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My first African safari experience was in the small Lake Manyara National Park, located on the shores of Lake Manyara in Tanzania. I had spent the morning driving from Arusha with the rest of my safari group, before exploring the small town of Mto wa Mbu where we had set up camp. The afternoon was set aside for a full game drive through the park.

Although Lake Manyara National Park is tiny in comparison to the vastness of the Serengeti, and it lacks the huge herds of animals that inhabit Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, it gave me a great first taste of the safari experience. Driving along the dirt tracks through the forests and grasslands on the shores of Lake Manyara, we came across a whole range of animals from Elephants and Giraffes to Monkeys and bird life. It was incredible to see these amazing animals in the wild, and I left the park feeling more excited than ever to continue on to Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. Here are some photos from my game drive in Lake Manyara National Park.

Male baboon in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania

A male baboon

A family of baboons in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania

A family of baboons

A group of elephants in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania

Elephants

A male gazelle in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania

A male gazelle

Giraffes in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania

Giraffes

A black faced ververt monkey in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania

A Black Faced Ververt Monkey

Elephants in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania

Elephants

Zebras in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania

Zebras

Grasslands in in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania

Grasslands with Lake Manyara in the background

A baboon in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania

A baboon walking along the road

A kingfisher in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania

A Kingfisher

Hippos in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania

Hippos

Flock of stalks in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania

A flock of stalks

A warthog in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania

A warthog

Elephants in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania

Elephants

Wildebeest in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania

Wildebeest

A black faced ververt monkey in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania

A Black Faced Ververt Monkey

A female gazelle in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania

A female gazelle

A giraffe in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania

A giraffe

Zebras in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania

Zebras

A baboon in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania

A female baboon

A dik dik in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania

A Dik Dik (The smallest antelope)

A flock of flamingos in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania

A flock of flamingos flying above Lake Manyara

Elephants in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania

Elephants

Giraffe in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania

A giraffe checking us out

 

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