The Great Rift Valley has a wall, and at Lake Manyara it stands about six hundred metres high, a green escarpment rising behind the shallow soda lake like the side of a great bowl. The lake is alkaline and shallow, and its edges are fringed with groundwater forest, where giant mahogany and fig trees shade a floor of tall grass. Elephants, buffalo, giraffe and baboons use the forest, and flamingos, pelicans and other water birds gather on the water in vast numbers when conditions are right. The park is also famous for its tree-climbing lions, which lounge on the branches of acacia trees, a habit that is rare elsewhere.
Ernest Hemingway is said to have called Manyara the loveliest lake he had seen in Africa, and on a clear morning, with the mist lifting off the water and the escarpment glowing in the sun, it is easy to agree. The nearest town, Mto wa Mbu, whose name means river of mosquitoes in Swahili, is a lively and colourful place, with a market, banana plantations and a patchwork of people from across Tanzania, selling fruit, carvings and cloth along the main road.
The road to the north, part of the route from Arusha to Ngorongoro, is mostly fast and well surfaced, until it reaches the escarpment, where it climbs in tight bends through forest and farmland to the highlands. Trucks, buses and minibuses are everywhere, and overtaking is ambitious, so stay alert. Cattle and goats wander onto the road, and herders from the Maasai communities walk beside it with their flocks. Motorbikes are not allowed in national parks, so the park itself is for safari vehicles, but the road around is yours.
Fuel is available in Mto wa Mbu and at Karatu, up on the highlands, and it is a good idea to fill the tank before climbing. The weather is hot in the valley and noticeably cooler on the highlands, so dress in layers. The dry season, from June to October, is best for game viewing, and the rains of March to May turn the track to mud. At dusk, the sound of frogs and insects rises from the lake, and the sunset glows red over the water.