Lake Manyara National Park, National park between Lake Manyara and Great Rift Valley, Tanzania.
Lake Manyara National Park is a protected reserve between the lake shore and the steep escarpment of the Great Rift Valley in northern Tanzania. The terrain alternates between forest patches, open plains, and wetland areas that shift with the seasonal water levels of the lake.
The government first set aside the land as a game reserve in 1957 after decades of regulated sport hunting in the valley. Three years later, the area received formal national park designation to protect wildlife and their habitat from further hunting pressure.
The name comes from the Maasai word emanyara, referring to the euphorbia bush that grows near water in this valley setting. Visitors notice herders grazing cattle along the outer limits, where traditional land use continues alongside modern conservation.
Visitors usually arrive from Arusha by road early in the day, entering through the main gate on the eastern boundary. Tracks inside the reserve remain accessible by four-wheel drive vehicle during the wet season, when some routes may become slippery.
The shallow water of the lake attracts over one million lesser flamingos at times, drawn by algae that thrive in the salty shallows. Visitors can also spot 670 different flowering plants across the park, an unusually high count for such a compact area.
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