Lake Manyara, Alkaline lake in Arusha Region, Tanzania

Lake Manyara is a shallow, alkaline lake in the Natron-Manyara-Balangida branch of the East African Rift, in Monduli District, Arusha Region, Tanzania. It covers about 470 square kilometres, though its area and depth fluctuate; a 2010 survey found an average depth of 0.81 m. The northwest part lies within Lake Manyara National Park, and a groundwater forest fed by springs from the Ngorongoro highlands stands between the shore and the rift escarpment.

The area served as a hunting ground during the 1920s before being converted into a protected national park to safeguard the natural environment. Official establishment as a park occurred in 1960, with later expansions increasing the conservation area.

The Iraqw call the lake Moya. The Maasai name emanyara refers to the Euphorbia tirucalli hedge that encloses a family homestead, a boma; the 600 m rift escarpment around the lake is likened to that enclosure. Another explanation comes from the Mbugwe word manyero, a trough where animals drink.

The best time for wildlife viewing is during the dry season from July through October when animals congregate near water sources. Visitors should plan morning and late afternoon drives to maximize encounters with the animals present.

In 2010 a bathymetry survey measured an average depth of 0.81 m and a maximum of about 1.18 m, though wet-season figures reach 3.7 m. The lake is the type locality of Oreochromis amphimelas, a cichlid endemic to Tanzania's saline lakes; fishing is banned inside the national park, which supplies seed stock for fished populations.