Lake Manyara National Park

Lake Manyara National Park is a protected area in Tanzania's  Arusha  and  Manyara Regions ,
situated between Lake Manyara and the Great Rift Valley. It is administered by the Tanzania
National Parks Authority, and covers an area of 325 km 2  (125 sq mi) including about
230 km 2  (89 sq mi) lake surface. More than 400 bird species have been observed on the lake.

Manyara is also home to another forest: an evergreen, jungle-like area full of monkeys enjoying
the many, remarkably high trees. The most dominant of them all is the spectacular sycamore fig,
hardly to be missed thanks to its creamy yellow and brown bark. Other stunning specimens
typical for Lake Manyara National Park are the huge baobabs that you will find all over the Rift
Wall.

The lushness of the forest derives from groundwater seeping down from the extinct Ngorongoro
volcano. This undergroundlife artery can be experienced directly in the hot springs in the south
of the park where sulphurous water bubbles out, steaming.

Lake Manyara National Park offers a wilderness experience in diverse habitats, from its Rift
Valley soda lake to dense woodlands and steep mountainsides. Apart from a spectacular
setting, the park is famous for its unusual tree-climbing lions and the vast elephant herds it
was established to protect.
The shores of the lake, encrusted with pink flamingo, attract more than 400 species of birds,
many of them waterfowl or migrants. Large herds of buffalo, cheetah, Masai giraffe and
impala roam the lake shores and the forested valley slopes.

A Lake Manyara safari is a fascinating experience, as the park also features a ground-water
forest, acacia tortilis woodland and hot springs called Maji Moto.

Troops of several hundred
olive baboon appear alongside Sykes monkey and short-eared galago. Cape clawless otter,
Egyptian mongoose, hippo and klipspringer are other park residents and the famous tree
climbing lions of Manyara.