Places to Visit in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania, East Africa, Africa

Places to Visit in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania, East Africa, Africa

Established in 1960, the Lake Manyara National Park is situated both in Arusha and Manyara regions in the eastern African country, Tanzania. The park features a diverse geographical characteristics like forest, soda lake and arid land and sprawls a total area of 330 sq. km. The park is dominated by the Lake Manyara, a shallow lake, which covers a surface area of 231 sq. km. The Tanzania National Parks Authority administrates the park. The geographical coordinates of Lake Manyara are 3°30′ S 35°50′ E.

Like other national parks and reserves in Tanzania, the Lake Manyara National Park is also a prominent tourist destination, well known for the substantial number of flamingos at the lake and animals like elephants, blue monkeys, hippo, giraffe and lions. Babati to the south and Arusha to the northeast are the nearest cities to Lake Manyara.

How to get Lake Manyara National Park?

The Lake Manyara National Park is well served by the Lake Manyara Airport with scheduled flights from/to Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Mwanza, Ruaha, Selous, Seronera, Tarangire, and Zanzibar, catered by Coastal Aviation. The airport is situated few kilometers from the northern boundary of the park.

There are scheduled buses plying between Arusha, Babati and Dar es Salaam throughout the year. Also, many tour operators conduct guided tour to Lake Manyara during the peak season from the different regions of the country.

Food and Shopping in Lake Manyara National Park:

There are many food huts and shops in and around the Lake Manyara National Park that mainly offer traditional Tanzanian products. One can also reach the nearby city Arusha for modern shopping.

Things to do in Lake Manyara National Park:

Bird watching
Hiking
Fishing
Day tours

Places to see in Lake Manyara National Park:

Lake Manyara National Park:

The Lake Manyara National Park itself is an amazing tourist attraction, drawing a large number of animal enthusiasts and bird lovers year round from all around the world. Apart from a large number of animals, the park is home to around 400 species of birds.

Lake Manyara:

The Lake Manyara is the centre of attraction of Lake Manyara National Park and from which the park got its name. Spanning over a surface area of 231 sq. km, the Lake Manyara is a shelter for many large and typical animal species like hippos, impalas, elephants, wildebeests and buffalo. The park is also a heaven for bird enthusiasts, who can see more than 300 migratory birds at the lake including flamingos.

Tarangire National Park:

The Tarangire National Park is located few kilometers southwest of the Manyara National Park, covering a total area of 2,850 km². Established in 1970, the park characterizes miscellaneous geographical features like compact bush, dense grasses and Baobab trees. It is also famous for safari, bird watching, hiking and trekking activities.

List of other places of interest in and around Lake Manyara National Park include:

Arusha National Park
Ngorongoro Crater
Century Cinema
Cultural Heritage Centre Arusha
Meserani Snake Park
Kilimanjaro Golf
Lake Manyara
Bishop’s Cathedral of Arusha
Arusha Clock Tower
The National Natural History Museum
Olduvai Gorge
Mount Kilimanjaro

Best time to visit Lake Manyara National Park:

Throughout the year is best to visit Lake Manyara National Park, particularly from July to October is the ideal season for animal viewing and November to June is the perfect time for bird watching, canoeing and enjoying the beauty of waterfalls.

Accommodation options in Lake Manyara National Park:

Being a renowned tourist destination, the Lake Manyara National Park houses numerous traditional as well as modernized accommodation centres like lodges, guest houses, camping and tent houses. Here is the list of some tourist favor hotels in Lake Manyara National Park: