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Lake Manyara National Park

Rift Valley forest
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Lake Manyara National Park

OVERVIEW

Compact and varied groundwater, forest, open grassland, and a shallow soda lake beneath the dramatic wall of the Great Rift Valley, all inside a park small enough to cover properly in half a day. Famous for its occasional tree-climbing lions, dense birdlife, and troops of baboon and blue monkey along the forest road.

size

330 km²

Getting there

1.5 hour drive from Arusha

Best time to visit

Nov–Feb for birdlife · dry season for game viewing

Ideal length of stay

Half a day to 1 night, usually as a stop en route to the Serengeti

Wildlife & highlights

What you'll actually see

  • Tree-climbing lions (uncommon behaviour, not guaranteed but well documented here)
  • Large flocks of flamingo along the alkaline lake shore
  • Forest elephant and hippo pools
  • Blue monkey and olive baboon troops

Did you know

No one has fully explained why Manyara’s lions climb trees — theories range from escaping biting flies to simply catching the breeze.

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