A day trip to Lake Manyara National Park is an exciting chance to get a feel for the real Africa. Lake Manyara is an unspoiled paradise of groundwater lakes fed by underground springs and teeming with wildlife.
One of Africa’s premier birding destinations, it’s also a fantastic place to see Africa’s most iconic animals from massive elephants and cape buffalo to the famous tree-climbing lions who call the park home.
It’s a two-hour journey to Manyara and along the way is the multicultural village of Mto Wa Mbu where you will have a brief stopover. A thriving microcosm of Tanzanian ethnic diversity Mto Wa Mbu is a paradise for souvenier hunters and known as the market which has fresh agricultural produce on offer. From there you head straight to the Lake Manyara National Park. The picturesque topography is punctuated with diverse habitats and compressed into the relatively small space, is a remarkable density of animals. The park has a prolific number of elephants, giraffes, blue monkeys, hippos, olive baboons, wildebeest, and zebras but the most popular are the resident tree-climbing lions who are seen lounging on the acacia trees asking to be photographed. It’s a view all- in- a- day park offering excellent game viewing and photography opportunities.
Another attraction to behold are the countless flamingos forming a pink cloud on the alkaline shores of Lake Manyara Adding to the beauty are the millions of migrating birds which assemble around the algae-rich lakes. With nearly 400 species of bird, including circling birds of prey, and the brightly coloured lilac breasted roller; it’s a veritable feast of plumage that will warm your cockles and convert you into a bird watcher.
If conditions permit you can also avail of guided canoeing safari on the lake. In the late afternoon, you will start your drive back to Arusha/Moshi.
