Lake Manyara and Tarangire National Parks are closely connected, located a good two hours' drive apart. They are connected by a migratory corridor for animals, an ancient route where animals used to move en masse from the Ngorongoro Highlands, past Lake Manyara and the Tarangire River to the Simanjiro Plateau – and vice versa. This millennia-old animal migration route has been reduced today due to the expansion of human population, but animals still migrate, especially between the Tarangire area and Lake Manyara.
Lake Manyara National Park is a special gem in this part of Africa. It covers an area directly on the tectonic fault line, where it rises steeply from the lake towards the highlands. It contains a huge amount of water, as permanent and torrential tributaries flow from the highlands into the lake on the other side. This is why the area is very wooded. Here you can experience the tropical rainforest and ancient mahogany forests – green in all their glory.
The animals here surprise us in a completely different way than in Tarangire. Hippos rise from the lake like guardians of the territory, while water buffaloes rest on the shore. The animals move through the dense vegetation to rare clearings and often stop us on the main road, where we drive along this 50-kilometer park. Elephants, giraffes, antelopes, lions, leopards, and many other animals are permanent residents of this "green heart of Tanzania." There is also a huge population of birds. But the main "attraction" of the park is definitely the forest. The old acacia, mahogany, and fig trees will simply enchant you.
Sleeping in or outside the park. We always recommend sleeping in the park. Lake Manyara is a real diamond at night, and the sounds of the night are like a natural bath for your spirit. Manyara also offers an exceptional night safari – you may encounter a lion calling to his females and hippos grazing on the shores of the lake at night, carefully defending their territory. Or you may simply be enchanted by other, often surprising images of this gem of northern Tanzania.
