Lake Manyara National Park: Everything You Need to Know
Nestled away in the Great Rift Valley, just 2 hours from Arusha and on the way to Ngorongoro/Serengeti, surrounded by picturesque escarpments, covered in glittering water bodies and swaying green canopies is the small national park of Lake Manyara. The beauty of this lake made even the American literary icon, Ernest Hemingway, pause and exclaim ‘loveliest lake in Africa’.
Lake Manyara is popular for its diverse habitats and multiple ecosystems. Around the lake you can find thick rainforests, savannas, wetlands, and acacia forests, sustaining its own set of animals. A major part of the park is submerged under the water, so the game drives will be shorter compared to other parks, but even within this small region you will find a variety like no other place.
Who do we recommend this park for? Lake Manyara National park is a great place to visit if you enjoy exploring diverse habitats, beautiful sceneries, plants and birds. Within the park you will find 600+ species of plants itself and hundreds of thousands of birds. Although it hosts several species of animals, from small reptiles like monitor lizards to favourites like Lions, Elephants and Giraffes, their numbers are not as high as you would find in other parks. So if you are mostly interested in wildlife only and the idea of seeing diverse habitats/beautiful scenery, variety of birds doesn't sound as exciting, then you might perhaps have a better experience visiting other parks in the region instead of Lake Manyara.
For a detailed review of Lake Manyara and to assess for yourself if its a good fit for your itinerary or not, please check the full article below.
Contents
4. Things to do in Lake Manyara
8. Accommodations near Lake Manyara
10. Flooding in Lake Manyara National Park
12. Should you visit Lake Manyara?
Wildlife in Manyara National Park
Because of the various habitats, Manyara is able to sustain a great variety of animals.
It has four of the big five: Elephant, Lion, Buffalo, and Leopard. But the numbers of all of these are low compared to what you find in other parks like Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Serengeti.
If you are lucky, you might even be able to spot Lions lounging in the branches of Acacia examining the area and looking out for prey. The chances of seeing them tend to increase during the rainy season.
Elephants can be spotted near pools, woodlands or strolling in the floodplains. You might find them munching on the leaves or enjoying a cool bath. Although, there is a higher chance of viewing a solitary elephant than an entire herd. On some occasions, you might even spot a female with its cute baby!
Buffaloes are present in the same area.
The water that flows in from the escarpments, floods regions of Manyara and creates small pools. Within these pools you can spot the hippos happily bobbing up and down. Although hippos are highly territorial and aggressive, so they might not be on their best behavior but locked in a furious battle when you arrive at the location.
Within the rainforests of Manyara, there is an abundance of primates: the baboons, vervets and blue monkeys. In fact, Manyara boasts one of the largest concentrations of baboons anywhere in the world. Within the Manyara rainforests, baboons and blue monkeys co-exist. The baboons are more structured and powerful than the blue monkeys so they often find themselves seeking protection from the baboons. While looking for food, they might feel safer coming down when the baboon troops are present. Because of this, Baboons have managed to create homes in all Manyara habitats, while blue monkeys find it dangerous to leave the thick rainforests.
Inside these rainforests, you might also be able to spot the Nile Monitor Lizard basking in the sun next to a stream of water, and termites on the ground busy decomposing matter and playing the part in the circle of life.
If you are interested in ungulates then you might find impalas, bushbucks, gazelles and klipspringers near the under bush and under the trees enjoying the cool fresh shade, or sometimes balancing on top of the rocks and examining the surroundings. Giraffes too are usually spotted in the lush forests or out in the open grasslands, strolling around feeding on acacia leaves.
Manyara also has its own wide collection of snakes. From the non-venomous snakes that hunt on invertebrates to some of the most venomous snakes like the green mamba, and constrictors like rock pythons have found shelter within Manyara. But it will be very tough to spot the snakes since they are great at camouflage. If you have the right information and are lucky then you will spot them. And if you are extremely lucky and have a sharp eye, then you might be able to spot them mid-hunt too.
But this still does not cover all the wildlife present within Manyara. There are dik-diks, reedbucks, rodents, wildebeests, warthogs, and the park also hosts a very wide variety of butterflies. The list could go on and on and on.
Birds
Lake Manyara is a bird paradise. Around 400 species have been recorded in this park.
Flamingoes, barbets , bee eaters, water fowls, pelicans, herons, storks, kingfishers. You name it!
