Lake Manyara National Park is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Tanzania. It’s a scenic natural park where you can find characteristic tree-climbing lions, pink flamingoes and a lot of blue monkeys! The park is only 78 miles away from Arusha, so it’s easily accessible too!
Here are the top 3 day-trips and excursions in Lake Manyara National Park:
- Lake Manyara Treetop Walkway
The Lake Manyara Treetop Walkway offers tourists a birds-eye view of Lake Manyara. Walk among the treetops and witness scenic views like never before! It’s the first treetop walkway built in Tanzania. The walkway is about 370 meters long. It consists of many suspension bridges with protective netting on both sides, so it’s pretty safe! Take your camera with you to get amazing shots of the birds and monkeys surrounding you on the treetops. You’ll get to see nature in its true essence here! If you walk with a guide, you’ll also get to know interesting facts about Lake Manyara and its surrounding plants and wildlife on your way!
The treetop walkway is an amazing experience and a must for all those who love nature and want to spend more time with it. You have to pay an additional amount for the treetop walkway ticket, but it’s totally worth the price!
Timing: The walkway is open from 6:30 am to 5:00 pm
- Lake Manyara Safari
Go on morning and night game drives in Lake Manyara National Park. It’s one of the few National Parks in Tanzania that offer night game drives, so grab the opportunity and get a chance to observe nocturnal animals like leopards that hide away during the day! Lake Manyara National Park is known for its large population of flamingoes and tree-climbing lions. It’s usual to see lions chilling up in the trees, all peaceful and calm. Other than the tree-climbing lions, you can also spot elephants, hippos, giraffes, zebras, buffaloes, wildebeests, blue monkeys and olive baboons!
Moreover, Lake Manyara also offers canoe safaris! Canoe past giraffes, elephants, hippos and buffaloes on the banks of the lake and observe them from up close in your canoe.
- Mto wa Mbu Village Tour
Mto wa Mbu is a village in the vicinity of Lake Manyara and is inhabited by about 18,000 people! Take a walk to the village and ask for a guide to accompany you and give you a tour of the village. It’s a great place to get to know more about the culture of the locals. In fact, it’s probably the only village in Tanzania that still has inhabitants from all the 120 tribes of Tanzania!
Your guide will walk you through the village plantations and tell you about the local culture and traditions. Don’t forget to check out their interesting and unique wood workshops where the Makonde make intricate woodwork!
The complete tour of the village takes about 3-4 hours, depending on how much time you spend shopping in the local market!
Best Time to Visit Lake Manyara National Park
The best time to visit Lake Manyara National Park is from June to October, during the dry season. This is the time when you can easily spot wildlife because the bushes aren’t abundant and there’s no rainfall!
So, what are you waiting for? Visit Lake Manyara and have a great experience! Don’t forget to check out the Expert Guide on Selous Game Reserve while you’re in Tanzania!