About Lake Manyara National Park
Lake Manyara is a small park with a lot packed in. It lies at the foot of the Great Rift Valley escarpment, so you drive in under a wall of rock with a shallow alkaline lake stretched out beside you. Between the two is a band of tall, shady groundwater forest, kept green by springs that seep from the foot of the cliffs. In a single morning you can move from forest to woodland to open lake shore, and that change of scene is what makes Manyara feel different from the bigger parks around it.
What you will see
The forest near the gate is busy with olive baboons and blue monkeys, and elephants often feed among the trees. Further in you will find giraffe, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest and impala, with hippos in the pools near the lake. Manyara is famous for its tree-climbing lions. They are seen sometimes, lying out along the branches of acacia trees, but they are unpredictable and many visitors leave without spotting them, so enjoy it as a lucky extra rather than a promise. The lake itself is the real highlight for birders: flamingos gather in the shallows when conditions suit them, along with pelicans, storks and a wide range of water birds.
When to go
Manyara can be visited all year. The dry season from June to October is easiest for general game viewing, as the bush is thinner and animals come to water. The wetter months, roughly November to May, are the best time for birds, with migrant species arriving and the forest at its most lush. Flamingo numbers rise and fall with the water level, so they are never guaranteed. Check our Tanzania weather guide for month by month conditions.
Getting there from Arusha
The park gate is about two hours from Arusha on tarmac, at the small town of Mto wa Mbu. That makes Manyara an easy half day or full day visit, and it sits directly on the road to the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti, so you do not have to go out of your way to include it.
How it fits your trip
Because it is right on the main safari road, we often use Manyara as the first afternoon of a safari or as a gentle stop on the way to Ngorongoro. It pairs well with Tarangire for travellers with limited time. It also suits people coming down from Kilimanjaro who want a short, relaxed taste of safari before heading to the beach. Browse our safari ideas to see where it fits.
Where to stay
Most travellers stay on top of the escarpment, where lodges and camps look out over the lake and the Rift Valley, or in and around Mto wa Mbu, where simpler camps are good value. A few tented camps sit closer to the park itself. Staying nearby lets you be at the gate when it opens, when the forest is cool and quiet.