You might see the large birds using the thermal currents to soar and glide, or you might spot the waterfowls happily swimming around in the pools.
The nests of the birds too can be spotted in multiple places too. On the grounds or in the trees.
While Manyara is great for birding throughout the year, November to April sees large number of migratory birds arrive here and the birding is at its best.
Sadly in recent years, due to the silt deposits and pesticide/fertilizer residues from agricultural activities in the surrounding highlands, bird population in Lake Manyara, especially that of flamingoes has seen a major dip and the trend seems to be getting worse with each year!
Vegetation
The topography of Lake Manyara National Park allows various types of trees and plants to survive. However, most of the species are widespread instead of being endemic to the region.
The natural springs within the park and the rivers that flow down from the escarpment allow trees like sycamore figs, mahogany, toad trees, quinines to thrive.
There are woodlands supported by the groundwater too. Acacias can be found thriving in such locations. The layers of vegetation in this area are patchy and unique, and it is studied by the scientists.
The swamps and pools have their own aquatic species. Long cattails, species of water Lilies, and mats of water lettuce populate the pools and swamps and offer protection to small aquatic animals.
Things to do in and around Lake Manyara National park
Lake Manyara National Parks provides a wide range of activities for its visitors.
There is the full day game drive, where you’ll be driven to different regions of the park and explore the different habitats, pools, lake shore, hot spring, and get a chance to admire the wildlife present there.
Besides the game drives, you can also go for a hike through the dense woodlands, follow the trails with the help of your guide, and explore the areas that wouldn’t be possible to explore in vehicles. You will get an opportunity to get a closer look at the vegetation and animals like monkeys and bucks.
Since the majority of the park is submerged under the water, canoeing is yet another popular activity available within the park. Being in a canoe will help you get closer to the birds and even the animals such as giraffes and buffaloes grazing near the water body.
Biking is also a great activity that can be done at Lake Manyara. You can bike while going into the national park or while coming out of the national park. While biking you will get the opportunity to visit farms, schools, shops, churches of Mto Wa Mbu and enjoy stunning sceneries of the National Park.
Lake Manyara also has a rather unique activity: a Treetop Walkway. A series of connected suspension bridges have been installed in the jungle that take you to the very top of the sky high canopies. You will gain a bird's eye view of the jungle and spot glittering lakes, flora and fauna that you might have missed from the ground.
For information such as duration, fees, age limit, and difficulty level about all these activities, check our page on activities at Lake Manyara
When to visit
Lake Manyara National Park can be visited all year round. It depends on what you would like to see.
The dry season lasts from June to October. Since the vegetation becomes thinner around this time of the year it will be comparatively easier to spot the animals for you. Wild animals will also come out to sip water from the lakes and pools, so there are higher chances of you spotting them.
The wet season lasts from November to May. At this time of the year, the park will appear more scenic with its lush vegetation and water gushing down the escarpment. Birds will be present in a higher number too. The wildlife will be hard to spot within the dense vegetation, however. So people who are interested in the flora of the region and the birds will benefit more.
Weather and Climate
Lake Manyara generally has a moderate climate. Days are warm but the evenings might get a little chilly.
During the warmest months, January to March, the temperature can reach up to 30 degree Celsius/86 degree Fahrenheit.
During the coldest months, June to July, the temperature might go down till 22 degree Celsius/71 degree Fahrenheit.
Location of Park And How to Reach
Lake Manyara is located in Northern Tanzania, and is south west of the city of Arusha. You can reach Lake Manyara by road. From Arusha, the road trip will take about two and a half hours, and you will be able to reach the destination via the town of Mto Wa Mbu located near the park.
You can also fly to the park. There are connecting flights to Manyara Airstrip from Kilimanjaro International Airport and Arusha Airport.
Accommodations near Lake Manyara
A wide selection of accommodation options ranging from basic camping to luxury lodges is available for you to choose from. Few are inside or bordering the park but a majority of these hotels are located within around 30 min of drive time from the park’s main gate.
You can also choose to stay at hotels in Karatu town, which is about 45-60 min from Manyara gate and in the direction of Ngorongoro and Serengeti. So for clients going to these parks after Manyara or coming from these parks to Manyara, Karatu accommodations could be a decent choice.
