manyara
Beneath the cliffs of the Manyara escarpment, this park offers a tapestry of woodland, grassland and swamps. The lush jungle-like forest is home to hundreds of baboons and blue monkeys. In contrast are the grassy floodplains and alkaline lake where thousands of pink flamingoes are found. In addition to the amazing birdlife, another reason to visit are the famous tree-climbing lions.
The park has 330km2 of underwater forest, bush plains and of course, the centrepiece, Lake Manyara, which has alkaline waters with a pH level near 9.5 during the wet season but turns to a large area of mud flats during the dry spells. Hundreds of thousands of pink flamingos congregate on its shore during the wet season.
On the grassy floodplain, large herds of buffalo, impala, zebra and giraffe roam freely. This means fearsome predators like leopards, cheetahs, and tree-climbing lions are also lurking nearby, waiting to hunt. There is also a hippo pond at one end of the park where waterbirds such as herons and storks reside. The park is also home to one of the largest baboon troops in Africa, so there are plenty of excellent opportunities to observe and take pictures of this highly intelligent primate.
