2 days The Crater & Lake Manyara
Two parks, one night, no wasted driving. The crater on the first day while the light is good, Manyara on the way back to Arusha.
Wildlife & Culture
Lake Manyara in a Day
A narrow park between the escarpment and the lake, dense with groundwater forest and birds. Small enough to do properly in one day.
Opens your browser’s print dialog. Choose “Save as PDF” to keep a copy.
At a glance
- Destinations
- Lake Manyara National Park
- Best for
- Wildlife safari
- Travel style
- Budget · Drive
- Activity level
- Easy — most of the day is spent in a vehicle or on a boat
- Best time to travel
- Lake Manyara can be visited year-round. June to October generally makes a one-day game drive easier on the tracks; wetter months bring greener forest and birdlife. Flamingo numbers depend on lake conditions, not a promised date.
- Start and end
- Arusha, there and back
Why this journey
- Groundwater forest fed by springs at the base of the escarpment
- Large elephant and baboon populations in a small area
- Over 400 bird species recorded, with flamingos on the lake in season
- The escarpment view over the Rift Valley floor
- A short drive from Arusha — no internal flight, no overnight
Hour by hour
Manyara is compressed into a strip below the Rift Valley wall, and the change from forest to floodplain happens in a few hundred metres. That compression is why a single day works here in a way it does not in the Serengeti.
-
06:00
Early morning hotel pickup with professional guide and safari briefing.
-
06:30
Depart for Lake Manyara, with scenic views of Tanzania's countryside during the 2–3 hour drive.
-
09:30
Arrive at the park entrance, complete registration and begin exploring.
-
10:00
Morning game drive spotting flamingos, water birds, elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, hippos, and the famous tree-climbing lions.
-
12:30
Picnic lunch with wide views over Lake Manyara and the surrounding landscape.
-
13:30
Continue the safari, visiting the Maji Moto Hot Springs and the Groundwater Forest.
-
15:30
Conclude the game drive and head toward the park exit.
-
16:00
Depart the park and begin the return journey.
-
18:30
Arrive back at your destination.
Stay and travel
A day trip, so there is no overnight stay. You start and finish at the agreed pick-up point.
A 4×4 with a roof hatch and a window seat for everyone, driven by your guide throughout.
Camps fill, and roads change with the rains. Where something has to change we substitute at the same level and tell you before you travel, not after.
Included and excluded
What is included
- Every activity named in the day-by-day
- Accommodation as listed, or a similar alternative if a camp is full
- Meals as noted against each day
- Transfers between the agreed pick-up and drop-off points
- Park, reserve and conservation area fees
- An English-speaking Tanzanian driver-guide
- A 4×4 with a roof hatch, or the vehicle the route calls for
- Drinking water through the day
- Government taxes
Not included
- International flights, airport taxes and visa fees
- Travel, medical and baggage insurance
- Personal spending — drinks, laundry, telephone
- Tips for your guide and crew
- Anything not listed as included
Practical information
- Visas, insurance and tipping
- A visa is arranged before travel or on arrival. Travel and medical insurance is a condition of booking. Tipping is customary and we will suggest a range rather than set one.
Related journeys
Every route here can be changed
Tell us what you would keep, what you would drop and how long you have. We will send back a version that is yours.