Accommodations
Prices given are per person. They include statutory fees like Wilderness management area fees (USD 30 per person per night) or Private campsite fees (USD 59 per person per night) as applicable but do not include park fees to enter Lake Manyara. Prices change based on season.
Basic Camping Outside Park: Around 50$
Twiga Lodge: 58-88$
Nsya Lodge: 88-117$
Basic camping (Inside park): 80$
Africa Safari Lake Manyara: 106-153$
Migombani Cottage: 111-134$
Manyara Wildlife Safari Camp: 137-195$
Burudika Manyara Lodge: 134-207$
Escarpment Luxury Lodge: 140-228$
Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge: 120-239$
Manyara's Secret: 192-245$
Lake Manyara Tortilis Camp: 173- 264$
Manyara Best View Lodge: 92-276$
Lake Manyara Kilimamoja Lodge: 208-348$
Fees Structure for Lake Manyara
Entry fee for Lake Manyara depend on the visitor's nationality and age. For foreigners, park fee is $59 per adult per day. This park fee is valid for 24 hours. However, you must note that the park fees will also expire if you step out of the park before completing 24 hours.
If your accommodation is inside Manyara, then a concession fee of $59 per adult per night will apply. If you are doing night game drives, permit fees of $59 per adult will also apply on top of the park fees.
For a tour going to Lake Manyara, on top of entry fees and other applicable statutory fees, you also need to account for Safari landcruiser & accommodation fees.
Flooding in Lake Manyara National Park
Human activities have altered the system of Lake Manyara in the past few years. Farming in nearby areas and escarpment has increased. As the soil gets loose due to farming activities, a lot of silt gets washed down each year from farms in escarpment, Karatu and other highland areas. Due to this sedimentation of sand over several years the depth of the lake gradually decreased, which means, the lake cannot hold as much water as it previously could. So it floods every year after receiving the rains.
During late 2019 and early 2020, Lake Manyara region received unusually high amounts of rains and the resulting floods have brought a huge area of park underwater.
This impact can be easily seen even today. There is still a lot of water in the nearby areas and the roads that once led to interesting locations like hippo pools have vanished.
The situation is getting better but we cannot be sure as the incoming rainy seasons could again cause the lake to overflow. Short rains are not a big issue, but heavy rains in April and May could be bothersome.
This has affected Flamingos and other water birds too. Disruption in balance of the ecosystem of the lake has led to decrease in animals and plants like shrimps and algae. And birds depend on these for sustenance. Decrease in these has discouraged birds from coming to Manyara.
Along with the sand, chemicals like pesticides and fertilisers were washed down into the lake as well, which made the lake toxic became another reason for birds to not come to Manyara. This had happened in early 2000s as well which had caused the death of thousands of flamingos.
Lake Manyara VS. Tarangire
Lake Manyara and Tarangire are quite different from each other in their ecosystems and size.
Lake Manyara National park is only about 325 sq. km with two thirds of it covered by lake, whereas Tarangire is about 2,850 sq. km!
But despite being very small, Lake Manyara is a mosaic of differing habitats, whereas Tarangire has arid, open plains with magnificent baobab trees standing tall everywhere.
Both the parks are scenic in their own ways. While Tarangire has open plains with swamps, baobabs and acacia, Lake Manyara is more varied with its rainforests, hot springs, pools, wetlands, savannas, escarpment and the huge lake.
Lake Manyara vs Tarangire in Dry season (Jun to Oct)
At Tarangire during the dry season, animals from surrounding reserves will have migrated into the park since its river would be the only source of water in the region. So a game drive along the river offers a great number of wildlife sightings. The elephants collect here in huge numbers, so it's the best place to spot huge herds of elephants in entire Tanzania. Other animals such as lions, hyenas, giraffes, wildebeests, elands, zebras will be more easily visible to. For those who can take their chances with Tse Tse flies, you can venture deep into the swamps and try to spot the rarely seen Oryx or Kudu.
Although Lake Manyara might boast of a high variety of species, and hosts the popular ones too, it comparatively has fewer numbers of animals. Also the flooding of the park since 2020 has displaced many animals into reserves and inaccessible regions in and around the park. So while you do see animals in the dry season at Manyara, their number and variety pale in comparison to what you can spot in Tarangire.
