This famous Lake Manyara is a popular travel destination of Africa is located close to Ngorongoro
Crater and Serengeti Park and famous for its incredible diversity of flora and
fauna, but most important for the tree climbing lions unique to this region.
During the heat of the midday sun, entire prides of lion may be seen draped over branches of the acacias, escaping both biting insects and the heat of the long grass. The park is about 325 square miles with lake Manyara covering majority of the area. Lake Manyara is alkaline in nature and famous for the flocks of flamingoes, which are attracted by the algae and crustaceans that live in this high salt content lake. You will also find elephants, leopards, baboons, giraffes, blue monkeys and 400 bird species. The Lake Manyara park is surrounded by the high Rift valley walls which tower 610 meters above. Superb game viewing is offered throughout the year but is at its peak from December to February and from August to September. The entrance gate lies 1.5 hours (126km/80 miles) west of Arusha along a road, close to the ethnically diverse market town of Mto wa Mbu. A good time to travel is - dry season (July-October) for large mammals; wet season (November-June) for bird watching, the waterfalls and canoeing. Lake Manyara park is well prepared for tourism, you can stay at the luxury treehouse-style camp, public bandas and campsites inside the park. One luxury tented camp and two lodges perched on the Rift Wall overlooking the lake. Several guesthouses and campsites in nearby Mto wa Mbu.
Giant fig trees and mahogany seen in the groundwater forest immediately around the park gates draw nourishment from the underground springs replenished continuously from crater highlands directly above the Manyara basin. In this area of rainfall extremes, the forests and plants find an alternative water supply that sustains them: underground springs that surface at the base of the cliffs.
Mto Wa Mbu (Mosquito Creek) is a popular base for visiting the park, an ancient trading post for tribes such as the Mgubwe, Iraq, Gorowa, Chagga and Masai. . The village runs its own Cultural Tourism program here that offers village walks, short bicycle tours and boating trips on the lake. Lake Manyara National Park is where Ernest Hemingway camped on the hunting safari that inspired his book, Green Hills of Africa.
