Manyara in August?
 

I am looking forward to my safari in Mid-August and have just confirmed my itinerary. After 2 days in Tarangire, I can either visit Manyara or do Mountain biking and a visit to Mto wa Mbo. What would you recommend? What are your thoughts on Manyara in August? Thanks!

I've been in August and had great vieiwng of individual elephants, baboons, vervets, some blue monkeys, and the hippo pool with hippos in and out of the pool.

Never did mountain biking in Mto wa Mbo. If you are a mountain bike enthusiast, then that would be have special appeal. I tend to concentrate my limited time in Africa doing things unique to the region. I can mountain bike elsewhere.

Arriving/departing Manyara it's easy enough to stop at Mto-wa-Mbu.

Coming from Tarangire (2/hrs) arriving at Manyara you can have a short game drive in this small park, though with some interesting game sightings. Then drive down the road (1/hr) to the Karatu area where you will find coffee plantations and working farms, all with lovely grounds and activities provided (your choice payable direct). Can have a late lunch and maybe do a walk in the highlands, visit the Elephant Caves, visit a school or orphanage.

While I have done the biking, believe there was a recent post mentioning the bikes weren't in the best condition. Hey, it might have only been those that poster had, but who knows.


Then continue to Ngorongoro.

... sorry, that "I haven't done the biking"

We spent three nights in Lake Manyara this past August and enjoyed some fantastic sightings. The highlights included two sightings of the famous tree-climbing lions, great birding including a gymnogene, and wonderful sightings of giraffes, elephants, monkeys and baboons. The scenery, with the diversity of habitats, is lovely. The dense, jungle-like ground-water forest in the north is a (wonderful) shock after traveling through dusty Tanzania. IMHO, it is a pity that so many tours just spend a few hours in the park as part of the Northern Circuit.

We also stopped in Mto-wa-Mbu (pronounced umto-wambu) twice - there are some great markets in the village and it is a fascinating place to watch the world go by.

If it were me, I would give up the biking and go to Lake Manyara with a stop in Mto-wa-Mbu along the way (you could walk the main street in an hour - start at the western/Lake Manyara end - the better markets are there).

Below is a link to my trip report and photos from August. See pages 73 and 82 for Mto-wa-Mbu and pages 74 to 82 for a list of highlights and photos from Lake Manyara.
Robin

http://bert-and-bin.smugmug.com/Trav...38901400_BHybf

Hey you can kill two birds with one stone !!!

I agree with other that have said go to Lake Manyara.

Stop off at Mto wa Mbu, it is a nice quaint little town with the highway running right through it,.

You can rent a bike here and ride around the town.

( Had some Banana Beer here while visiting the homes of my guide's friends ..what does it taste like,!?... you really do not want to have any !!!)

About the bikes, the ones that the locals own are pretty beat up, but they seem to riding them everywhere.

However, we visited a bicycle shop in Mto wa Mbu and I saw brand new bikes ...top price was $125.00, but Wow !!, I never saw such lovely bikes, some of them were still packaged up ,as a shipment had recently come in!.

These bikes were loaded and beautiful, they came from Japan

I remember turning to my friend Randy and saying, "Boy we don't have those kinds of bikes back in North American."

I am sure you could not rent those bikes !

And you don't see them on the roads either !!! so who uses them ! ?

Maramboi Camp has mountain bikes for use by their guests. One of the guys in camp took one of our group out for a ride along the salt flats on the east side of the lake where the camp is located. I wonder if these were the bikes you saw.

ShayTay:

I do not know where these bikes go.

But they were very very nice and beatifully painted.

I almost felt like buying one and having it shipped back home !

I should have asked my guide , who buys THESE bikes and where do they ride them !

"I do not know where these bikes go.

But they were very very nice and beatifully painted."

Some lovely lines, almost a poem.

Well Thanks atravelynn.... I never thought of the lines as poem.!

If anyone is going to Mto wa Mbu,maybe they can check out this bike shop.

I would like to know who buys these bikes because they were not the convention bikes you see the locals riding down the highway and villages, with their massives loads on them.

Maybe them pretty wheels are for a Bike-a-thon, charity event!

sandi

It could be !

I Googled "Bike Shop Mto wa Mbu " and found out there are a lot of bike tours in Africa.

But these bikes were not the convention mountain bikes but rather streamlined nice looking bikes.

Some were still in the crate, others were out of the crate.

They had a nice covering of the chain, from the Pedal all the way to the back wheel, matching the color of the bike.

I kick myself for not taking some pictures as I had the camera strung around my neck.

However , I do have a picture looking down into the green plastic pail of Banana Beer !!.. it tastes like it looks !!

But hey , when you are visiting the locals in their humble huts and they offer you Banana beer... well you politely sip on some !

If not Banana Beer, it could be Kava which is the traditional tribal drink for many in the South Pacific islanders. Kava looks and tastes like muddy water... ugh! Leaves the tongue numb! When in Rome..............

My guide told me it was Banana Beer ....if you know what it looks like........... then

e mail me at [email protected] and I will send you a picture of the "stuff" !!!