Lake Manyara National Park

Lake Manyara National Park is a unique protected area located in Tanzania’s Arusha and Manyara Regions, between the Great Rift Valley and Lake Manyara. This national park is under the management of the Tanzania National Parks Authority and covers an area of 325 square kilometers, including about 230 square kilometers of lake surface. Its biodiversity boasts more than 350 bird species that have been observed on the lake.Originally, Lake Manyara was an area used for sports hunting in the 1920s. The government established a game reserve in 1957, which later became a national park in 1960. The park expanded in 1974 with the addition of around 550 hectares to the southern end. The national park covers the northwest quadrant of the lake, which is approximately 200 square kilometers. It is part of the larger Lake Manyara Biosphere Reserve, established by UNESCO in 1981 as part of the Man and the Biosphere Programme.The park experiences two rainy seasons: short rains from November to December and long rains from March to May. April is the wettest month with the highest rainfall, which is 161 mm (6.3 in), and the highest number of rainy days (19 days). In contrast, July, August, and September are the driest months with the lowest rainfall, averaging 1 mm (0.039 in), and the lowest average number of rainy days (2 days). The warmest months with the highest average high temperature are January, February, and March, with an average of 30°C (86°F). On the other hand, June and July are the coolest months, with the lowest average high temperature at 25°C (77°F).Lake Manyara National Park is located 126 km (78 mi) southwest of Arusha and can be reached by car in an hour and a half. The park can also be accessed from Babati, the capital of the Manyara Region. The park’s location is strategic, as it has the Marang Forest Reserve on the south and the Kwa Kuchinja Wildlife Migration corridor on the east. The corridor allows wildlife to migrate between the nearby Tarangire National Park to the southeast, Lake Manyara to the west, and the Engaruka Basin to the north. Several villages are within the Kwa Kuchinja corridor. Outside the village land, the 45,000-acre Manyara Ranch, a former livestock ranch, is an important part of the corridor for wildlife movement between Tarangire and Lake Manyara national parks.The national park features a shallow alkaline lake at an altitude of 960 m (3,150 ft) that covers two-thirds of the park. The lake’s depth and surface area fluctuate significantly due to the absence of outflow but the presence of underground springs and several permanent streams that drain the surrounding Ngorongoro Highlands.The lake has extensive marshlands, saline flats, and a grassy floodplain beside it. The area near the park gate is dominated by evergreen fig and mahogany trees sustained by groundwater, and on the west side of the park, the rocky escarpment of the rift valley wall rises steeply to 1,219–1,829 m (3,999–6,001 ft), with large African baobab trees scattered on the slopes. A narrow zone of dense acacia woodland grows at the base of the rift wall, on materials washed down the face. The park also features a hippopotamus pool at the northern end of the lake and two hot springs, one near the center of the park, and the other at the southern end.In conclusion, Lake Manyara National Park is a remarkable tourist attraction site that any nature enthusiast would enjoy. The national park’s location, climate