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Lake Trees

Lake Manyara Safaris

Tanzania is a globally famous tourist spot, thanks to the vast variety of African wildlife that can be found on its soil. While the Serengeti National Park, the Ruaha National Park, the Selous Game Reserve and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area are visited by many, a small but beautiful national park that is often ignored is the Lake Manyara.

Lake Manyara is located just to the south of the Serengeti, and to the north of the Tarangire. About two-thirds of Lake Manyara National Park is the lake itself - an alkaline, freshwater lake that is home to a number of aquatic or amphibious animals. Ground water is also abundant in the Lake Manyara National Park, so the variety of flora is much greater than what is usually seen in Tanzania. Large trees such as fig and mahogany line the area near the gate of the National Park, seeming to welcome their guests.

The western side of the Park contains the dramatic Great Rift Valley Escarpment - a dramatic difference in the level of the land, caused by an enormous earthquake some time in the planet's history. The natural beauty of the escarpment is comparable to the giant Ngorongoro Crater that is often shown to visitors on the same safari.

The fauna at Lake Manyara is highly varied. In fact, it is home to a rare breed of tree-climbing lions, who can - with luck - be seen snoozing in the afternoons in the cool shade of a tree. Leopards are abundant, but extremely difficult to spot.

Birds such as the flamingo, grey-headed Kingfisher and Long-crested Eagle can be spotted in abundance at the Lake Manyara, making it an ornithologist's paradise. The migration of the flamingoes is also a beautiful sight, as the birds in flight are nothing like the ungainly selves they present on land.

Ungulates such as the buffalo and wildebeest are seen here too, as in most parts of Tanzania. However, thanks to the vast waterbody, hippopotamuses can also be seen wallowing or swimming in the Lake Manyara.

The easy living conditions at Lake Manyara make accommodation quite affordable - at under $500 per person per night, unlike the Serengeti or the Ngorongoro where most people may end up paying in excess of $950 per person per night. Accommodation is available in tents as well as stone or thatch huts, but a single day may be enough to take a tour across this beautiful national park.

A trip to the Lake Manyara National Park may well be part of a longer safari, which includes the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro, the Ruaha, Selous or any other of Tanzania's many safari-worthy destinations. A 6-day trip is recommended as the standard for people who want to imbibe Africa's wildlife to their fullest.
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What are the possible reasons for a bunch of dead tree trunks in a lake 20-30 feet from shore?

The area is in draught so it's unlikely, put possible I guess, that the lake expanded onto land the trees were one. The trees themselves are quite tall - up to perhaps 50 feet high, but all the bark is missine and there are only naked branches above.

You have, in fact, provided the most likely explanation. That is, the lake level rose at some point in the past, either due to human activities or due to natural ones (e.g,. beaver dam downstream) -- there really is no other explanation for why there would have been have a number of healthy trees (i.e., healthy enough for long enough to attain statures of 50 ft.) living in an area. Indeed, you may be looking at what may have been simply a stream or river basin in the past. Given their size, that area would have supported those trees for quite some time, prior to the ground becoming first waterlogged and then submerged.

Lost in the Trees "Walk Around The Lake" (Official Video)

Tags: lake, lake trees, photo, tree, trees, water

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