Lake Manyara is a soda lake within the Rift Valley and is famous for its millions of colorful flamingo, pelicans and storks. The Lake Manyara National Park is also famous for its tree-climbing lions and is only a couple of hours drive from Arusha. The park is incorporated into popular itineraries in order to give visitors a view of a different landscape and an appreciation of the rift valley escarpment with all its natural beauty. The park is predominantly forest and is home to a wide species of monkey and birdlife. It is a lovely location to walk around the top of the Rift Valley where the views are spectacular.

One game drive is usually enough to see most of the park, though with more time and with prior arrangement it is possible to visit the hot springs ("maji moto") on the far side of the park. The Lake itself is in the middle of the Rift Valley depression and all of the hotels and lodges are on the rim of the Rift Valley, so offering great views over the lake and the park. 

For the more adventurous, there are a number of excursions that can be incorporated into the basic safari program - allowing one to experience the natural surroundings in different ways - choose from: a forest hike or mountain biking along the Great Rift Valley, a night game drive (new) or even (if you need a strong adrenaline fix) micro-lighting with Hummingbird over Manyara - offering the ultimate high!  One can even undertake a cultural tour at the nearby village  of Mto-wa-Mbu where one can visit homesteads, schools, learn about the village development project and sample a home cooked traditional meal. See our Excursions and Cultural Programs pages for more details.

Driving time from Arusha is about 2 hours  

- LODGES & CAMPING