2-Day Arusha National Park and Lake Manyara Adventure

Upon arrival at the airport, you will be welcomed by your professional safari driver-guide. After a short introduction and safari briefing, begin your journey to Arusha National Park for your first wildlife experience in Tanzania.

Located near the city of Arusha, the park is relatively compact but contains an impressive variety of landscapes. Its habitats range from the forested slopes of Mount Meru to open grasslands, freshwater lakes, volcanic craters and highland vegetation.

Your game drive will take you through the park’s beautiful forests, where you may encounter black-and-white colobus monkeys moving through the trees. Blue monkeys and olive baboons are also commonly seen, while the more open areas support giraffes, zebras, buffaloes, warthogs, bushbucks and waterbucks.

One of the park’s most remarkable features is the Ngurdoto Crater, an ancient volcanic caldera surrounded by forest. Wildlife can often be observed on the marshy crater floor from viewpoints along the rim. You may also explore the Momella Lakes, whose different mineral compositions sometimes give each lake a distinct colour.

The lakes attract numerous waterbirds, including flamingos when conditions are favourable. On a clear day, the park may provide beautiful views of Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro in the distance.

After completing your game drive, return to Arusha and check in at your hotel. Spend the evening relaxing and preparing for the following day’s adventure.

Accommodation: Parrot Hotel
Activities: Airport collection and Arusha National Park game drive

After breakfast, leave Arusha and travel southwest toward Lake Manyara National Park. The journey passes through the scenic countryside of northern Tanzania, with views of local villages, farmland and the dramatic Great Rift Valley escarpment.

Upon arrival, enter Lake Manyara National Park and begin your game drive. Although it is one of the smaller parks on Tanzania’s northern safari circuit, Lake Manyara contains a remarkable variety of habitats and wildlife.

Near the park entrance, dense groundwater forest provides shelter for troops of olive baboons and blue monkeys. As you continue through the park, the forest opens into acacia woodland, grasslands, wetlands and the expansive lakeshore.

Look for elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, wildebeest, impalas and warthogs. Hippos can often be observed in pools and waterways, while predators such as lions, leopards and spotted hyenas inhabit the park but may be more difficult to find.

Lake Manyara is widely associated with tree-climbing lions. Although seeing them resting on tree branches requires good timing and some luck, searching for them adds excitement to the game drive.

The park is also an outstanding destination for birdwatching. Depending on the season and water levels, you may encounter flamingos, pelicans, storks, herons, cormorants, hornbills and birds of prey. Your guide will help identify the wildlife and explain how the park’s different habitats support such an impressive range of species.

After completing your Lake Manyara game drive, leave the park and begin the journey back to Arusha. Depending on your travel arrangements, you will be dropped off at your hotel in Arusha or transferred to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your departing flight.

Activities: Lake Manyara game drive and transfer to Arusha or Kilimanjaro International Airport