Lake Manyara National Park

Lake Manyara National Park

Lake Manyara National park is a Tanzanian national park located both in Arusha Region and Manyara Region, Tanzania. The two administrative regions have no jurisdiction over the parks. The park is governed by the Tanzania National Parks Authority.

This national Park encompasses an area of 330 sq km of which 200 sq km is lake, it was proclaimed a game reserve in 1957 and registered three years later as a national park. The park is situated between the 600 m high escarpment of the Great Rift Valley and Lake Manyara and is 130 km from Arusha. At the southern end of the park is the hot sulphur springs known as Majimoto. Further along the forest, the area opens up into woodlands, swamps, and the Soda Lake.

Lake Manyara National Park is also recognized for its incredible beauty. Wildlife at Lake Manyara National Park is not restricted to birdlife only. Many game animals such as Buffalo, Elephant, Giraffe, Impala, hippo and a great variety of smaller animals also inhabit the park. It’s also known for its tree climbing lions and it also contains the most pachyderms per km sq in Tanzania. There are also many monkeys, baboons, buffalos, hippos, and the many birds.

Lake Manyara National Park’s vegetation eventually merges into flat topped acacia woodland where, in the heat of the day entire prides of lion can be seen stretched on the branches of these trees – a habit prevalent to Manyara lions. There are the usual browsers and the grazers as well as the curios looking banded mongoose. The bird life in the park include; flamingo, pelican, red billed quelea, storks, sacred ibis, cormorants and Egyptian geese can be sighted in this area. Other species of birds include the African spoonbill, lesser flamingo, white pelican and white faced duck.