LOCATION & CONTACT

Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge is situated on the Mto wa Mbu escarpment of Northern Tanzania. Aadjacent to the market town of Mto wa Mbu (Mosquito Creek), 130 kilometres from Arusha, it is the only place on the continent where you can hear the four major African language groups – Bantu, Khoisan, Cushitic and Nilotic – spoken in the same area.

The Lodge is in Mto wa Mbu, Northern Tanzania, 130 kilometres from Arusha.

By road: transfers by road from Arusha take approximately 2 ½ hours.

By air: the airstrip is adjacent to the lodge and a ‘meet and greet' and transfer service is offered.

Lying in a shallow depression at the base of the western wall of the eastern arm of the Rift Valley, Lake Manyara typically shimmers in a lilac and gold heat haze, sometimes streaked pink with thousands of flamingos. Backed by a narrow band of forest, it rises to the dramatically sheer red and brown cliffs of the Mto wa Mbu Escarpment. The Park includes not only a substantial portion of the lake and its shores but also large areas of ground-water forest with giant fig and mahogany trees alternating with acacia woodland and open. The name is derived from the Maasai word for the Euphorbia tirucalli bush, which the tribesmen plant as a living stockade to keep their cattle from straying.

The park covers 325 sq kms of which approximately one-third is land, the remainder being part of Lake Manyara. A northern ground-water forest fed by springs from the Rift Valley escarpment gives way to yellow fever trees, alkaline grasslands and eventually coarse sedges at the lake shore. There are baobabs on the valley walls. The Park is famous for its spectacular tree-climbing lions and also offers; monkey, jackal, mongoose, hyena, hyrax, elephant, rhino, leopard, zebra, hippo, warthog, buffalo, Masai giraffe, duiker, waterbuck and impala as well as 487 recorded bird species. 

Although it covers an area of only 318sq km, the park’s terrain is so diverse that its mammal and bird lists are some of the most impressive in Tanzania. As to wildlife, the park offers abundant sightings of; monkey, jackal, mongoose, hyena, hyrax, zebra, hippo, warthog, buffalo, Masai giraffe, duiker, waterbuck and impala. Significant numbers of elephant are also resident in the Park whilst sightings of black rhino and leopard are not uncommon. Manyara is also especially noted for its wealth of bird life, being visited by many thousands of sugar-pink Lesser Flamingos, significant numbers of Greater Flamingos and a host of other woodland, plains and water birds.

As the heat shimmers over the lake, entire prides of lion can be seen lolling in the branches of the acacia trees. An unusual habit for lions, which usually prefer to remain hidden in the thick savannah where they have a better chance of hunting their prey, no one is exactly sure why they do it. Some say it is so that they might avoid the head and flies, others that it gives them a better vantage point from which to hunt.

Lake Manyara is adjacent to the colourful market town of Mto wa Mbu (Mosquito Creek) where several tribes converge to form a linguistic mix that is the richest in Africa. The Mgubwe, Iraqw, Gorowa, Irangi, Tatoga, Chagga and Maasai have used Mto wa Mbu as a trading post for centuries and it is the only place on the continent where you can hear the four major African language groups, Bantu, Khoisan, Cushitic and Nilotic spoken in the same area. 

Wildlife highlights: The Park is famous for its spectacular tree-climbing lions and also offers; monkey, jackal, mongoose, hyena, hyrax, elephant, rhino, leopard, zebra, hippo, warthog, buffalo, Masai giraffe, duiker, waterbuck and impala. Birds: Manyara is noted for its wealth of bird life, which includes many thousands of flamingoes as well as pelican, yellow-billed stork and white-necked cormorant.

The United Republic of Tanzania (Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania) is located in Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya and Mozambique.

Tanzania's climate is predominately tropical. Coastal areas are usually hot and humid, but on the beaches a sea breeze cools the air considerably. The average day temperature is 30°C. Tanzania has two rainy seasons - the long rains from late March to June and the short rains from November to January. The long rains fall in heavy downpours, often accompanied by violent storms, but the short rains tend to be much less severe. The hottest time of the year is from December to March, before the long rains begin. The coolest months are June, July and August, when the weather is often overcast. In high-altitude areas such as Kilimanjaro and the Ngorongoro Highlands, temperatures can fall below freezing.

Tanzania has over 120 ethnic groups. Mainland - African 99% (of which 95% are Bantu consisting of more than 130 tribes), other 1% (consisting of Asian, European, and Arab); Zanzibar - Arab, African, mixed Arab and African.

The landscape of Tanzania is made up of lains along the coast; central plateau; highlands in the north. Kilimanjaro (5, 895 m) is the highest point in the country and in Africa. Tanzania is bordered by three of the largest lakes on the continent: Lake Victoria (the world's second-largest freshwater lake) in the north, Lake Tanganyika (the world's second deepest) in the west, and Lake Nyasa in the southwest.

The game parks of Tanzania have been set aside by the government as wildlife and botanical sanctuaries that enjoy a high degree of protection and management. 25% of Tanzania is gazetted as national parks and reserves making conservation a major element in land use. Tanzania has more than 20 game reserves including the world's largest, the Selous. Five game reserves have been declared and there are about 50 game-controlled areas totalling more than 120,000 square kilometres. Forest reserves make up 15% of the country.

Tanzania's forests offer over 50 tree species and 200 species of shrubs. The East African plains support some of the last great herds of wildlife left in the world, offering a greater number and diversity of species than any other continent: Tanzania offers over 80 major species, including ‘The Big Five' (elephant, lion, buffalo, rhino and leopard), and 600 species of butterfly. From glacial mountain to savannah plain, semi desert to tropical rainforest, Tanzania's botanical versatility supports more than 1,000 bird species.

Tanzania is a safe country to travel in. Tanzanians are warm-hearted and generous people and are eager to help visitors get the most out of their stay. Tanzania is a politically stable, multi-democratic country. As in all countries, a little common sense goes a long way and reasonable precautions should still be taken, such as locking valuables in the hotel safe and not walking alone at night.