Lake Manyara National Park

Lake Manyara National Park is one of Tanzania’s smallest National Park in northern circuit, situated between Lake Manyara and the Great Rift Valley within the Arusha and Manyara Regions. The National Park is managed by the Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA) and covers a total area of about 325 square kilometers, of which approximately 230 square kilometers consist of the lake itself. Lake Manyara is well known for its rich birdlife, with more than 350 bird species recorded in the area.

The region has a long conservation history. From the 1920s, the Lake Manyara area was used for sport hunting. In 1957, it was officially designated as a game reserve, and in 1960 it gained National Park status. An additional 550 hectares were incorporated into the park at its southern end in 1974. Most of the park’s land area forms a narrow strip between the western Gregory Rift escarpment and the eastern shores of Lake Manyara, which is an alkaline lake. Only the northwestern portion of the lake, covering around 200 square kilometers, lies within the park boundaries. This National Park is also part of the larger Lake Manyara Biosphere Reserve, established by UNESCO in 1981 under the Man and the Biosphere Programme.

Lake Manyara National Park is located about 126 kilometers southwest of Arusha and can be reached by road in roughly one and a half hours. It is also accessible from Babati, the capital of the Manyara Region, and Lake Manyara Airport is located nearby.

Lake Manyara

Lake Manyara is a shallow alkaline lake located at about 960 meters above sea level, formed within a depression of the Rift Valley system. When the lake is full, it can reach a depth of up to 3 meters and at that time it covers nearly two thirds of the national park. The lake has no visible outlet, but it is supplied by underground springs and several permanent rivers flowing from the surrounding Ngorongoro Highlands. The size and depth of the lake changes greatly depending on rainfall. During very dry seasons, evaporation causes the lake to shrink a lot, and in some years it has even dried out completely.

Surrounding the lake are wide marsh areas, salty flats that increase in size during dry periods, and open grassy floodplains. Near the main park gate, there is a tall groundwater-fed forest made up mostly of evergreen fig and mahogany trees. On the western side, the steep rift valley escarpment rises sharply to heights between 1,219 and 1,829 meters. Large baobab trees are scattered along these slopes, while dense acacia woodlands grow at the base of the escarpment.

Other notable features include a hippo pool at the north end of the lake and two hot springs within the park. One of these, called Maji Moto on the western shore, is a 60°C geothermal spring created when underground water is heated by volcanic rocks of the Great Rift Valley.

Attractions in Lake Manyara National Park

Birdlife in Lake Manyara National Park

Lake Manyara National Park is famous for the huge flocks of flamingos that gather along the lake shores during the wet season to feed. In 1991, it was estimated that about 1,900,000 non-breeding lesser flamingos were present, along with around 40,000 greater flamingos. Large numbers of great white pelicans are also sometimes seen, and overall the total number of water birds in the area has been estimated to range between 1,000,000 and 2,499,999 individuals. However, bird numbers can vary greatly, and in 1994 only 78,320 birds were recorded during a count.

The groundwater forest located to the north of the lake, much of which lies within the national park, is an important breeding area for thousands of pink-backed pelicans and yellow-billed storks. Smaller populations of marabou storks and grey herons also breed there. In addition to water birds, the park supports a wide variety of birds of prey. More than 40 raptor species have been recorded, including the palm-nut vulture and Ayres’s hawk-eagle.

Altogether, over 390 bird species have been documented in Lake Manyara National Park, making it one of the most important birding sites in the region. Despite this high diversity, during the dry season flamingos and many other water birds are usually present only in small numbers, as water levels drop and feeding conditions change.

Wildlife in Lake Manyara National Park

Large migratory mammals that mainly occupy Tarangire National Park also pass through Lake Manyara National Park as part of their seasonal movements. These species include blue wildebeest, plains zebra, Thomson’s gazelle, and Grant’s gazelle. For short periods, large herds of wildebeest and other grazing animals from the Mto wa Mbu Game Controlled Area move into the park from the north. Wildebeest feed almost entirely on the alkaline grasslands surrounding the lake, with their numbers peaking during the dry season and declining to small resident groups during the wet season.

Lake Manyara National Park supports a wide range of herbivores. Common species include plains zebra, Cape bushbuck, waterbuck, impala, African buffalo, Masai giraffe, hippopotamus, baboon, common warthog, and African bush elephant. These animals use the park’s diverse habitats, from open grasslands to woodlands and lakeshore areas, for feeding and shelter.

In the past, Lake Manyara was well known for having a large population of south-central black rhinoceros. However, by 1996, no rhinos were recorded in the park. In a similar way, reedbuck were still present in 1984, but none were observed during a wildlife census conducted in 1996.

The park is also home to a variety of predators. These include lion, African leopard, African wildcat, spotted hyena, black-backed jackal, bat-eared fox, serval, honey badger, African civet, several genet species, and different types of mongoose. On rare occasions, East African cheetah and African golden cat are also reported within the park.