"Lake Manyara " a Lake Manyara National Park Travel Page by sarahandgareth

Not far from Arusha, Lake Manyara National Park fits well into any safari schedule. It can be reached as a day trip, tacked on the end of a much longer trip, or visited in combination with Ngorongoro Crater (like we chose to do).

Either way, Lake Manyara has incredible wildlife in a truly unique setting on the edge of the great rift valley. Since the Ngorongoro crater doesn't have giraffes - or only very exceptionally - it is also an especially good, and close, place to see many of these beautiful animals.

Lake Manyara is famed, too, for its birdlife, especially its flamingoes. Unfortunately, due to several years of drought the edges of the lake have retreated substantially, and are now quite a distance from the roads used by safari vehicles, so the flamingoes are a distant shimmer. However, there are many other species visible here, especially wetland birds, often seen near the hippo pools.