Safari to Lake Manyara National Park
Lake Manyara National Park, at the bottom of the Great Rift Valley, borders a large alkaline lake that offers year-round water for a variety of species, including many species of migratory waterfowl (including two species of flamingos).
Your safari leaves The Vijiji Center at 8 am and travels west through Maasai homelands before arriving at the park entrance approximately 1.5 hours later. Lake Manyara is quite forested and is famous for its tree-climbing lions and large population of baboons, but you’ll also see elephants, giraffe, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest and hippos all taking advantage of the well-watered environment. There’s a short, interpretive boardwalk out into the lake that showcases the park’s natural hot springs and offers opportunities for viewing water birds and hippos enjoying a mud bath. This is a great spot for lunch too! After lunch, you’ll continue with your safari, leaving the park in the late afternoon to return to Arusha.