Wildlife in Lake Manyara vs Tarangire in Wet season (Nov to Apr)
Wet season negatively impacts wildlife viewing at Tarangire. During the wet season pools and water holes everywhere in the region get filled and rivers come back to life. So the animals spread out and many of them move out of the park boundaries. This makes it a bit harder to spot animals compared to the dry season. However, this is only in comparison to how Tarangire is during the dry season. In general, Tarangire offers good wildlife sightings throughout the year. Many animals are residential and remain in the park throughout the year.
During the wet season, Lake Manyara becomes super abundant with greenery and is even more scenic. There will be a lot of trees and plants to study for those who are interested. Wildlife on the other hand will become even more difficult to spot. If your primary interest is in wildlife we advise you against visiting Lake Manyara during the wet season.
Birding in Lake Manyara vs Tarangire
Both parks are great destinations for birding. Tarangire however is our favorite for birding between the two as it has more number of species (around 500+ in Tarangire vs 350+ in Manyara) and more importantly, birds are more easily seen at Tarangire than at Manyara, anytime of the year.
In both the parks, wet season (Nov to Apr) is better for birding as migratory birds from Europe and North Africa arrive.
At Lake Manyara, in recent years, an increasing amount of sedimentation and residue from fertilisers and pesticides used for farming activities in the escarpment and highlands is getting washed into the lake which is driving many birds away and resulting in fewer birds being spotted each year. But it still hosts a lot of birds, especially aquatic ones, that you won’t find in other parks.
If you are a keen birder, we recommend you to spend time at both Tarangire and Manyara. But if you need to pick one, our recommendation is Tarangire over Manyara for birding, any time of the year.
Additional Activities at Manyara vs Tarangire
At Manyara you can do canoeing, treetop walkways which are not available at Tarangire.
Night game drives and walking tours are available at both parks but we prefer them at Tarangire over Manyara due to its higher wildlife abundance.
Cultural tours like Maasai village tour can be done at villages next to parks at both locations.
For scenic hikes, village tours, cycling tours, walking tours, activities for kids you can plan an extra day or half day at Mto Wa Mbu village that borders Manyara national park while there are no such activities near Tarangire.
Accommodation options at Manyara vs Tarangire
Both the parks have wide choice of accommodations available in different price ranges.
For basic camping, there are campsites available inside the park at both locations. Our favorite is the campsite inside Tarangire national park as it is in the middle of wild and rarely used.
Manyara however has private campsites outside the park that cost quite lower than the campsites inside the park.
In budget tier hotels, Manyara has lower budget options as it is next to Mto Wa Mbu town.
Among mid tier accommodations, both Manyara and Tarangire have several options. Most mid tier hotels at Manyara are located in wilderness management areas around the park while at Tarangire some are in wilderness management areas and some inside the park. For mid tier hotels, we prefer the ones at Tarangire as they are more close to wilderness and wildlife can be seen/heard from several mid tier hotels(even the ones located outside park) at Tarangire. The mid tier hotels near Manyara however are often cheaper and several of them offer great views of the lake or the rift valley.
Among luxury hotels, there are more options at Tarangire than at Manyara. While the luxury ones at Tarangire have proximity to wildlife and decent views along with premium service as their selling points, at Manyara it's the beautiful views and attractions like private plunge pools along with premium service.
If you are looking at staying inside the park, then Manyara has only a couple of options while there are several dozens of hotels inside the park at Tarangire.
What do we recommend between Tarangire and Manyara for safari
If you have a few days to add to your safari and evaluating how to divide this time between Tarangire and Manyara (not considering other parks in the region), here is how we would recommend you to plan it
If you have 1 day - Visit Tarangire If you have 2 days - Visit Tarangire for both days If you have 3 days - Visit Tarangire for all three days if you want a relaxed itinerary or you can also consider spending one day at Manyara for a change of scenery
Should you visit Lake Manyara?
Finally, whether you should visit Lake Manyara or not depends on your interests and the amount of time that you have.
For clients who are primarily interested in wildlife, Lake Manyara National Park may not feel as exciting as Serengeti, Tarangire & Ngorongoro. The park is quite small and thick with vegetation. So while the park does host a wide variety of wild animals the lush vegetation makes it difficult to spot them. Most of the animals you can find at Manyara will be much easier to spot in other parks with open grasslands like Tarangire and Serengeti.
The flooding in recent years has had a significant negative impact on the park. Several roads are entirely submerged or become muddy, cutting off access to some interesting wildlife pockets in the park. Due to water heavy amount of sediments getting washed into the basin, the ecosystem of the lake has been affected which has discouraged a lot of birds from coming to Manyara. Birding enthusiats can spot more variety and number of birds at Tarangire National park than Manyara.
