Simba Tours
Lake Manyara Safari
Tanzania's most surprising park. Flamingos, tree-climbing lions and three ecosystems in 330 km².
What makes Lake Manyara special?
Hundreds of thousands of flamingos
In the wet season the shallow lake turns pink with flamingos. The spectacle from the air — if you are lucky with an early-booked helicopter flight — is breathtaking. But from the ground it is equally extraordinary.
Tree-climbing lions
Lake Manyara is one of the few places on earth where lions routinely climb acacia trees. Nobody knows exactly why — perhaps for the cool, perhaps for the view. But it is unique and in Simba Tours language: Jonas knows exactly which trees they sit in.
Three ecosystems in one day
Lake Manyara has astonishing biodiversity for its small size (330 km²). The rift escarpment creates a microclimate with tropical rainforest, open savanna and the soda lake itself — three completely different worlds within a few kilometres of each other.
Hippos & crocodiles
The hot springs and permanent waterholes are the domain of large hippo populations. Combine that with crocodiles along the lake shore and you understand why Manyara is known as a park full of surprises.
Spotting chances in Lake Manyara
Averaged over the whole year — wet and dry seasons.
"Lake Manyara is treated as a drive-through park on the way to Ngorongoro. That is a mistake. In my 20 years this is the park where guests are most surprised time and again — precisely because they expected so little of it. The tree-climbing lions, the flamingos, the rainforest along the escarpment — it is a world apart."
— Jonas, Simba Tours gids