Аруша аймағындағы Маняра көлі

Alkaline lake in Arusha Region, Tanzania

Lake Manyara is a lake located in Monduli District of Arusha Region, Tanzania and is the seventh largest lake of Tanzania by surface area, at The northwest quadrant of the lake (about 200 sq, km.) is included within Lake Manyara National Park and it is part of the Lake Manyara Biosphere Reserve, established in 1981 by UNESCO as part of its Man and the Biosphere Programme. There are differing explanations for how Lake Manyara got its name. The name Manyara may come from the Maasai word "emanyara", which is the spiky, protective enclosure around a family homestead (boma). Possibly the 600 m high rift escarpment hems in the lake, like the enclosure around a Maasai boma. Another theory is that the Mbugwe tribe, who live in the Lake Manyara area, may have given the lake its name based on the Mbugwe word manyero, meaning a trough or place where animals drink water.

Lake Manyara has a catchment area of about 18,372 km2 with elevations between 938 m and 3633 m above sea level. The lake is in a closed basin with no outflow, wherein water is only lost by evaporation. It is fed by underground springs, but the vast majority of the inflow comes from rainwater fed permanent and ephemeral rivers that drain the surrounding catchment. The lake's depth and the area it covers fluctuates significantly. and it is also high in dissolved salts. The water becomes increasingly brackish in the dry season as water evaporates and salts accumulate. During dry spells, large areas of mud flats become exposed along the shore. Lake Manyara has experienced an overall upward trajectory in sedimentation rates over the last 120 years with distinct peaks in the 1960s and in 2010. The increased sedimentation rates are largely a result of a complex interaction between increased upstream soil erosion following land cover changes and natural rainfall fluctuations.

The main fish species inhabiting the lake are catfish and tilapia.

Lake Manyara can be accessed through Lake Manyara National Park. With an entrance gate that doubles as an exit, the trail into the park is effectively a loop that can be traversed by jeep within a few hours. The trails goes through forests shrublands and marsh, before reaching the shore of the lake. The Rift Valley escarpment provides a spectacular backdrop. From the nearby town of Mto wa Mbu, through the Cultural Tourism Programme, it is possible to organize a canoe trip on the lake, or a fishing trip to learn traditional fishing methods. Bicycle trips to the east shore of the lake can also be arranged.