A narrow strip of forest, cliff and soda lake
Lake Manyara is small, around 330 square kilometres with two thirds of that under water, and it is pressed into a narrow band between the Rift Valley escarpment and the lake itself. That compression is the point: groundwater forest, open floodplain, acacia woodland and soda lake shore all sit within a few kilometres of each other.
Manyara is usually treated as a morning or afternoon stop on the way to or from the crater, and that is a fair use of it. The road through the park runs a single long axis, and in three or four hours you pass through forest full of blue monkey and olive baboon, out onto the floodplain where buffalo, zebra and wildebeest graze, and down to the lake shore with hippo and water birds.
Elephant here move through the forest rather than across open plain, which makes for closer, more intimate sightings than the wide country parks.
A treetop canopy walkway was added in recent years and gives a different angle on the forest, particularly for anybody travelling with children. Night game drives are permitted in parts of the park, which is unusual in Tanzania and opens up genette, civet and bushbaby.
The lake itself is alkaline and its level swings considerably between seasons, so the distance from the road to the waterline, and the number of flamingo on it, varies a great deal month to month.
Seasons shift year to year. Treat these as a guide and confirm with your operator.
Dry and easy driving. Best for large mammals along the floodplain.
Wetter, greener and much better for birds and flamingo numbers.
A half day is normal. One night if you want a night drive.
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