Stretching
for 50km along the base of the rusty-gold 600-metre high Rift Valley
escarpment, Lake Manyara is a scenic gem, with a setting extolled by
Ernest Hemingway as “the loveliest I had seen in Africa”.
The compact game-viewing circuit through Manyara offers a virtual
microcosm of the Tanzanian safari experience.
From the entrance gate, the road winds through an expanse of lush
jungle-like groundwater forest where hundred-strong baboon troops lounge
nonchalantly along the roadside, blue monkeys scamper nimbly between the
ancient mahogany trees, dainty bushbuck tread warily through the
shadows, and outsized forest hornbills honk cacophonously in the high
canopy.
Contrasting with the intimacy of the forest is the grassy floodplain and
its expansive views eastward, across the alkaline lake, to the jagged
blue volcanic peaks that rise from the endless Masai Steppes. Large
buffalo, wildebeest and zebra herds congregate on these grassy plains,
as do giraffes – some so dark in coloration that they appear to be black
from a distance.
Inland of the floodplain, a narrow belt of acacia woodland is the
favoured haunt of Manyara’s legendary tree-climbing lions and
impressively tusked elephants. Squadrons of banded mongoose dart between
the acacias, while the diminutive Kirk’s dik-dik forages in their shade.
Pairs of klipspringer are often seen silhouetted on the rocks above a
field of searing hot springs that steams and bubbles adjacent to the
lakeshore in the far south of the park.
Manyara provides the perfect introduction to Tanzania’s birdlife. More
than 400 species have been recorded, and even a first-time visitor to
Africa might reasonably expect to observe 100 of these in one day.
Highlights include thousands of pink-hued flamingos on their perpetual
migration, as well as other large water birds such as pelicans,
cormorants and storks.
About Lake Manyara National Park
Size: 330 sq km (127 sq miles), of which up to 200 sq km (77
sq miles) is lake when water levels are high.
Location: In northern Tanzania. The entrance gate lies 1.5 hours
(126km/80 miles) west of Arusha along a newly surfaced road, close to
the ethnically diverse market town of Mto wa Mbu.
Getting there
By road, charter or scheduled flight from Arusha, en route to Serengeti
and Ngorongoro Crater.
What to do
Game drives, night game drives, canoeing when the water levels is
sufficiently high.
Cultural tours, picnicking, bush lunch/dinner, mountain bike tours,
abseiling and forest walks on the escarpment outside the park.
When to go
Dry season (July-October) for large mammals;
Wet season (November-June) for bird watching, the waterfalls and
canoeing.
Accommodation
One luxury tree house-style camp, public Banda's and campsites
inside the park.
One luxury tented camp and three lodges perched on the Rift Wall outside
the park overlooking the lake.
Several guesthouses and campsites in nearby Mto wa Mbu.
Kenya