In the shadow of 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 National Park: The Wildlife

The concentrations of game here is not nearly as high as in surrounding parks, but there are a number of unique species that give reason enough to safari here. The park’s main attraction is Lake Manyara’s famous tree-climbing lions – why these lions habitually climb trees is still up for debate, but viewing a pride relaxing in an acacia tree is a remarkable sight! The park is also famous for its elephant and a huge number of baboons, and its varied landscape supports an impressive range of other game including wildebeest, buffalo, hippo, flamingo, zebra, warthog, waterbuck, giraffe, dik-dik and impala. The birding here is also very good, especially raptors.

How many flamingos are there on Lake Manyara?

Depending on when you go, flamingos flock on Lake Manyara in their thousands. It is impossible to predict as they flit between here and other East African lakes. You could see one, or you could see 10,000… It really is down to the luck of the draw.

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.

Lake Manyara – The activities

The main activity for visitor is day time game driving, although the park has recently started to offer night safaris and the camps deep inside the park offer short walks. Staying in the Rift Valley outside the park however does open up a wealth of possibilities, with activities such as walking, village trips, hiking and mountain biking available at some lodges.