 |
|
LAKE MANYARA TREE LODGE, TANZANIA
|
African Big Game: Lake Manyara National Park is a compact yet incredibly diverse wildlife haven at the base of the spectacular Great Rift Valley. Six distinct habitats support an array of wildlife:- Famous tree-climbing lions
- Large herds of elephant and buffalo
- Richest birdwatching locality in Tanzania
- Enormous flocks of nomadic lesser flamingo
- Extraordinary hot springs on lakeshore
- Luxuriant groundwater forest
|
|
| |
Lake Manyara Tree Lodge Habitats:
Acacia woodland is dominated by spectacular umbrella thorn, tamarind tree and desert date, with cordia and salvadora shrubs; which are an excellent habitat for large mammals. Floodplains fringing the lake expand and retract according to the levels of the lake and are typically fringed by stands of fever trees and ivory palms. Verdant groundwater forest – dominated by evergreen mahogany and ficus – occurs where water seeps from the Rift Valley wall and along rivers and streams. Marshes and wetlands develop after rain to provide habitat for aquatic plants and animals. The level of the soda-rich Lake Manyara fluctuates through the seasons and from year to year. The vertical rock faces of the Rift Valley wall are colonised by aloes and other succulent plants, while baobab, sterculia and terminalia grow on the lower slopes. |
|
Mammals at Lake Manyara Tree Lodge:
Manyara is renowned for its tree-climbing lions which may be seen resting in favoured spots. After a decade of heavy poaching, elephant numbers have recovered and the great pachyderms are regularly encountered – the Park was the site of Iain Douglas-Hamilton’s pioneering work on elephant societies. Olive baboon troops may number up to 200 individuals. Giraffe are abundant with many males being very dark in colour. Small numbers of Heck’s wildebeest (a subspecies of the common wildebeest) favour the lakeshore. Buffalo bulls with enormous horns wallow in the lake shallows, and hippos are regularly seen. Leopard and Cape clawless otter are occasionally encountered. Klipspringers hold territories around boulders at the base of the Rift Valley wall. |
|
Birds at Lake Manyara Tree Lodge:
A remarkable 387 species are recorded. Over a million lesser flamingos may occur on the lake although they do not breed here. Great numbers of white pelican, pink-backed pelican, greater flamingo and yellow-billed stork also populate the lake on a seasonal basis. Countless other waterfowl, including many Eurasian migrants, favour the lakeshore. Birds of prey are represented by a remarkable 46 species including Ruppell’s griffon, Egyptian vulture, palmnut vulture, Verreaux’s eagle, crowned eagle, martial eagle, bat hawk and peregrine falcon. Vociferous silvery-cheeked hornbills inhabit evergreen forest and southern ground hornbills stalk open woodland in family groups. Among the more colourful bush birds are Fischer’s lovebird, blue-naped mousebird, grey-headed kingfisher, Abyssinian scimitarbill, red-and-yellow barbet and Peters’ twinspot. |
|
Other African wildlife:
Huge African rock python dwell among boulders and ambush prey in wetlands. Gigantic, cathedral-like termite mounds are the work of millions of these industrious, colonial insects. A variety of colourful beetles and butterflies abound. Interestingly, there are no Nile crocodiles in the lake. Dragonflies and damselflies are prolific at the water's edge. |
|
| For exciting wildlife sightings, visit CC Africa's entertaining
and informative wildlife website www.wildwatch.com. |
|
|
|
|
