Lake Manyara National Park

Lake Manyara occupies the floor of a Rift Valley escarpment, and the park protecting it is compressed between the water's edge and the precipitous wall rising 600 metres above. The narrow strip of groundwater forest shelters one of the largest hippopotamus populations in northern Tanzania and flocks of pelicans, storks, and flamingos along the alkaline margins. Tree-climbing lions are a notable phenomenon documented here, though sightings are variable.