Lake Manyara National Park

Lake Manyara National Park is located in northern Tanzania, about a 90-minute drive west of Arusha.

One of the national park’s biggest attractions is the huge lake, Lake Manyara, which sustains the park’s many animals. Look forward to experiencing spectacular nature, tree-climbing lions and abundant wildlife.

Nature in Lake Manyara National Park

Covering an area of 330 km2, Lake Manyara National Park is one of Tanzania’s smallest national parks. By comparison, Serengeti National Park is almost 15,000 km2 in size.

Despite the park’s small size, it offers a multitude of beautiful nature experiences.

The national park stretches for 50 kilometres along the base of the 600-metre-high western slopes of the Rift Valley, and the area between Lake Manyara and the slopes offers a mix of grassland, jungle-like forest and swamp.

When you drive in the main entrance to the national park, you pass through lush forest before reaching the lake. The forest is green and lush – quite a contrast if, for example, you’ve come here straight from the Serengeti, which is very dry at certain times of the year.

Lake Manyara

Lake Manyara National Park is known for its large lake, after which the national park is named. Lake Manyara takes up a large part of the park’s total area of 200 km2.

Water is synonymous with life in the African bush, and that is certainly evident here. Many animals make a beeline to the lake, coming here to drink or bathe, including the park’s many elephants.

Wildlife in Lake Manyara National Park

Lake Manyara offers a diversity of wildlife, which you can experience on safari in the national park.

Many of Africa’s exciting animals live here, including elephants, giraffes, buffalo, zebras, hippos and many, many more besides. Not to mention the tree-climbing lions, baboons and exciting birds.

Tree-climbing lions

Lake Manyara is known for its tree-climbing lions.

Lions don’t normally climb trees, but it happens in a few places in Africa – including here in Lake Manyara National Park.

When you read about tree-climbing lions, there are always two places that stand out: the prides in Queen Elizabeth National Park in southern Uganda and the prides in Lake Manyara. It is also possible to experience the lions in other places. We have, for example seen lions sleeping in the treetops in both Serengeti and Ngorongoro.

But what makes lions defy their natural instincts and climb trees?

One of the explanations could be that at the top of the trees they avoid tsetse flies and other insects, and at the same time can enjoy the cool breeze shaded from the sun.

Large troops of baboons

If you like monkeys, you can look forward to a visit to Lake Manyara National Park, where you’re in with a really good chance of seeing baboons.

Lake Manyara is one of the places in Africa with the largest concentration of this curious monkey.

Baboons are social animals, and you will have the opportunity to experience how they interact with each other right up close when you meet them on your safari in Lake Manyara National Park.

Birds in Lake Manyara National Park

Last but not least, Lake Manyara National Park is a great place to experience birds.

The national park has incredible bird life with more than 400 recorded bird species, including more than 50 different species of birds of prey.

The park’s huge lake and swamp areas are an oasis for many of the birds that thrive here. Among others, you can see large flocks of pelicans and, of course, lots of pink flamingos, which the national park is also famous for. Flamingos are social animals and are almost never found alone, so you can expect to see flocks of up to 1,000 flamingos in one place.

It’s not unusual to see up to 100 different bird species in a day, so if you’re interested in birds, there’s plenty to keep you occupied in Lake Manyara National Park.

Want to experience Lake Manyara National Park?

We offer several tours where a day safari in Lake Manyara National Park is part of the itinerary.

Would you like to experience the national park’s tree-climbing lions, baboons and fascinating birdlife?

If you have any questions about our safari holidays in Tanzania, Lake Manyara or the other national parks in Tanzania, please feel free to contact our travel specialists.

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