Lake Manyara National Park : The gifted nature national park is located on the foot floor of Great Rift Valley is a home of the wide range of animals, birds, lake, forests and many more. There are a lot of attractions that entice your Tanzania safari to Lake Manyara National Park.
Attractions in Lake Manyara National Park
Lake Manyara: Getting the name from the commonly used tree species locally called Emanyara the locals named the lake this name. This is covers almost 1\4 of the total park size hence becoming a key source of water for the wildlife at the park. The lake hosts more water animals like hippos, crocodiles, birds like large flocks of flamigos and other water birds. The locals do little fishing on the lake and boat rides done during rainy season. The terrestrial species us the lake mostsly for ecological reasons. The soda alkaline lake has salty water due to its formation process which is volcanic activity.
Animals: The Park has a high diversity of wildlife from the small animal species to the large or big game which are permanent residents. Like most of the African parks, the key things the tourists want to view are the African big Game and Lake Manyara has 4 members of the African big 5 only missing Rhinos. The wildlife is dominated by the Baboons which are playful along the road, tree-climbing lions, leopards, elephants, zebras, giraffes, impalas mention but a few.
Birds: With over 400 bird species Lake Manyara National Park is considered as birding paradise by birders which make it famous. With its small size the park habits great number of birds with large flock of flamingos that are found at the salty Lake Manyara. The park hosts both migratory birds which come for only breeding and permanent residents. The park homes both aquatic birds and terrestrial birds which can be seen throughout the year.
Hot springs (maji moto)
Several hot springs that seep from the neighboring rift valley wall run across a huge swampy area on the western beaches of Lake Manyara national park. They’re hot enough to pass the “boil an egg” test, bubbling at around 60°C and displaying the unmistakable yellow of sulfur in some parts.
Great Rift Valley Escarpment: Due to the activity of volcanicity, Lake Manyara National Park is gifted with Great Rift Valley escarpments that are about 1600 meters above sea level. The rift valley walls create a good scenic view, especially along the main gate. They provide a good aerial view of the park and guests stopover before they proceed to the Ngorongoro crater.
Vegetation
The groundwater forest is the principal habitat and gives the park its beauty, especially during the wet season. It is set beneath the beautiful Great Rift Valley’s sheer western escarpment. Wide grassy flood plains can be found near the lake, and areas of mixed acacia forests can be seen further away.
Tree climbing lions
This is the primary attraction in Lake Manyara National Park; among the lions that live there is a robust population of the rare tree-climbing lions, which can only be found in two populations across the world, the other being in the Ishasha Area of Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda. However, tree climbing lions are not commonly observed and cannot be viewed all of the time in Lake Manyara national park.
Activities in Lake Manyara National Park
When thinking of the short safaris in Tanzania after your business trip in Arusha, Lake Manyara National Park is the best destination. It’s a small but much rewarding park with more activities guests can enjoy. Its not good for all the African big 5 but has enough wildlife for guests to enjoy in a short period of time like 1-day Lake Manyara National Park safari, 2 days Lake Manyara National Park safari.
Game drives: There are rewarding game drives in Lake Manyara National Park, the game drives can be done in three swifts. These are morning 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.
Lake Manyara National Park is among the few national parks in Tanzania where night game drives are done. The night game drives start at 7 pm and its arranged by the park rangers in coordination with Lake Manyara Serena lodge. Guests all collect in Lake Manyara Serena lode where the guests are picked and dropped to. You enjoy great wildlife experiencing seeing different animals like tree-climbing lions, hyenas, buffalo, giraffes, zebras, baboons, monkeys, elephants, leopards mention but a few.
Birding: Little birding paradise is Lake Manyara National Park with over 400 bird species, birders enjoy birding throughout the year though the most preferred months are wet months when the birds are nesting and migratory birds are available. The most cited birds are Flamingos, Geese, ducks, swans, Rufous-tailed Weaver, lovebirds, Fischer’s Sparrow Lark, Grey Crowned Crane, Two-banded course, Narina Trogon, Emerald Cuckoo, Crowned Hornbill, Schalow’s Turaco, Crested Guinea fowl, and others. The bird list is ever long you only need to have a well knowledgeable guide with all detailed bird books, birding equipment, rainy jackets, good zooming cameras, and others to make your birding experience lifetime.
Treetop walk: Encounter the rain forests in Lake Manyara with treetop walk, swing on the canopy of the trees as you enjoy the aerial views of the park. This is the first treetop walkway in Tanzania and sometimes called the Manyara treetop walkway. Taking you to the sky-high adventure in the scenic forests of the park. The treetop is an extra activity that calls for extra pay not included in the park entry fees. They are like night game drives that are arranged different, I mean it’s not included in the park entry package.
Boat ride: Boat rides in Lake Manyara National Park is a seasonal activity that is only done during the rainy season. The boat ride follows the level of water in lake Manyara, when the volume of the water at the lake is low they don’t allow boat cruise on the lake. One should have much information before you book these activities.
Visit Hot springs: Lake Manyara National Park is a product of the Great Rift Valley actions, with great number of Attractions that include hot springs. Visiting these unique volcanic features is worth it, go witness the powers of nature take some time boil eggs or banana. It is a life experience which gives you excitements.
Filming and photographing
Visitors are encouraged to record and photograph their own life memories, and Lake Manyara national park is an ideal location. With so many attractions, as well as so many stunning filming sites, a photographer will be delighted to capture a dozen images for their lifelong memories.
Best time to visit Lake Manyara national park.
All times throughout the year are the best for visiting the Manyara national park. The visit depends on once preference and what specifically do they consider as the perfect tour towards this park.
Most of the tourists prefer visiting Manyara national park during the dry season that is normally around June to October, Best moments at Lake Manyara National Park. This times are the best for Tanzania wildlife viewing experiences at this destination. The road condition at this season are normally perfect, that is way this season is highly recommended and most preferred by the tourists. Activities such as game viewing, nature walks as well photography are best done at this season of the year. All wildlife can be enjoyed at this time of the year as the grasses are short and animals can be easily viewed as their grazing in the park
The canoeing and bird watching activities are normally done on the wet season of the year that is around November where there are short rains while around March to May is normally the peak of the wet season. This is because flocks of migratory birds have moved to this national park. These birds are mostly found on shores of the Lake Manyara as they close to water. This park is the home of about 450 different bird species that can be seen while exploring the diverse scenery at the destination.
