Described by Ernest Hemingway as the ‘loveliest I had seen in Africa’, Lake Manyara National Park is situated on the Western escarpment of the Rift valley. It is home to lesser flamingos, tree-climbing lions, Sykes’ Blue monkeys, Olive baboons & one of Africa’s highest concentrations of elephants.
Located in the Arusha Region of Northern Tanzania, Lake Manyara is the centerpiece of the Lake Manyara National Park.. Designated as a national park in 1960 (2nd in the country after the Serengeti). Initially it was 330 square km in size, but currently encompasses 520 square km. Lake Manyara National Park is home to a diverse range of stunning landscapes including marshland, dense acacia woodland & steep rocky slopes. In years of normal rainfall levels, the Lake covers about 2/3 of the park’s area. After a leisurely breakfast & getting our duffles out to load up the Land Cruisers, we gathered in the lobby before departing. Today we said "kwaheri" or goodbye to Ngorogoro as we head to Lake Manyara. It had rained almost continuously since 11 pm last night & was still coming down steadily. It was very foggy/misty as we left & there was no view of the crater at all. So fortunate to have spent the day before in the caldera. With the extraordinary amounts of rainfall this year, the lake is 1.5 times its normal size & many local communities have had to relocate. The lake is currently very silted up with runoff from farms at higher elevation & the red clay soil has tinged the lake water red. The significant amount of rainfall has altered the character of the lake from a soda lake with alkaline waters (preferred by flamingos) & pelicans, to a more fresh water one effectively limiting the numbers of these species inhabiting the park currently. Lake Manyara is home to over 400 species of birds, & is a paradise for bird enthusiasts. The park also contains Cape buffaloes, zebras, antelopes, wildebeests & the world's largest concentration of baboons.
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| Olive baboon |
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