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Exotic Legacy Safaris and Tours

National park

Lake Manyara National Park

Forest, flamingos and the Rift Valley wall
Giraffes on the lakeshore of Lake Manyara National Park

A compact park at the foot of the Great Rift Valley escarpment, with groundwater forest, a soda lake that attracts flamingos, and lions known for resting in trees.

Lake Manyara National Park stretches between the steep wall of the Rift Valley and a shallow alkaline lake. Its small size makes it ideal for a half-day game drive on the way to the Ngorongoro highlands or on the last day of a safari.

Highlights

  • Large troops of olive baboons and blue monkeys in the groundwater forest near the gate.
  • Hippo pool and, in good years, thousands of flamingos on the lake.
  • Lions that sometimes rest in acacia trees, a behaviour seen in only a few places in Africa.
  • The treetop canopy walkway, a suspended bridge through the forest canopy.

The lake and its surroundings are part of the Lake Manyara Biosphere Reserve, recognised by UNESCO in 1981. The busy market village of Mto wa Mbu sits just outside the gate.

Zebras grazing among dead trees in Lake Manyara National Park
Photo: Gaurav Pandit, CC BY-SA 3.0
Lake Manyara and the Rift Valley escarpment
Photo: Richard Mortel from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, CC BY 2.0

Where we stay

Camping

Twiga Campsite

Well-run campsite with hot showers and a swimming pool, near the Manyara gate.

Mid-range

Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge

Lodge on the escarpment edge overlooking the lake.

Trips that visit Lake Manyara National Park

More destinations

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Serengeti National Park

 View from the rim into the green Ngorongoro Crater

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 Giant baobab trees beside a track in Tarangire National Park

Tarangire National Park