Lake Manyara is
one of the most scenic parks that
you will encounter on your journey
in Tanzania, stretching for 50km along
the base of the rusty-gold 600-metre
high Rift Valley escarpment.
From the entrance gate, the road
winds through an expanse of lush jungle-like
groundwater forest where baboon troops
lounge casually along the roadside,
blue monkeys scamper nimbly between
the ancient mahogany trees, dainty
bushbuck tread warily through the
shadows, and outsized forest hornbills
honk cacophonously in the high canopy.
Contrasting with the intimacy of
the forest is the grassy floodplain
and its expansive views eastward,
across the alkaline lake, to the jagged
blue volcanic peaks that rise from
the endless Maasai Steppes. Large
buffalo, giraffes, wildebeest and
zebra herds flock on these grassy
plains.
Inland of the floodplain, a narrow
belt of acacia woodland is the favored
haunt of Manyara’s legendary
tree-climbing lions and impressively
tusked elephants.
Manyara provides the perfect introduction
to Tanzania’s birdlife. More
than 400 species have been recorded,
and even a first-time visitor to Africa
might reasonably expect to observe
100 of these in one day. Highlights
include thousands of pink-hued flamingos
on their perpetual migration, as well
as other large waterbirds such as
pelicans, cormorants and storks. |
