Lake Manyara National Park

The Gregory rift is the first part of the area to be reached by a traveller approaching the region from Arusha, this long narrow depression can be traced all the way from Lake Nyasa to the borders of Turkey some 8,000km... Many people pass by the serene and beautiful Lake Manyara National Park in their rush towards the Serengeti and Ngorongoro, but although small, this is one of the prettiest as said by Ernest Hemingway to be the "loveliest [lake] ... in Africa,", it’s one of the more interesting and game-rich parks in the country . It is only 330 sq. km (127 sq. miles) in size-tiny by Tanzanian standards, depending on the season, about two thirds of that is water a shallow (Max. depth 3.7 m), alkaline lake with a pH near 9.5 though it fluctuates widely with the seasons.. The rest is a long thin strip of land sandwiched between the Lake and, the foot of the Eastern arm of Gregory escarpment "the Great Rift Valley".

The Rift Valley’s most dramatic points along its length can be clearly seen here as the cliff rises almost some 800 meters (2,625 ft.) from the valley floor. There is no Eastern Wall to the Rift Valley as there is in Kenya; here the flattish country falls very gently into a depression. It’s the only park which is located within the Great Rift Valley.

The park and the Lake take their name from the Maasai word emanyara, the Manyara bush which is a euphorbia species of plant that is grown into a hedge around a family homestead (Euphorbia tirucalli). The name "is a Maasai description not for the lake, but in general for a lake shore region."

Near the southern end of the park, there are two groups of bubbling, steaming hot water sulphur springs that have dyed the surrounding ground a rainbow of colours with their chemicals, with temperature that can go as high as 70°C.

Giant fig trees and mahogany seen in the groundwater forest immediately around the park gates draw nourishment from the underground springs replenished continuously from crater highlands directly above the Manyara basin. Although Manyara is the smallest its vegetation is diverse, ranging from savannah, open grasslands, rocky outcrops, acacia woodland swamps and the lake itself, enabling it to support a variety of wildlife habitats.

At certain times of the year the alkaline Lake Manyara is home to thousands of flamingos which form a shimmering pink around the Lake.

The Phenomenon of tree-climbing lion was first studied at Manyara, but can occasionally be seen across northern Tanzania. It is thought that it began as a way of avoiding flies and has been imitated as individuals move across territories, Lions will travel miles for a favourite tree.

It also has one of the highest mammal biomass in the world, with a density of 6 Elephants per km² and 18 Buffalos per km².