Lake Manyara National Park
★★ Lake Manyara — Compact and Diverse
Lake Manyara NP, at 330 km², is the smallest park of the Northern Circuit — but one of the most diverse. In a small area, you find dense groundwater forest thicket, open grass plains, hot springs, and the large soda lake, which covers two-thirds of the park and whose shores are covered with hundreds of thousands of flamingos during the rainy season.
The park lies at the foot of the steep escarpment of the East African Rift Valley — the drive down the escarpment to the entrance is already spectacular. Hemingway described the view as "the loveliest I had seen in Africa".
Lake Manyara is famous for its tree-climbing lions — lions dozing in acacia trees, a phenomenon that scientists still cannot fully explain. Also: large baboon troops right at the park entrance, hippos, giraffes, and over 400 bird species.
Practical Info
Lake Manyara is perfect as a half-day on the way to the Serengeti or Ngorongoro. The park is reachable from Arusha in 2 hours. Many safari routes combine Lake Manyara (Day 1) with Ngorongoro (Day 2–3) and Serengeti (Day 4–6).
