Lake Manyara National Park

Set at the base of the Great Rift Valley escarpment, Lake Manyara packs an unusual variety of habitats into just 330 square kilometres: groundwater forest, acacia woodland, open grassland, hot springs and the alkaline lake itself. That diversity is what gives the park its distinctive character.

The park is famous for its tree-climbing lions, which drape themselves across the branches of acacia trees during the heat of the day — behaviour rarely seen elsewhere in East Africa. Large troops of olive baboons, resident elephant families and shy forest buffalo add to the mix.

Manyara is also a birder's park. In the wet season, thousands of flamingos gather on the lake's shallows, joined by pelicans, storks and a supporting cast of migratory waders that push the species count over 400.