Explore Lake Manyara Park

Explore Lake Manyara Park

Explore Lake Manyara Park : Lake Manyara national park is a top tourist attraction of Tanzania which is found in the northern part of the country south west of Arusha.

Park entrance fees for lake Manyara national park

New entrance fees for Lake Manyara national park in Tanzania which were introduced around 30th June 2020 are applicable during safaris until 1st July 2021. These fees vary for adults and children.

Park entrance fees for adults on safari around Lake Manyara national park is at 53 USD per person. Children are charged park entrance fee of 17.7 USD to be allowed access into the national park while children below the age of 5 years are not charged.

Activities around Lake Manyara national park which are carried out during safaris at the destination include the following;

Night game drives

Night game drives are the unique activity which is carried out in Lake Manyara national park and a few other wildlife viewing destinations around Tanzania. Nocturnal wildlife species such as lions, leopards, hippos, genets, civets among other predators are the wildlife species which can be spotted during night game drives.

Hippos tend to move during the night and the predators like lions also hunt in the night time. The night game drives give an entirely different wildlife viewing experience around Lake Manyara national park.

Day game drives

Lake Manyara national park is also a destination where game drives are carried out during the day time such as in the morning when wildlife species are active and also in the afternoon as tourists enjoy exploring the diverse ecosystem of the national park.

Wildlife species which can be seen around the national park include elephants, baboons, buffalos, hippos, impalas, giraffes, klipspringers, cheetahs, monkeys and many others.

Lake Manyara treetop walkway

An activity which nature lovers can engage in during their safaris around Lake Manyara national park is the canopy walk along the treetop walkway which is one of the longest in Africa.

The walkway rises above through the canopy of the forest which is also habitat for lions and different wildlife and bird species. The boardwalk is 18 meters off the ground with viewing decks around tree trunks.

The activity is carried out in the forest close to the old gate of Lake Manyara national park and the canopy walk can be carried out when the national park is open until 5:00 pm.

Bird watching

Bird watchers can also enjoy seeing a variety of bird species during their safaris around Lake Manyara national park and these include flamingos, great white pelicans, yellow billed storks, grey herons, silvery cheeked hornbills, spoonbills, bee eaters, weavers, crowned eagles, barbets and many others.

Migrant birds can be seen in the national park during a safari around November to April.

Explore Lake Manyara Park
Explore Lake Manyara Park

Canoeing

Lake Manyara national park safaris also involve engaging in canoeing on Lake Manyara when the water levels have risen. A canoeing excursion can take about 2 hours and also involves wildlife viewing as some wildlife species such as hippos, giraffes, elephants, buffalos among others graze close to the lake shores.

Canoeing in Lake Manyara national park offered by Tanzania national parks authority (TANAPA) costs about 23.6 USD per person for adults and 11.8 USD per person for children. This fee is exclusive of park entrance fees to Lake Manyara national park.

Another experience which tourists engage in during safaris around Lake Manyara national park is the community visits to Mto wa mbu town where tourists interact with the locals and get to know more about their culture and traditions and also engage in other activities like visiting the homesteads, local market tours, watching traditional dance performances and many others.

Attractions in Lake Manyara national park include the following;

Flamingos of Lake Manyara national park

Flamingos are among the attractions which can be seen during a safari around Lake Manyara national park which is also a good birding destination with over 400 bird species.

The thousands of flamingos can be seen in their flocks along the shores of Lake Manyara which is a soda lake found in the national park.  Many other migrant and water birds can also be seen around the national park.

Elephants

Elephants can be seen in their herds around Lake Manyara national park which was established to protect the elephants. The Manyara-Tarangire ecosystem has one of the largest elephant populations in the northern part of Tanzania.

The number of elephants in Lake Manyara national park is steadily increasing over the years at a rate of about 6% per year. Elephants are part of the big 5 which also includes lions, leopards, buffalos and rhinos.

Tree climbing lions

Among the attractions which are found in Lake Manyara national park is the tree climbing lions.

During safaris in Lake Manyara national park, these lions can be seen among the tree branches and this behavior of the lions is observed during day time and some of the reasons which are stated for the tree climbing nature among lions include avoiding buffalos and elephants charging at the lions and this leads them to climb the trees as a form of refuge.

Another reason why lions climb trees in Lake Manyara national park is to avoid insect bites, to enjoy the breeze, and also to observe prey from up in the trees. The trees which lions climb include acacia trees as well as sausage trees.

Diverse terrain

Lake Manyara national park is also known for its diverse terrain and is made up of a shallow alkaline lake which covers a big part of the national park. There is also dense acacia woodland in the national park, grassy floodplains, rocky escarpment, forest, and grasslands which make up the national park.

The woodlands are found in the western part of Lake Manyara and the drier parts of the national park are dominated by savannah where different wildlife species can be seen during a safari.

Explore Lake Manyara national park and enjoy seeing the different attractions as you engage in a variety of activities at the destination.

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