Tucked below the majesty of the Rift Valley wall, Lake Manyara National Park is a thin green band of forest. Flanked on one side by the sheer six hundred metre high red and brown cliffs of the escarpment and on the other by the white-hot shores of an ancient soda lake. Deep in the south of the park hot springs bubble to the surface.

Legendary tree-climbing lions
Hundreds of baboons lounge nonchalantly along the roadside of the lush jungle-like groundwater forest. Inland of the floodplain, an acacia woodland is the favoured haunt of Manyara's legendary tree-climbing lions and impressively tusked elephants.

More than 400 species of birdlife
It is commonly said that Lake Manyara is one of the finest parks in Africa for birdwatchers. The lake itself attracts two breeds of flamingos (greater and lesser), you can view millions of them along with many other aquatic species. Also in this area the long-crested eagle and the grey-headed kingfisher can be found.