Safari in Tanzania: Lake Manyara National Park

I had dreamed of going on safari for a long time. Even just setting foot in Africa felt like something incredible to me. Then the opportunity finally came while I was living on the island of Mayotte, in the Indian Ocean. Being so close, it would have been a real shame not to go. So we went on a safari in Tanzania in Lake Manyara National Park, as well as other places such as the famous Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire. In this article, I’ll introduce you to Lake Manyara National Park.

First of all, we had to decide on the destination. We were living on the island of Mayotte and two options were possible without spending too much money: Kenya or Tanzania. Given the instability in Kenya at the time, and after doing some research online, we chose to go on a safari in Tanzania. By the way, if you like African island atmospheres, come and take a look at the 20 things you can’t miss on the island of Mayotte.

Note that there are many safaris in neighbouring countries such as Namibia and Botswana, but this clearly increases the cost of the trip from Mayotte. If you are arriving from France or any other part of the world, however, this is an interesting option to consider.

We really wanted to make this safari happen, but if possible in an affordable way, because photo safaris are clearly not known for being cheap activities!

Several options were therefore possible.

• Go through a large travel agency that organises everything from A to Z, but that will cost at least an arm…

• Find a small local agency that would take care of everything;
• Find a good deal online with a local independent guide, while trying as much as possible to avoid scams, because there are some. This option would, in any case, be the cheapest.

After doing some research online, I found the contact details of Moses Cliff Mwanga, an independent Tanzanian guide who seemed serious and had good references. So we decided to go with him. At the end of the article, you’ll find all the details about Moses and my general opinion of the week we spent together.

After a few flights, we arrived in the city of Arusha, in the north of the country, the main departure point for safaris in the region. We began our safari week in Lake Manyara National Park.

This park, founded in 1960, covers an area of 325 km². It is located between the Great African Rift Valley and Lake Manyara. It is particularly famous for its colonies of flamingos and storks, in addition to the classic park species such as giraffes, elephants, monkeys and more.

As for the photos, they were all taken by me with a Canon 6D and a 70-300 L IS for the wildlife shots, and with a 24-70 mm f/2.8 for landscape photos. To help you prepare, I also wrote an article on how to choose the right equipment for a safari.

This first park gave us a great overview of the local wildlife. See for yourself!

This was the first park we visited when we arrived in Tanzania, and it immediately gave us plenty to enjoy: lush vegetation in the forest areas, pink flamingos on the lake and the park’s many giraffes! That said, it did not remain my favourite national park, especially compared with the very famous Ngorongoro Crater or the Serengeti. Still, it was a very nice introduction.

It is indeed possible to book a safari at a lower price, including for less than €3,000 per week.

• Travel with several people: prices drop drastically if you decide to share your vehicle with several people, for example 4 or 6. We weren’t necessarily lucky when choosing this option, as we found ourselves with a young French couple who seemed to know Africa better than the guide and never stopped complaining. So be careful. Ideally, the best option would be to go with friends, two couples for example;

• Go with an independent guide: there are many independent guides online. Be careful to do your research before choosing one, and try to gather as many reviews as possible about the guide.

• Avoid large agencies: this goes along with the previous point. Large agencies generally have very high prices. Unless you need an air-conditioned minibus and want to sleep in a king-size bed at night while sipping cocktails, I recommend turning to an independent guide or a local agency on site.

• Sleep in tents instead of lodges: yes, we chose an affordable safari. And affordable often means tents. Don’t reject the idea too quickly, it was actually pretty cool and, honestly, sleeping in a tent in the middle of the savannah is quite an experience!

For our part, we went with Moses Cliff Mwanga. I recommend him 100%. He offers several types of safari depending on the number of days you want to spend there. He adapts to your requests without any problem and will suggest reducing costs by sharing your vehicle with other people. We had chosen a 3B safari: Lake Manyara National Park, Serengeti National Park (2 days), Ngorongoro Crater Park and Tarangire National Park.

Moses now offers complete packages with a few days on safari and a transfer across the country to reach the Tanzanian coast, where you can spend a few days by the sea. Apparently, it is superb too.

With a little hindsight, and given the experience we had, if you can afford to do it as a couple or with friends, with only two people in the vehicle, I would do it that way. If your budget is too limited, then sharing the vehicle remains a good solution.

As for the week itself, everything went very well for us: the generous meals at the campsite in the evening when we were there, the good atmosphere with Moses, the visit to the splendid parks… A magical week.

In short, you can contact him on my behalf via his Facebook page.

If you organise your own safari, either through a small local agency or through Moses, you will have to make your own way to Tanzania. For a safari in northern Tanzania, the main gateway will be the city of Arusha. Be careful, as the easiest option is often to arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), not to be confused with the local airport of Arusha (ARK). If you want to look for the cheapest flights to Tanzania, I recommend checking this flight comparison site. I have been using it for more than 10 years now.

In general, people say that Tanzania can be visited all year round. But for a safari, certain periods are better than others. Here are a few elements I have gathered. Don’t hesitate to ask your agency or guide for their opinion on the period you want to choose.

A safari in Tanzania: the best period?

The period from May to September/October is recommended. This is the migration period, mainly in Tarangire and Ngorongoro. It is ideal for seeing plenty of wildlife. It is also generally the least rainy season.

The birth period?

It takes place between January and March. It is also the hot season and the beginning of the rainy season in the region.

We chose this season, in February 2015, and we did not have any rain!

The rainy season?

The rainy season generally runs from March to May. The tracks are less accessible and wildlife is harder to observe.

A safari in Tanzania between October and December?

This is the wet season during these months, so rain and showers are possible. This period is often referred to as the “short rainy season”.

So, I hope this article has made you dream a little! In any case, going on safari in Lake Manyara National Park is a great experience. If you have already been on safari, what was your best memory? Which park in particular? For me, Serengeti National Park and my day on safari in the Ngorongoro Crater were even more beautiful!

See you soon for my personal opinions on the other parks. If you have any questions and don’t know how to choose your photo equipment for a safari, I wrote an article about it.

If you have any questions about our itinerary, our guide or anything else, don’t hesitate to leave me a comment at the bottom of the article!

Written by Sylvain PONS

In 2015, Mélanie and I had the opportunity to discover Tanzania during a 2-week holiday. The programme included a safari in the national parks and on the island of Zanzibar!

Despite our care, a mistake may have slipped into this article. If you find any, please don't hesitate to let us know so we can correct it as soon as possible and keep our information up-to-date!