GUIDE ON LAKE MANYARA SERENA LODGE IN TANZANIA

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Lake Manyara Serena Lodge stands just outside the small, but richly diverse Lake Manyara National Park in Tanzania, on the rim of a 900 meter escarpment of red rock commanding views of this magical, lushly forested sanctuary, and the central shallow soda lake which shimmers hypnotically as it shrinks and expands seasonally, covering as much as two thirds of the park valley.

Mid-way between Tarangire and the Ngorongoro Crater/Serengeti Plain, Lake Manyara Park offers a delightful contrast to both and forms a convenient stop-over between the two on a tour of Northern Tanzania with AfricanMecca (read more on where else to stay in the beautiful Manyara).



Famed for its troupes of thousands of baboons, its huge family herds of elephant and its flocks of pink flamingos, Lake Manyara was described by Ernest Hemingway as the most beautiful he had seen on his extensive travels in Africa. A tour of Manyara takes you through many varied habitats in a matter of hours, from montane to ground-water forest, grass and salt plains, rivers and lake; incredibly rich in wildlife, especially ungulates, primates and wading birds.

It is a bird-watchers’ Paradise. Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge can be reached by road or air. It is close by the heterogeneous town of Mto wa Mbu which has its own airstrip and a culturally diverse population drawn from many different African tribes. Alternatively, it is a 120 kilometer trip on a good road from Arusha.

Accommodation At Lake Manyara Serena Lodge

Lake Manyara Serena Lodge is busy and large but offering efficient and good quality hospitality to travelers on a wildlife tour in Africa, as well as small conference retreats for small non-profits and business groups. The thatched entrance area is reached by a short rustic bridge with timber support. Leading to this, a strikingly decorated bar, lounge, and dining room seating more than a hundred guests conveys an impression of airy vastness on an African theme, representing traditional meeting places. There is also a large verandah.

67 spectacularly colorful rooms occupy a string of two-story gray washed and thatched rondavels along the cliff edge behind a central infinity pool, giving fantastic views over the escarpment to the distant, glittering lake. The original decor is based on swooping flight paths of abundant avian life and the vivid hues of Lake Manyara and the African sunset sky.



There are twins, double and triples with large beds with some rooms interconnecting for families on safaris with AfricanMecca. Behind each bed hangs a remarkable tapestry reflecting the form of African ethnic art work. Each clean and bright room has an en-suite bathroom with bottled water, toiletries, robes, slippers and hairdryer. A small patio area contains chairs and a table.

Facilities available on demand include extra family beds, children’s dining, active and educational activities, babysitting, 24-hour medical attendance, massage, beauty therapy, room service, laundry, valeting, safes, Wi-Fi and telephone. There is also one exclusively elegant suite, the Losimingori Suite in flamingo pink and blue, suitable for a mid-range Tanzania honeymoon safri trip to Manyara.

Safari At Lake Manyara Serena Lodge

A Tanzanian cultural safari to Lake Manyara allows you to interact with a diversity of different cultures, all based at the burgeoning multi-ethnic town of Mto wa Mbu, under the auspices of the Mbu Cultural Tourism Program which offers village walks with ethnic lunches - guests would need extra days at Lake Manyara Serena to fully experience its local culture.



A wide range of add-on adventure choices are offered at this African holiday destination, include morning bird-spotting walks in the forest, mountain biking, and even valley hiking, in addition to the ever-popular game viewing drives which are taken in custom built 4WD vehicles with AfricanMecca guides in discretionary radio contact with bonded colleagues to share and track wildlife trails for the discerning whereabouts of the most unique sights (read more on best time to visit Lake Manyara in Tanzania).

You may even be taken to see a group of dancing elephant calves, swaying rhythmically and swinging their trunks and tails, or the trace the skies for the rare Palm Nut Vulture, normally a fruit and fish eater, which has joined the ranks of the carnivores and can also be seen squabbling with jackals and hyenas over the carcass of a buffalo.



The great diversity of habitats ensure a varied photo album of safari shots of lions using their specialized tree-climbing skills to lie in ambush for their prey, or families of foraging elephants, huge ears of thin membrane flapping rhythmically to cool the blood circulating in their dense networks of fine blood vessels. Troupes of acrobatic blue monkeys and black and white Colobus monkeys with their cartoon eyebrows are passed frequently on morning and evening drives around the lake which reveals the richness of the closely packed aerial bird and land game populations.

Dining At Lake Manyara Serena Lodge

Food at Lake Manyara Serena Lodge is fresh, abundant and filling. As far as possible, it is locally sourced. Special diets can be catered by prior arrangement via AfricanMecca. Morning tea or coffee, of finest Tanzanian provenance, as well as breakfast, lunch and dinner are all served in the main dining area. In the morning, choose from fruit, cheese, cereals, egg dishes, or a full English breakfast, all served buffet style.

Lunch and dinner, also served from a buffet, offers a choice of poultry, meat, fish or vegetarian options. Sometimes in the main restaurant area, you may have live dinner cook nights with on-site Barbeque cooking. Other accompaniments are soup, entree, pudding, cheese and biscuits. There is also a range of available beverages, wines, spirits, juices and fused cordials. Special arrangements can be made for packed lunches during your full day Serena safari game drive activity in Lake Manyara.



In-room drinks and snacks, campfire sundowners, poolside meals can all be added on as well as and bush dining with lantern lit tables and safari chairs. Freshly prepared savory dishes, cooked on-site in bush kitchens in the open air, are supplemented by soups, fresh salads and puddings from the hotel kitchen. In a specially chosen glade on the cliff edge, accessed along a path lit by hanging lanterns, traditional African safari sundowner cocktails and barbecues can be enjoyed before special cultural displays of ethnic music and dance, or private celebrations may be arranged to provide very special memories of your Tanzanian vacation.

Related Pages

1. Lake Manyara Safari Park Guide	2. Best Time & Weather To Visit Lake Manyara
3. Lake Manyara Map	4. Safari Lodges, Camps & Hotels In Lake Manyara