Flamingoes and tree climbing lions - the two most advertised attractions for Lake Manyara are not commonly seen. From the past couple of years, very few flamingos are coming to Lake Manyara and often we don't spot them at all. Also, chances of seeing tree climbing lions are only about 25%.
If you are primarily interested in wildlife and not keen on activities like canoeing, we do not recommend Lake Manyara national park for short itineraries. We recommend you to consider Tarangire, Ngorongoro if you have 3 days or less for spotting a higher number/variety of wildlife. If you have about 4-7 days for safari, you can consider a combination of Serengeti, Tarangire, Ngorongoro.
For longer itineraries or for clients interested in seeing diverse habitats or for those interested in activities like canoeing, treetop walkway, Lake Manyara can be a good park to add.
If you like scenic locations with glittering water bodies and greenery and rain forests then Manyara would definitely appeal to you. Serengeti, Tarangire & Ngorongoro mostly have open grasslands. Like a dry savanna. Swamps and pools are not as abundant as they are at Manyara. Manyara is covered in different shades of green, water is everywhere, and you can do canoeing in the lake or walk up above in the midst of the green canopy unlike at Tarangire.
Lastly, another reason for adding Lake Manyara to itinerary is its convenient location. Its close to Arusha and on the way from Tarangire to Ngorongoro or from Arusha to Ngorongoro. With good number of accommodations available at wide price range, including Lake Manyara is not as expensive as adding extra day at other parks in the region.
Safari Tours to Lake Manyara
We offer various itineraries that include safari tours to Lake Manyara National Park. To view some of our popular tours, click here
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Lake Manyara National Park
1. How many days do you recommend for visiting Lake Manyara National Park?
We recommend spending one day at Lake Manyara. The park is small and can be explored within one day. If you want to explore the cultural activities, such as the hikes offered in Mto Wa Mbu town that borders Lake Manyara, we recommend adding one more day for this.
2. What do I see in Manyara that I can’t find in Tarangire or Ngorongoro?
Diverse habitats! You won’t find as many habitats you find in a small region at any other parkin Tanzania. The beautiful escarpments, underground water forests, acacia woodlands, are some great features of Manyara that cannot be found in Tarangire or Ngorongoro or even Serengeti. The wide variety of habitats within a small area is unique to Manyara.
Manyara also has blue monkeys that cannot be seen in Tarangire or Ngorongoro, along with large troops of baboons!
3. Is night safari at Lake Manyara worth doing?
Night safari at Manyara can be done if you are up for the thrill of going into the park at night when nocturnal animals are active. Lions, Porcupines, grazing hippos, leopards, mongoose, civets, genets, bush babies, owls, there is a long list of nocturnal animals. Although, it must be noted that animal sightings on night game drives will be highly unpredictable. Many clients have spotted animals such as lions, genets, hippos, and civets. Some have even been lucky to find a Leopard. But many have had to come back only after spotting one or two animals.
However, night safari is more than just about animals. Being in the middle of bush with no one around you and in near total cover of darkness and hearing night sounds from different directions is an exciting experience.
So if you are visiting Manyara, we recommend you to consider Night game drives.
4. Night game drives at Manyara or Tarangire ?
We recommend a night safari at Tarangire over Manyara, as Tarangire is bigger and wider and more open and has more abundant wildlife, so the chances of spotting nocturnal cats and animals like Lion, Leopard, and Hyena are higher.
At Tarangire, only a few accommodations offer night game drives. These accommodations are again of two types. The ones that are located inside can arrange night safaris inside the park. Then there are accommodations that are located outside the park in Wilderness Management Areas or WMAs which border the park. So these organise night game drives outside the park.
So to do night game drives at Tarangire, you need to stay at one of these accommodations, inside or outside the park, and we need to book night game drives with them in advance. Prices for night safari are lower for the lodges outside the park than the ones on the inside. But the experience of night game drives is much better inside the park than outside.
At Manyara, night game drives are done by a third party tour operator and not by the accommodations. So night game drives at Manyara can be done by anyone visiting the national park, as long as their lodge can be reached within one hour from the park. The closer the better as we need to drive from park to accommodation after night game drive at 10:30 PM or so.
