- LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK -
With a rough size of 330km square, and 1:30 drive from Arusha Town, this is the only park named in Tanzania after the name of the lake in it. It’s located within the biggest valleys in the world, the famous great East African Rift Valley. It’s only in this park that you can clearly see the great East wall of the valley. It’s a popular park with its Tree Climbing Lions.
It has a large variety of animal and birds species. Greater flamingos can be clearly seen dwelling in the lake, buffaloes grazing, giraffes picking the top parts of acacia trees, elephants trumpeting through thick forests trees, hippos bathing in the waters of the lake, wildebeests and zebra running from here to there hiding from the jungle master who stare them from the staircase of the trees, the Lions.
It can be visited throughout the year with July to October being popular for game drive and November to June being a good time for bird watching .Canoeing can also being done in the lake side and night game drive is popular in this park, biking along the lake for bird and game view and forest walk. It has Hot spring that is located in the south-west part of the park.
The park being surrounded by Mto wa Mbu town that is populated by a combination of different tribes from East Africa including the famous Maasai Community, Cultural tourism is the best trip to combine when finishing up your game drive. Walk in the lush farming area of banana trees just like those in South America or Rice farming just like those in South-East Asia and/or biking to Maasai boma for a cultural dance. This is a place to be.