Lake Manyara | East Africa Travel Company
Lake Manyara has a surface area of 470 square kilometers, ranking it as the seventh-largest lake in Tanzania. There is a shallow, alkaline lake in the Natron-Manyara-Balangida branch of the East African Rift in Tanzania’s Manyara Region.
Lake Manyara
Lake Manyara (about 200 sq, km.) is included within Lake Manyara park and it’s a part of the Biosphere Reserve, established in 1981 by UNESCO as a part of its Man and therefore the Biosphere Programme.
There are differing explanations for the way that got its name. The name Manyara comes from the Maasai word Emanyara, which is that the spiky, protective enclosure around a family homestead (boma). Possibly the 600 m high rift escarpment hems within the lake, just like the enclosure around a Maasai boma.
Lake Manyara National Park
Known for its tree-climbing lions, soda ash lake, and pink flamingos, Lake Manyara National Park is one of Tanzania’s most beautiful parks.
When to Visit Lake Manyara National Park
Despite being an all-year-round safari destination, the dry season from June to October is considered the best time for viewing wildlife at Lake Manyara National Park.
Lake Manyara National Park is located at the base of the River Valley Escarpment. In contrast to more savanna-dominated parks, its groundwater forests offer superior scenery diversity.
During the peak tourist season (June to October), the northern section of the park is very crowded, especially in the mornings; however, in March and April, the park experiences rain, which makes it a low tourist season.
Lake Manyara Weather
In Lake Manyara National Park, there are two main seasons – the dry season and the wet season, each of which offers its own rewards.
Lake Manyara - The Dry Season
The park experiences the dry season during the months of June to October, this is also referred to as the peak tourist season.
The short dry season comes in January and February with a large number of tourists flooding the park which results in more costly safari tours as the demand for accommodation is generally high.
During that time of the year, the animals gather around the few remaining water sources and because the vegetation is thin they can easily be spotted.
This time of the year is also highly recommended to visit as there is a lot of fun with little rain and since mosquitoes are very few, there are slighter chances of contracting malaria.
It tends to get cold in the mornings and you are therefore advised to bring warm clothes for the early morning game drives during this time of the year.
The dry season is not a recommended time to visit especially for holidaymakers wishing to travel yet on a low budget.
Lake Manyara - Mbugwe tribe
Another theory is that the Mbugwe tribe, who sleep in the area, may have given the lake its name supported by the Mbugwe word Manyero, meaning a trough or place where animals drink water
Lake Manyara - The lake
The lake is in a closed basin with no outflow. it’s fed by underground springs and by several permanent streams and rivers that drain the encompassing Ngorongoro Highlands, but the overwhelming majority of the inflow (over 99%) comes from rainfall
. The lake’s depth and therefore the area it covers fluctuates significantly. At its maximum, during the wet season, the lake is 40 km wide by 15 km with a maximum depth of three .7 m. In 2010, a bathymetry survey showed the lake to possess a mean depth of 0.81 m, and a maximum depth of about 1.18 m.
In extreme dry periods, the area of the lake shrinks because the waters evaporate and sometimes the lake has dried up completely. Lake has a soda or alkaline lake with a pH near 9.5, and it’s also high in dissolved salts.
The water becomes increasingly brackish within the season as water evaporates and salts accumulate. During dry spells, large areas of mudflats become exposed along the shore. These alkaline flats sprout into grasslands, attracting grazing animals, including large herds of buffalo, wildebeest, and zebra.
Lake Manyara - Fish
The main fish species inhabiting the lake are catfish and tilapia[9]. there’s a little fishery, but fish only tend to be found near the inflow areas, where salt concentrations are lower.
Park is the type locality for the endangered fish Oreochromis Amphimelas, a species within the cichlid family, endemic to Tanzania, found in Lake Manyara and a variety of other saline lakes with closed basins.
Exploitation is prohibited within the parts of Lake Manyara within the park and therefore the protected park areas provide important stores for the replenishment of fished populations.
Lake Manyara - Birds
Park is understood for flocks of thousands of flamingos that feed along the sting of the lake within the wet season. At times, there are over an estimated 2 million individuals of varied species of water birds. the subsequent table summarizes the foremost numerous species, consistent with the Important Bird Areas factsheet: Lake Manyara
Lake Manyara - Visiting Lake Manyara
Park is often accessed through Lake Manyara park. With an entrance gate that doubles as an exit, the trail into the park is effectively a loop that will be traversed by a jeep within a couple of hours.
the paths go through forests shrublands and marsh, before reaching the shore of the lake. The valley escarpment provides a spectacular backdrop.
From the nearby town of Mto Wa Mbu, through the Cultural Tourism Programme, it’s possible to arrange a canoe trip on the lake or a fishing trip to find out about traditional fishing methods.
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