Lake Manyara

Lake Manyara packs remarkable variety into a compact park of 648.7 square kilometres at the base of the Rift Valley escarpment. Towering mahogany and fig trees shelter blue monkeys and bushbuck, lesser flamingos filter algae on the soda lake, and lions here are known for resting in the branches. TANAPA describes Manyara as the only place in Tanzania where lions lounge in trees, though, like all wildlife, they are never guaranteed.

It sits on the northern safari circuit, and many travellers combine it with Ngorongoro and the Serengeti, either on a day visit or with an overnight stay. TANAPA welcomes filming and photography in the park, and its canopy walkway, one of the longest in Africa, adds a view of the forest from among the treetops.

The park lies just south of the town of Mto wa Mbu on the northern circuit and is reached from Arusha on a good tarmac road; the main gate is near the town, at the base of the Great Rift Valley escarpment. Manyara Airstrip receives scheduled and charter flights. Stays range from limited lakeside camps inside the park to a wide choice of lodges and guesthouses in Mto wa Mbu and Karatu.