Lake Manyara National Park

Lake Manyara is one of the smallest national parks in Tanzania, and probably most underrated of them all. Despite lacking in size, it is well known for the tree climbing lions, the soda ash lake and its flamingos, all together forming quite a breathtaking scenery!

Lake Manyara is a home to a big number of elephants, so many giraffes; zebras, wildebeest, impala, waterbuck, and warthog, shy Kik’s dik dik as well as Klipspringer along the ramps of the escarpment. Leopards can be found in the broken forests and escarpment, and also lions that are widely known for their tree climbing skills. This used to be rather special spectacle of the park, but that is not the case today. Lake Manyara is today well known for its huge herds of baboons, which are expected by most of the travelers who visit this hidden gem of the Northern Circuit.

How to get there

From Arusha a road safari takes you about 1 to 2 hours to get to the entrance gate. The whole of the access road is surfaced while the inner roads may require you to use a good 4 wheel drive and a very good clearance. You may use the arranged charter flights or the bus especially while going to the gateway of Mto Wa Mbu village.

Best time to Visit

In the high season, the northern part of the park is very crowded, especially in the mornings, for most of the year that is to say in July to March. April and May can be described as the low season. June to October usually there are few rain showers, and the worst weather is expected in March and April which is the peak of the wet season. June to September offers the best time to go as it is easier to view animals then.