7 days
Ndutu Calving Season
Roughly 8,000 wildebeest are born a day in February on the short-grass plains around Ndutu. Where there are calves there are…
$3,950per person, from
ViewSize
330 km², of which about 230 km² is lake
Established
1960 · UNESCO Biosphere Reserve
Getting there
2 hours from Arusha
Known for
Elephant, tree-climbing lion, hippo, baboon, blue monkey, flamingo, over 400 bird species
The place
Lake Manyara National Park
Manyara is small and vertical: a green ribbon squeezed between the 600-metre Rift escarpment and the soda lake below it. You enter through groundwater forest fed by springs in the cliff — fig and mahogany, blue monkeys overhead, one of Africa's largest baboon troops on the road — and come out twenty minutes later onto open flats with flamingos strung along the shallows. Hemingway called it the loveliest lake in Africa, and it is the one northern park where you are allowed out of the vehicle.
Why go
What makes it worth the days
Tree-climbing lions
Manyara's lions genuinely do lie in the acacia branches. Nobody fully agrees why. Sightings are far from guaranteed — treat one as a gift.
Activities the other parks forbid
Canopy walkway, mountain biking on the boundary, night game drives and guided walks.
Birds in volume
Over 400 species in a park you can cross in an hour: flamingo, pelican, yellow-billed stork, and forest species you will not find on the plains.
The best half-day in the north
Ninety minutes from Arusha and easily paired with Tarangire or Mto wa Mbu.
The ground
Areas and how they differ
Where you sleep inside a park matters more than most people realise. These are the distinct areas and what each is good for.
Where to stay
Most travellers sleep in Karatu or on the escarpment above Mto wa Mbu, both a short drive from the gate. There is one tented camp inside the park and a handful of lodges perched on the Rift wall with a view straight down the lake.
The first two kilometres past the gate: figs, mahogany, blue monkeys and baboons.
Open floodplain with hippo, buffalo, pelican and stork.
Steaming water at the lake's southern end, roughly 60°C at the source.
A 370-metre suspended walk through the forest canopy, 18 metres up.
When to visit
Lake Manyara through the year
Slots naturally between Arusha and the Ngorongoro highlands. Pair it with the Mto wa Mbu cultural walk for a full and varied day.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Prime time
Good, fewer vehicles
Green season · lowest rates
Gallery
Lake Manyara in pictures
Trips that include it
Itineraries visiting Lake Manyara
7 days
4 days
Northern Circuit in Four Days
The shortest route that still does the northern circuit justice: Manyara's forest, Tarangire's elephants and a full morning on the…
$1,340per person, from
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7 days
Family Safari, Properly Planned
Shorter drives, camps with pools, guides who are good with children, and a pace that leaves room for a swim at three o'clock. Built…
$2,980per person, from
ViewKeep exploring
Nearby destinations
The endless plains
Serengeti
14,763 km² of grass, granite kopjes and the greatest terrestrial mammal migration on earth.
The crater
Ngorongoro
The world's largest intact volcanic caldera, holding around 25,000 large animals on a 260 km² floor.
Elephants and baobabs
Tarangire
2,850 km² of baobab country holding the densest dry-season elephant population in northern Tanzania.
Go there
See Lake Manyara for yourself
Tell us how long you have and we will show you how Lake Manyara fits into a route that works — and how many nights it really deserves.