Great Rift Valley - the Escarpment near Lake Manyara, Tanzania

Views of the Lake Manyara valley as we ascend the Escarpment of the Rift Valley

 

A shopping stop at a huge crafts store near Karutu, Tanzania

Lake Manyara Game Drive 6 - wildlife and park gate

a herd of African elephants coming through the bush

An elusive bush buck with the little white dots along the side

 

We exit the park at the northern gate -

The word Emanyara is the Masaai word for a plant that has a milky substance that can cause blindness.  The Maasai use the plant as a euphobia.  We have a box lunch at the lake shore.  We can view hippos just off shore

Black crested snake eagle

Lake Manyara Game Drive 5 - Lesser Flamingos

 

Lake Manyara is an "alkaline" or soda lake found in in the Great Rift Valley.

The flamingos migrate between Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.  Farming has caused a great harm to several of the lakes in Tanzania causing an abundance of phosphate.  As a result - many of the great flocks of flamingos that I had seen in videos just weren't here. The plumage varies from almost a pure white to rose.

Lake Manyara Game Drive 4 - wildlife

Young Martial eagles in the nest

"Out on a limb" - a "Troop" of olive baboons in this park

Long crested eagle

Giraffes at lake Manyara

Mara giraffe enjoying acacia tree tops

evidence of flooding in the park at lake Manyara

Watch out for this big guy - an olive baboon crosses just in front of our vehicle

This baby baboon catches a ride with mom across the road

Lake Manyara Game Drive 3 - Hot Springs

There are geothermal features in the Great Rift Valley.  We stopped at this small sulphar streem

Crowned cranes enjoy hunting around the lake

Elaine in safari gear!

Lake Manyara Game Drive 2 Wildlife

Pumba (warthog) and wildebeest graze near Lake Manyara, Tanzania

Zebras near lake Manyara with views of the Escarpment in the background

A field full of Olive Baboons

Baboon in fig tree

Gray headed kingfisher bird

Drango - jet black with a fish tail

Lake Manyara Game Drive 1 - Lion Pride

We encounter a Lion Pride at the southern end of Lake Manyara.  There is one male and 5 female that were just leaving their morning kill and resting near the Lake.

 

two of the female lionesses

The male of the pride - notice how dark his mane is

3 females are visible in this photo

The male lion is checking out the female to see how receptive she would be to him.



We actually watched as the lions mated. A nearby wildebeest watches. 

The Male lion - Flamingos can be seen in the background

Lake Manyara National Park - Yambi Gate (southern entrance)

Our fearless group of Overseas Adventure Travelers at the park entrance

Our group:  Rich and Cheryl Eichman, Steve and Patricia Champ, Darrell and Elaine, Arlen and Ida Cartwright, and Jaya and Suran Kodical.  We are traveling with Ranger Safaris in a Toyota Land Cruiser.  Our tour leader is Davis Matafu.  Our drivers are Martin and Freddy (Ready Freddy).

We are traveling the "aray" circuit through this park

Views of the Escarpment from the Lake Manyara Valley.  The outer crop rocks are also visible and are granite

"Skyes Blue" Monkeys - at the park entrance

Little Bee Eater with bright yellow and green colors

 

Road through the park