Night Game Drive in Lake Manyara National Park
Night Game Drive in Lake Manyara National Park is a unique way of exploring the national park in search of the different wildlife species. Lake Manyara national park is a wildlife viewing destination which is located in the northern part of Tanzania and south west of Arusha.

Nocturnal wildlife species such as lions, leopards, hippos, genets, civets among others can be spotted during the night game drives around Lake Manyara national park.
This national park is also known for the rare tree climbing lions which can be seen while on a safari around the diverse habitat of Lake Manyara national park. Elephants can also be seen in big numbers in the national park.
During the night game drive in Lake Manyara national park, tourists are accompanied by an expert ranger guide who helps to keep the visitors safe during the safari and also to spot the nocturnal wildlife species.
Lake Manyara which is a major attraction in the national park is also a good location to see the nocturnal wildlife species like lions, leopards, hyenas among others during a night game drive.
Night game drives can take up to 3 hours of exploring the wilderness of Lake Manyara national park in the night. Spot lights may also be used during the night game drives while exploring the national park at night in order to see the wildlife species.
Other game drives which are carried out in Lake Manyara national park include the following;
Morning game drives
Morning game drives are carried out early in the morning and during this activity, wildlife species such as elephants, lions, antelopes, among others are easy to spot since they are very active.
Wildlife species in Lake Manyara national park include elephants, tree climbing, leopards, gazelles, waterbucks, giraffes, warthogs, bushbucks, impalas among others.
Afternoon/evening game drives
In lake Manyara national park, apart from night game drives, visitors or tourists can also engage in afternoon or evening game drives as the explore the national park and look out for various wildlife species.
Full day game drives
In Lake Manyara national park, there is also an option of engaging in game drives for a full day. This form of game drive starts in the morning and continues with another game drive later in the day.
Wildlife viewing in Lake Manyara national park is best carried out during the months of June to October which is the dry season when various wildlife species gather around water points making them easy to spot. However, wildlife species can be seen all through the year.
The diverse ecosystem of Lake Manyara national park consists of forests, marshland, savannah plains and a shallow alkaline lake. Different wildlife species can be spotted in these various places around the national park.
The shallow alkaline lake covers a big part of the national park and different wildlife species as well as birds can be seen along the shores of Lake Manyara. During safaris in Lake Manyara national park, tourists can also enjoy seeing the Great Rift Valley.
In the evergreen rainforest of Lake Manyara national park, tourists or visitors on safari can enjoy seeing baboons, black and white colobus monkeys, waterbucks as well as many other bird species.
The activities which are carried out in the forest of Lake Manyara national park include bird watching and canopy walks. There are over 500 bird species which can be spotted around the national park such as the flamingos, pelicans, yellow billed storks, grey herons and many others.
Canopy walks are also carried out during safaris in Lake Manyara national park in the forested part of the national park. This walk takes place along the treetop walkway which is a suspended bridge about 18 meters off the ground. There are also platforms at the end of the bridge where visitors or tourists can enjoy seeing the beautiful views around the national park.
The canopy walk activity takes place in the northern part of the national park near one of the entrance gates of Lake Manyara national park.
Canoe rides
Canoe rides also take place in Lake Manyara national park during their safaris as they enjoy seeing the bird species as well as different wildlife species.
Bird watching
Tourists can also engage in bird watching during their safaris in Lake Manyara national park which has about 500 bird species. Bird watching is best done during the months of November to April when both migrant and native birds can be seen around the national park.
These bird species include flamingos, rufous tailed weavers, ashy starlings, hornbills, grey crowned cranes, cormorants and many others. Some of the location around the national park where bird watching can be carried out include around the floodplains.
Community visits
Tourists on their safaris to Lake Manyara national park can stopover at Mto wa mbu town which is on the way to the national park. This activity involves interactions between the tourists and the locals such as Maasai people.
During the community visits, tourists engage in activities like visiting the homesteads of the locals, visiting the local market, visiting local arts and craft shops where the Maasai display traditional beads, earrings, necklaces, anklets, shukas among others which are made by the local women for sale.
This activity takes place in the company of a village guide who acts as an interpreter as the tourists get to experience the way of life of the locals and also explore Mto wa mbu town.
To engage in the different activities in Lake Manyara national park, some of the requirements to enter the national park include paying of entrance fees which is about 53 USD for nonresidents and also varies for foreign residents and East Africans.
Apart from Lake Manyara national park, other safari destinations which can be visited in the northern part of Tanzania include the famous Serengeti national park (oldest national park of Tanzania), Ngorongoro conservation area, Tarangire national park, Arusha national park.
Lake Manyara national park can be accessed by driving from Arusha to the national park which takes about 2 hours.
