Lake Manyara

• A stunning soda lake
• Tree-climbing lions
• A World Biosphere Reserve

Lake Manyara is a lovely alkaline lake, one of many similar lakes of the Great Rift Valley. It is estimated to be over three-million-years-old, though it is quite shallow, with an average depth of about three metres.

The lake forms two thirds of the Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania’s smallest park. The rest of the reserve covers the lakeshore habitat, which is roamed by large herds of  elephant and buffalo and consists of mountainside, swamps, woodlands and open grassy plains. The park is especially famous for its tree-climbing lions and for huge flocks of pelicans and flamingoes.
 
The beautiful scenery of Lake Manyara inspired Ernest Hemingway’s book “The Green Hills of Africa”, which documents his hunting experiences here in the 1930s.

Special features include:

• A World Biosphere Reserve
  The wide range of habitats and incredible fauna and flora of Lake Manyara have qualified it as a World Biosphere Reserve. One of the interesting features is the groundwater forest with wild fig, palm, tamarind, African mahogany (Trychilia), rhino rib (Cordia), quinine tree (Rauvolfia) and wild frangipani (Tabernaemontana) trees. The lake for example, hosts huge fish populations, especially of species like the tilapia and catfish. Over 380 bird species have been recorded and Manyara is known for magnificent flocks of flamingoes. This is also where lions display the unusual behaviour of lounging in trees. Once upon a time, Manyara was roamed by vast herds of elephants, many of which were poached in the last century. Due to stringent conservation efforts, elephant numbers are slowly recovering
  
• Hot Springs
  This fascinating natural phenomenon is found towards the southern end of the park. Here, the hot water can literally be seen bubbling out of the ground, reaching temperatures of up to 140ºC