THINGS TO DO LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK
Activities in Lake Manyara national park are the different adventures that tourists on a Tanzania safari tour in the national park engage in as they explore the national park which is located in the northern part of Tanzania.
Lake Manyara national park is among the wildlife viewing destinations in the northern tourist circuit and is known for harboring the rare tree climbing lions as well as many herds of elephants. The national park was gazetted in 1960 and it covers an area of 330 square kilometers which makes it one of the smallest national parks in Tanzania and its composed of Lake Manyara a shallow alkaline lake that covers about 200 square kilometers which is up to two thirds of the parks surface area, dense ground water forest, open grassland and acacia woodland which act as habitat for different wildlife species including animals like elephants, tree climbing lions, buffaloes, hippos, giraffes, leopards, primates like blue monkeys, olive baboons and different bird species.
Game drive
This involves both day and night game drives. Day game drives can be done in the morning, afternoon, or evening depending on visitor preferences. In Manyara National Park, game drives take place along the lower slopes of the Great Rift Valley. Expect to see a number of wild animals such as elephants, buffalo, lions, antelopes, and cheetahs, all of which can be spotted all day, also bird species, and outstandingly beautiful forest vegetarians of ground water. If you’re lucky enough, you’ll be able to see lions shining on trees (tree climbing lions), but this goes directly with a month of visit.
Night game drive is special for nocturnal animals and birds because of the silence of the park, letting only the sounds of the animals shine all over the park. This makes you feel like you’ve entered a new world.
Walking safaris
The Manyara walking trail takes you up and down the hills. It always takes place in a high concentration of animals and beautiful nature filled with high vegetation. This is to make visitors get closer to nature while also sighting wild animals in a very close way. It is always a kind of activity accompanied by armed guards for the security of visitors from dangerous animals.
Canoeing
It’s mainly done at Lake Manyara, where it’s a kind of activity that exposes visitors to the steep escarpment patched with evergreen forests while also getting close to a variety of aquatic species, including water-loving species such as African jacana and both lesser and greater flamingos.
Bird watching
Apart from tree climbing lions and being home to three big five, Lake Manyara is also a wellknown birding hotspot with over 400 recorded species, which gives visitors a chance to see over 100 different bird species per day. Bird watching at Lake Manyara national park can be done the whole day, though a recommended time for birding is early in the morning and late evening.
Filming and photographing
Visitors are welcomed to create their own life memories through filming and taking photos, and a perfect place is Lake Manyara national park. With so many attractions, but also so many beautiful locations for filming, a photographer will be happy to take a dozen photos for their lifetime memories.
Canopy Tree Walk
The longest tree canopy walkway with intermittent viewing decks positioned around the trees on the walk. This canopy offers a unique view of birds, butterflies, and monkeys.
Best Time to Visit Lake Manyara National Park
Lake Manyara national park can be visited anytime throughout the year though the best time is during the dry season in the months of June to October. During the dry season vegetation in the park becomes less and animals gather around the water bodies to drink water hence giving you an opportunity to clearly view abundant wildlife and take great pictures.
Lake Manyara national park can also be visited in the wet season during the months of November to April because that is the best time for bird watching where bird lovers will be able to view migratory bird species from Europe and North Africa. Bird species start nesting in the wet season which makes it the best time to view bird in breeding plumage.
