Lake Manyara National Park — Simba Pride Safaris

Overview

A narrow park squeezed between the Rift Valley wall and a shallow soda lake. Groundwater forest full of baboons and blue monkeys opens onto floodplain, hippo pools and pink shorelines when the flamingos are in.

Wildlife highlights

Flamingo
Tree-climbing lion
Hippo
Baboon
Blue monkey
Pelican
Elephant

The forest

Unlike anywhere else on the circuit

A jungle of fig and mahogany fed by springs from the escarpment, full of primates and birds.

The lake

Flamingos by the thousand

When water levels are right, the shoreline turns pink. Pelicans and storks fill the rest.

Tree lions

The famous habit

Manyara's lions rest in the branches. Not every day, but often enough to be worth looking up.

Season calendar

What happens when. Use it to pick your month, then ask us to confirm conditions before you book.

Flamingo shorelineJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Best game viewingJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Migratory birdsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Canoeing on the lakeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Areas & highlights

Groundwater forest

Baboons, blue monkeys, elephants in the shade, near the northern gate.

Best: any month

Hippo pool & floodplain

Open views to the lake, buffalo, wildebeest and waterbirds.

Best: Jun to Oct

Southern hot springs

Maji Moto, quieter and further, with lions along the way.

Best: Jun to Oct

Mto wa Mbu

The village outside the gate for bike rides and lunch with a local family.

Best: any month

Things to do

Game driveA half day covers the forest, the floodplain and the lake shore.
Treetop walkwayA 370 m canopy walk through the forest.
CanoeingOn the lake when water levels allow, hippos at a respectful distance.
Night drivesOne of the few northern parks that permits them.
Mto wa Mbu villageBike rides, banana beer and a local lunch just outside the gate.

Where to stay

BudgetGuesthouses in Mto wa Mbu. From US$25 p.p.

Mid-rangeLodges on the escarpment above the lake. US$150 to 280 p.p.

LuxuryTreehouse suites inside the park's forest. US$500 and up.

By area

Escarpment: lodges with the whole lake in view, 20 minutes to the gate.
Inside the park: one treehouse lodge in the forest, and a public campsite.
Mto wa Mbu: guesthouses and budget camps at the gate.

Indicative per-person high-season rates. We hold provisional space at a shortlist of lodges in each tier and book the one that fits your route.

Getting there & around

By road

2 hours from Arusha, 1 hour from Tarangire.

By air

Lake Manyara airstrip on the escarpment, 30 minutes from Arusha.

Tip

Best as a stop between Tarangire and Ngorongoro rather than a destination in itself.

Trips that include Lake Manyara

4 days · 4 daysBig Five ExpressFrom $1,150 p.p.

3 days · 3 daysCrater & Lake WeekendFrom $890 p.p.

5 days · 5 daysElephants & CraterFrom $1,450 p.p.

8 days · 8 daysNorthern Circuit CompleteFrom $2,350 p.p.

Best time to visit

Best months

JFMAMJJASOND

Jun to OctDry, clear, easy game viewing along the shore. Flamingos may be absent.

Nov to FebShort rains fill the lake. Flamingos, storks and migrant birds arrive.

Mar to MayLong rains, lush forest, some tracks closed. Lowest prices.

Year-roundThe forest and hippo pool deliver in every month.

Practical notes

Half a day: the park can be done in four hours on the way to the crater.
Baboons: keep windows closed at the picnic sites.
Canopy walk: a 370 m treetop walkway, extra fee, good with children.
Night drives: permitted here, unusual for the north.
Fees: about US$59 per adult plus tax, included in our prices.

Lake Manyara questions

Will I see tree-climbing lions?

Sometimes. It is a habit, not a species, and the lions do not perform on schedule.

Are there flamingos?

In the wet months when the lake is full. Numbers vary year to year.

Is a day visit enough?

For most guests, yes.

Are the flamingos guaranteed?

No. They follow water levels and food, and some years they stay away. The birding is excellent regardless.

Is Manyara worth its own night?

For most guests a day visit is right. Stay if you want the canopy walk, a night drive or a slower pace.

forest, lakeand flamingos