- Arusha, Tanzania
- info@kilinyotasafaris.com
- +255 765 475 767
“A jungle, a soda lake, and lions in the trees.”
Ernest Hemingway once described Lake Manyara as “the loveliest I had seen in Africa.” It is a park of incredible contrasts packed into a small area. As you enter the gate, you aren’t greeted by savannah, but by a lush groundwater forest that feels like a tropical jungle, echoing with the calls of blue monkeys and hornbills.
But the real magic happens further in. The forest gives way to the grassy floodplain and finally to the shimmering alkaline lake itself. This is the home of the legendary tree-climbing lions, vast troops of baboons, and, when the water levels are right, a pink ribbon of thousands of flamingos stretching as far as the eye can see.
Tree Climbing Lions: Â Manyara is famous for a unique behavioral phenomenon: lions that climb acacia trees to escape the heat and insects. Spotting a pride draped over branches is a safari highlight.
The Pink Flocks: The alkaline soda lake attracts thousands of lesser and greater flamingos. Against the backdrop of the Rift Valley escarpment, it creates a stunning pink horizon.
Treetop Walkway: Tanzania’s first airwalk. This suspension bridge takes you 18 meters up into the canopy, allowing you to walk eye-to-eye with monkeys and birds.
Baboon Troops: Lake Manyara hosts some of the largest concentrations of baboons in the world. Watching their complex social interactions and playfulness is endlessly entertaining.
Unlike the dry bush of Tarangire, Manyara begins with a dense, evergreen forest fed by underground springs from the crater highlands. This “jungle” atmosphere is cool, shady, and teeming with life. It is one of the few places where you can see the Silvery-cheeked Hornbill and huge troops of Blue Monkeys leaping between the ancient mahogany trees.
The park is dramatically framed by the sheer wall of the Great Rift Valley, which rises 600 meters high on the western side. This purple-hued wall provides a breathtaking photographic backdrop for the elephants and giraffes grazing on the lake shore. It is a geological masterpiece that reminds you of the ancient forces that shaped East Africa.
