As part of the famous northern safari circuit in Tanzania, Lake Manyara National Park unlike other safari destinations on this circuit is not so commonly visited. The majority of the safaris on this particular circuit to Lake Manyara National Park, start their journey from the town of Arusha.

Means of Transport to Lake Manyara National Park

There are two major means of transport used to get to Lake Manyara National Park and these include:

By Air

The best way to get to Lake Manyara np is by flying into the Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA).From Arusha, this airport is located about 46 km .Using a domestic flight, it is also possible to fly to Arusha Airport (ARK) while flying from the Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR) in Dar es Salaam .

Alternatively, you can take an international flight to the Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam and then catch a connecting flight from either JRO or Arusha Airport (ARK). There are there are charter flights to the Lake Manyara Airport (LKY) that connect from the Serengeti or Arusha. From there you can connect by road to the park gate which is about 16.km away (approximately 30 minutes drive)

Domestic flights can be arranged with a domestic carrier. In addition to this, charter flights between parks are in most cases booked by your tour operator as part of your safari package.

By Road

Located southwest of Arusha town, the distance from Arusha to Lake Manyara National Park is 126 km (78 miles) and can easily be reached by car. You can also flexibly get there from Bahati, the capital of Manyara region. This is the most popular transport means among holidaymakers visiting the park along the northern safari circuit.

By car, one can also take a trip (road safari) along the newly tarred road connecting from Arusha which only takes 1 ½ to 2 hours to reach the entrance gate. Considering that Manyara Park is on the way to the more renowned Ngorongoro crater and the Serengeti National Park which are the other parks on the northern circuit.

In case you do not have private means, you can use a public transport like a bus to Mto wa Mbu village and then rent a car to get you into the park. The distance from Tarangire National Park to Lake Manyara National Park is 37.4 km

Best time to get to Lake Manyara National Park

All year through, there is a good road access to this park, however, the best time for viewing large mammals is in the dry season that comes between July to October and in January and February. The wet season that begins in November to December and March to June is characterized with rains that make the inner roads rather slippery and hard to traverse. Nonetheless, the wet season is best time for watching birds in Lake Manyara.

Lake Manyara stretches over 330 square kilometers of the Northern Rift valley floor, in the south west of Arusha, and was established in 1960. There are a number of attractions in Lake Manyara, however, its main point of focus is the Manyara Lake. In the whole of the East African Rift, Ernest Hemingway identified Lake Manyara as the most lavish place; its impressive setting that he once extolled with the documentary maker, Collin Willock. Passionate safari tourists on a Tanzania Safari visit this Lake Manyara en-route to the world famous Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater to explore its rich diversity of wildlife. Because it is the first stopover from the tourist town of Arusha, it can easily be accessed.