Lake Manyara National Park

This shallow alkaline lake is best known for the millions of flamingo that call it home, it lies 125 km west of Arusha town, under the wall of the Great Rift Valley. The lake occupies 70% of the National Park total area of 320 sq. km, the ground water forest, open grassland, acacia woodland and the rift wall.

The lake and its surrounding regions also shelter the tree-climbing lions, which are occasionally seen along branches of acacia trees, buffalo, elephants, leopards, baboons, impala, giraffes, zebra, wildebeest, ostrich and hippos. Popularly referred to as an ornithologist’s paradise, Lake Manyara National Park contains over 400 bird species found in most savanna and river habitats in East Africa. Common water birds to be seen here are pelicans, spoonbills, Egyptian geese, hammerkops and the migratory flamingoes, which arrive in hundreds of thousands creating one of Africa’s great natural sights over the soda lake.