At Manyara, if you decide to go for a night game drive on the same day you have done the day game drive, it will cost an additional $114 per person. This includes the night game drive permit fees of $59 per person. At Tarangire, price depends on the lodge but typically night game drives arranged by lodges outside the park cost lower and by the ones inside park cost higher, and it is also higher than the cost for night game drives at Manyara.
In short, in terms of experience, Night game drives inside Tarangire offer better expereince than night game drives inside Manyara which are in turn better than night game drives outside Tarangire
In terms of price, Night game drives inside Tarangire are the most expensive followed by night game drives inside Manyara and night game drives outside Tarangire are cheaper (though exact price depends on lodge where you stay).
5. What regions can you explore during a full day tour at Lake Manyara?
Most clients enter Lake Manyara from its Northern gate where you may visit the groundwater forest which is a breeding ground for birds like pelicans, storks and marabous. It also hosts baboons, blue monkeys, vervets and reptiles. The region is populated with lush evergreen trees like mahogany and figs.
Floodplains along the shore of the lake is another region that can be visited. Elephants, zebras, and buffaloes are usually found in this region. Birds like egrets, herons, and stilts can be found here.
Marang Forest Reserve located on the escarpment in the south west of the park is a region to be explored as well. Animals found in this reserve are similar to animals found in other areas. But this area is likely to be less crowded than the others.
Acacia woodlands in the south have animals like reedbucks, dik-diks, leopards and giraffes. This region also has birds like hornbills, emerald cuckoos, and guineafowls.
Maji Moto Spring, a hot water spring, surrounded by palm and fig trees is a scenic spot which is also within the southern part of the park.
On a full day game drive you can visit all of the above spots.
6. Is half a day enough to enjoy Lake Manyara?
Half day can be enjoyed at Manyara and you will see many of the animals that are commonly seen in the park but it won’t be possible to visit all the locations. You might have to miss out on the southern part of the park where hot springs can be seen. We do recommend clients to visit southern part (and hence a full day for Manyara) if possible as this part of the park gets fewer tourists and feels more wild.
Also if you are interested in canoeing, treetop walkway then we strongly recommend spending a full day at the park.
7. How often can you spot the climbing lions at Manyara?
There is about a 25% chance of seeing climbing lions at Manyara. Infact chances of seeing lions anywhere in Manyara has been under 50% on a day safari from our experience. Also, it must be noted that climbing lions are not unique to Manyara. They have been seen climbing trees in other parks like Tarangire and Serengeti as well. Many tourists have had the opportunity to spot lions sitting in trees in Central and Western Serengeti and from our experience, chances of seeing tree climbing lions are higher at Serengeti than at Manyara!
8. Are flamingoes seen in large numbers at Manyara?
Flamingo numbers have been rapidly declining at Manyara for the past few years. Due to the flooding this park is experiencing since 2020, access roads have been cut off and it's hard to get close to the few remaining flamingos in the lake. From the past couple of years, we have been seeing very few flamingos from a distance at Lake Manyara or sometimes we don't spot flamingos at all.
We have had more luck spotting a greater number of flamingos in Arusha national park (At Lake Momella) and Lake Eyasi than at Lake Manyara.
Flamingoes keep migrating between the alkaline lakes in the rift valley and their migration pattern is hard to predict. If you are keen on seeing flamingos in Tanzania, discuss with your travel consultant and he can advise you on the best location for spotting them.
9. What is the best season for bird watching?
Lake Manyara is a good destination for birding throughout the year.
But the best time to go birdwatching at Manyara is the rainy season from December to June. Birds from Europe and North Africa migrate to Manyara and are concentrated in a higher number during this time. Birds such as pelicans and yellow-billed storks are some migratory birds that you can find here. But that’s not it. While many birds migrate to Lake Manyara, it dies have its own sets of residential birds as well. You can find them at the park throughout the year. Hamerkops and Silvery Cheeked Hornbills are some examples of the residential birds. Many birds have beautiful, colourful breeding plumages at this time too.
10. Is Lake Manyara crowded ?
Given its small size and huge popularity, Lake Manyara does tend to get a bit crowded, especially in the northern parts of the park and during the peak season from July to October. Some ways to avoid crowds are - to enter park in the early hours before vehicles from Arusha reach the park or spend time in the southern part of the park which doesn’t receive as many visitors as the northern part.