Lake Manyara National Park

Lake Manyara National Park is a compact but extraordinarily scenic park in northern Tanzania set beneath the dramatic western escarpment of the Great Rift Valley. Despite its relatively small size of 325 square kilometres the park packs in a remarkable diversity of habitats from groundwater forest at the park entrance through acacia woodland to the alkaline lake that covers much of the park floor. Lake Manyara is famous for its tree-climbing lions — one of only a few populations in Africa that regularly rest in the branches of acacia trees. The lake itself attracts enormous flocks of flamingo alongside pelicans, storks, and a rich diversity of waterbirds. Large herds of elephant move through the groundwater forest while troops of olive baboon are among the most readily observed in East Africa. The park makes an excellent half-day stop between Arusha and the Ngorongoro Crater on Tanzania’s northern safari circuit.