Locked in between the Rift Valley Escapement, Lake Manyara is an astonishing oasis in the Great Rift Valley for although the valley is thousands of kilometers long. The park is also famous for its tree climbing lions, which spend most of the day spread out along the branches of acacia trees six to seven meters above the ground. Nestling at the base of the Great Rift Valley escapement the park is noted for its incredible beauty, it’s only here that the high water table fed by countless springs from the escarpment has given rise to dense tropical vegetation, a forest brought about by a superfluity of groundwater. Its evergreen forest, its park like savanna dotted with acacias and open plains stretching down to the lake shores.
As visitors enter the gate, they pass through a lush forest, home to troops of baboons and both blue and velvet monkeys. Further along the forest opens up into a woodland, grassland, swamps and beyond this the soda lake itself, covering 200 km2 and there are over 400 species of birds; even an amateur will be able to detect an impressive hundred a day including flamingo, pelicans, storks, sacred ibis, cormorants and Egyptian geese. Practically all large mammals roam the grassy floodplains, as resident or migratory visitors. Although lion, spotted hyena, serval, caracal, leopard and cheetah are more prolific in other parks, keeping an eye out will reap high rewards here. Don't forget to look up; the narrow belt of acacia woodland is the favorite playground of Manyara's fabulous tree-resting lions- the reasons behind this peculiar behavior remains a mystery even today. You will tick the boxess for buffalo, elephant, zebra, wildebeest, warthog, many kind of antelope and maasai giraffes. An interesting fact about the latter is that the older the male, the darker the skin. Manyara happens to showcase some unusually dark males.
Tourist attractions include: Canoeing when the water level is sufficient, game drives (Day and Night), walking safaris, bird watching, bush meal, Tree Canopy walkway and several cultural programs at Mto wa Mbu including Zip-lining, cycling etc.
Getting there
The park is easily accessible, both by Good tarmac Road about 115km / 2 hours, By air: Tour company can organize private flights from Arusha.
