, but the eastern strip squeezed between the Rift Valley wall and the water packs more habitats into a few kilometres than almost any other park in Tanzania. In a single morning you move from groundwater forest dripping with fig and tamarind, to open acacia woodland, to the floodplain of the lake itself with its flamingo flocks and grazing buffalo.
Manyara is the smaller of the two parks in northern Tanzania famous for tree climbing lions, the other being Tarangire just to the east. The prides here favour the lower branches of the acacia tortilis through the heat of the day, an unusual behaviour that may have started as a way to escape biting flies and stay clear of the buffalo herds below. Sightings are not guaranteed, but a slow drive through the central acacia woodland is rewarding either way for the resident elephant herds, large troops of olive baboon and the regular bushbuck and waterbuck in the forest understorey.
The lake itself is alkaline, fed by underground springs from the escarpment, and in good seasons it holds tens of thousands of greater and lesser flamingo alongside pelican, yellow billed stork, African spoonbill and grey crowned crane. The hippo pool at the north end of the park is a reliable lunch stop, and the new treetop walkway suspended through the forest canopy adds a different perspective for anyone who wants to stretch their legs.
Most northern circuit itineraries stop at Manyara for half a day on the way between Tarangire and the Ngorongoro Crater. Western Bridge Africa offers a longer stay for guests who want to combine game viewing with the cycling routes, forest walks and lake shore villages on the park boundary, an experience that turns Manyara from a quick photo stop into one of the most underrated days of the trip.
Related Tours
Tours that visit Lake Manyara
1 day
1-Day Tanzania Safari
An immersive single-day game drive into one of the Northern Circuit's flagship parks, perfect as a stand-alone or a layover from Arusha.
From $350
4 days
4-Day Tanzania Safari
Four days at a slightly slower cadence, all four flagship parks of the Northern Circuit, with two nights in the Serengeti or a Manyara extension.
From $1,250
6 days
6-Day Wildebeest Migration Safari
Designed to follow the wildebeest migration through whichever month you travel, calving in Ndutu, the long march through Seronera, or the Mara River crossings.
From $1,700
7 days
7-Day Northern Circuit Safari
Our most complete Northern Circuit, seven unhurried days through every flagship park, with two nights in the Serengeti and a full day in the Ngorongoro Crater.
From $1,950
3 days
3 Days Mount Ol Doinyo Lengai Trekking Adventure
Overnight ascent of Ol Doinyo Lengai, the Mountain of God, paired with two nights on the shore of Lake Natron beneath the Rift Valley escarpment. Flamingos, Maasai country, and a sunrise summit at 2,962 metres.
From $1,600
4 days
4-Day Gombe Chimpanzee Safari
A focused four-day fly-in safari to Gombe Stream on the shore of Lake Tanganyika, tracking the wild chimpanzees made famous by Jane Goodall.
From $2,400
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