Lake Manyara National park

One of Tanzania’s top national parks, Lake Manyara National Park is located in the Arusha region. The park is well-known for its distinctive inhabitants, tree-climbing lions, which are uncommon and can only be seen in Tanzania’s Manyara and Serengeti. In the Ishasha region of Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda, one can also view the tree-climbing lions. This park is one of Tanzania’s tiniest national parks, at 330 square kilometers, or 127 square miles.

The park derives its name from the soda lake there, which was also given its name by the tree that is frequently seen there. The tree is a species of Euphorbia Tirucalli, also known as Emanyara in Maasai. The Maasai people depend on the tree to protect their cattle from predators and thieves.

The second-oldest national park in Tanzania after Serengeti National Park, Lake Manyara National Park was created in 1960. The Tanzania National Parks Authority oversees the park’s operations. At Lake Manyara National Park, there are over 400 different bird species, making it a birdwatcher’s delight. Not to mention the large number of creatures that can be seen all year round.

Location and How to get to Lake Manyara national  park

The popular national  parks such as Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, and Tarangire National Park are all included in the Northern Tourist Circuit, which also includes Lake Manyara National Park. It is 126 kilometers from the popular tourist destination of Arusha. The park is located right on the main highway between Arusha and Karatu. located in Mtowambu Town, which is situated on the Great Rift Valley’s level. Due to the magnificent vistas along the way and the abundance of cultural places worth visiting, it takes 2 to 3 hours to get to the park.

There is also the option of flying through the park’s Lake Manyara Airport for those who may be weary of long trips. This airport is well-known worldwide and even has the IATA and ICAO codes LKY and HTLM. Numerous domestic airlines that fly out of various airports in Tanzania and Kenya serve the airport. Coastal Aviation, Air Excel, Safari Air Link, Regional Air, Air Tanzania, Zan air, and Precision Air are the most often used local carriers.

Things to see  in Lake Manyara National park

The Great Rift Valley’s foothills are home to a variety of animals, birds, lakes, woodlands, and more in the blessed nature national park. Your safari to Lake Manyara National Park can be enticed by a variety of sights. The lists of the top sights in Lake Manyara National Park are provided below.

Lake Manyara: The name of the lake was given by the natives after a regularly seen tree species known as Emanyara. This is roughly one-fourth of the overall park area, making it a vital supply of water for the park’s fauna. More aquatic creatures inhabit the lake, including crocodiles, hippos, and vast flocks of flamingos. During the rainy season, the people take boat trips and engage in some limited lake fishing. The lake is mostly used by terrestrial species for ecological purposes. The soda alkaline lake’s salty water is a result of the volcanic activity that led to its development.

Wildlife/ Animals : The park is home to a wide variety of animals, from little species to huge or great game that live there year-round. The main attractions for visitors to African parks, including Lake Manyara, are the African big game, which includes four of the continent’s big five animals with the exception of rhinos. Baboons, which constantly  play along the road, tree-climbing lions, leopards, elephants, zebras, giraffes, and impalas, to name a few, predominate the wildlife.

Hot springs :  Numerous volcanic characteristics can be discovered at the park as a result of its location in a volcanically active area at the foot of the huge rift valley. The hot springs are one of the fantastic aspects of the park’s volcanic activity. Geothermal energy is used by the hot springs to heat the ground water. A decent boiling point for cooking eggs is 60 degrees Celsius, which is the average temperature at which hot water rises from the topmost part of the ground. In the western region of Lake Manyara, a small area lies beneath the rift valley escarpments where hot springs can be found.

Bird life: Birders believe Lake Manyara National Park, which has over 400 bird species, to be a birding paradise, making it well-known. The park is home to a big colony of flamingos that may be found at the salty Lake Manyara, despite its small size. Both migratory birds that visit the park exclusively for breeding and year-round residents can be found there. Both terrestrial and aquatic birds, which are visible all year long, can be seen in the park.

Rift Valley  Escaprtment :The enormous rift valley escarpments in Lake Manyara National Park are a gift from volcanic activity and are located roughly 1600 meters above sea level. A nice picturesque view is created by the rift valley walls, especially at the entrance gate. Before visiting the Ngorongoro crater, visitors can halt and get a good aerial view of the area from these structures.

Things to do in Lake Manyara National park.

After your business trip to Arusha, Lake Manyara National Park is the finest place to go on a short safari in Tanzania. It’s a little park, but it offers many fun things for visitors to do. The wildlife is sufficient for visitors to enjoy in a short amount of time, such as a 1-day or 2-day Lake Manyara National Park safari. It is not good for all of the African big 5.

Game Drive

 Game drive, afternoon game drive and night game drive and they should be done on 4×4 wheel drive safari cars. The open safari landcruisers are used for the game drives which takes you closer to the game. The game drives take you close to the wildlife in their natural habitats.

One of the few national parks in Tanzania that conducts night wildlife drives is Lake Manyara. The park rangers coordinate with Lake Manyara Serena lodge to organise the night wildlife excursions, which begin at 7 o’clock. The guests are picked up and put off at Lake Manyara Serena Lode, where they all congregate. You get to experience amazing wildlife, including lions that can climb trees, hyenas, buffalo, giraffes, zebras, baboons, monkeys, elephants, and leopards, to name a few.

Birding in Lake Manyara park

Despite the fact that birders can enjoy birdwatching throughout the year, the rainy months are the best since migrating birds are there and there are over 400 different bird species in Lake Manyara National Park. The most frequently mentioned birds include flamingos, geese, ducks, swans, guinea fawls lovebirds, two-banded courses, grey-crowned cranes, emerald cuckoos, crown hornbills, Schalow’s turacos, crested guinea fowls, and others. The list of birds is endless; all you need is a skilled guide, complete with detailed bird books, birding equipment, raincoats, good zoom cameras, and other essentials, to make your birding trip unforgettable.

Tree Top Walking 

Experience the rain forests of Lake Manyara by taking a treetop stroll or swinging through the treetops while taking in the park’s aerial vistas. This is Tanzania’s first treetop walkway, also known as the Manyara treetop walkway. Taking you on a high-altitude excursion through the park’s beautiful woodlands. The treetop is a separate activity that costs extra and is not covered by park admission. They are organized differently, much like night game drives, and are not a part of the park entry fee.

Boat Cruise :Boat rides are a seasonal pastime that are only available during the rainy season in Lake Manyara National Park. The lake’s water level determines the boat ride, and when the lake’s water level is low, boat rides are not permitted. Before scheduling these activities, one needs have a lot of information.

Hot springs :The huge rift valley actions produced Lake Manyara National Park, which has a large number of attractions, including hot springs. It is worthwhile to visit these distinctive volcanic features; spend some time to boil some eggs or bananas as you observe the forces of nature. You feel excitement from this life event.