It costs about $50 for the entrance fee to visit Lake Manyara National Park. This is because it’s a relatively small park measuring 325 km² (about 125 sq mi), so most tourists only spend one day at Lake Manyara then visit other bigger parks in the area like Serengeti and Tarangire on a combined safari tour. 

On average, you can expect to spend anywhere from $200-$1000 per person per day on budget safaris to $2000-$5000 per person per day on luxury safaris in Tanzania. Safari costs take important expenses into account like transportation (flights, cars and boats), accommodation (camps or lodges), meals and activities (game drives, bird-watching, canoe safaris etc). 

There are a few things you should know about Lake Manyara before planning a visit.

Lake Manyara (pronounced Man-yah-rah) is 30 miles (50km) long and 10 miles (16km) wide, making it the seventh-largest lake in Tanzania. This massive body of water is filled with salt deposits and it is often called a soda-ash lake.

The lake extends well beyond the park boundaries into the Lake Manyara Biosphere Reserve. The biosphere reserve is an area that not only protects animals and their habitats but also includes a population of some 250,000 people, coffee and banana plantations into one giant human-nature ecosystem.

The lake is fed by underground springs and streams running down from the surrounding Ngorongoro Highlands. Its waters are shallow enough that animals like buffalo and elephants can usually wade right across for most of the year. 

In addition, Lake Manyara National Park forms part of an animal migration corridor that allows large herds of elephants, wildebeests, zebras and buffalos to pass through the area in the dry season to Tarangire National Park where there is a year-round freshwater source.

Lake Manyara National Park is 125 square miles (325km²) in size but two-thirds of this area is covered by water leaving only 36 square miles  (93km²) of land for vehicle routes. 

When compared to the Serengeti and Tarangire National Park, animal sightings are not as good and the park doesn’t have the typical African-safari feel as most habitats are forests and flood plains instead of wide-open savannahs and grasslands. This aside, Lake Manyara National Park offers a spectacular landscape with a huge diversity of habitats that is well worth taking at least a few hours to explore on-route to the bigger parks.

The best way to get to Lake Manyara (if you’re not a migratory bird) is by plane and car, or by plane and boat if the roads are badly flooded and inaccessible during the rainy months (November-April). 

Generally, visitors fly into Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA). From there, Lake Manyara National Park is 78 miles (126km) or 1.5 hours drive from Arusha. The park is on route to the popular Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tarangire and Serengeti parks. Alternatively, you can get a 30-minute flight from Arusha to Lake Manyara Airstrip.

There are lots of places to stay in and nearby Lake Manyara, which are determined by your budget and things you want to do during your visit.

There is a variety of accommodation types available for every kind of tourist.

There are lots of activities you can do at Lake Manyara. Safaris in this region are a little different because of its proximity to the water, but that’s what makes a trip to this Tanzanian national treasure extra special.

Safari Drive

You can drive but it is advisable to go with an experienced driver as roads are sometimes muddy or flooded. The parkland area is small with most routes navigating through the forest. The entire road network of Lake Manyara National Park can be covered in 3-4 hours. Gates close to the public at sunset. 

Night Drives

Lake Manyara is the only national park in Tanzania that allows night drives. This is, however, only available as a guided activity. Night drives are good for spotting short-eared galagos, porcupines, genets and other animals that are active after dark, including cats on the hunt.

Canoe Safaris

A unique way to see wildlife and birds is from the water. Guided canoe safaris are available when water levels are high enough. An experienced guide will take you out on stable boats for a scenic paddle around parts of the lake to look for birds and animals at the water’s edge.

Hot Springs

In the park, visitors can explore the natural hot-springs from a 300m raised boardwalk on the lake’s western banks. Water temperatures of the park’s hot springs can reach a near-boiling 60⁰C (140⁰F). If you are looking to bathe and snorkel in naturally warm waters, there are tours to the nearby Chemka hot springs close to the town of Moshi. Tours cost between $70-$150 per person depending on group size.

If safaris and the hot springs aren’t for you, not to worry. There are lots of other fun activities outside Lake Manyara that are sure to make your trip memorable. 

Here are some of my favourites: 

• Hiking
• Cycling Tours
• Village Tours

Hiking 

Shorter nature walks through the forests as well as longer guided hikes along the ridge of the Great Rift Valley are popular in the Lake Manyara area. These tours are usually 1-1.5 hours with a knowledgeable local Masai guide who will also teach you a bit about indigenous plants and their traditional uses. 

Cycling Tours 

Ride a bike on fairly easy terrain through local villages and enjoy views of Lake Manyara as well as banana and coffee plantations. Cycle trips are 2-3 hours long and suitable for most ages and fitness levels.

Village Tours 

The town of Mto Wa Mbu, located close to the entrance of Lake Manyara National Park, is a community bustling with residents from different tribes and cultures. Cultural tours of the village provide an opportunity to experience daily life in an African village. Interact with artists and farmers and taste some of the local specialty – banana beer.

Like so many of Tanzania’s amazing national parks and reserves, Lake Manyara is in the north of the country.

It sits between Ngorongoro Crater to the northwest and Tarangire National Park to the southeast.

This location makes it the perfect addition to a safari covering the famous Northern Circuit.

To the west, you can also find a spectacular Rift Valley escarpment, and the soda lake after which the park is named dominates the area, especially in the wet season.

All this adds up to awe-inspiring landscapes, 11 distinct ecosystems, and one of the highest densities of large mammals in the world.

Lake Manyara National Park’s total area is only 130 square miles, making it significantly smaller than its more prestigious neighbors.

But this just means there’s less wilderness for the animals to hide in. Many species aren’t shy about approaching the lake for a much-needed drink.

In fact, the name Manyara is derived from the Mbugwe word manyero, which means “a place where animals drink water.”