Lions in acacia branches - One of Tanzania's most dramatically located wildlife areas is the Lake Manyara National Park, which occupies the northern section of a shallow soda lake at the foot of the Great Rift Valley.
The Lake Manyara National Park, founded in 1960, is relatively small, covering 330 km², with 200 km² being a lake. It is located in between the 600m escarpment of the Great Rift Valley.
The name – Manyara – is the maasai word for a species of thorny plant, cultivated by the Maasai into a stout hedge to protect their cattle from predators, a plant also known as euphorbia tirucalli.
The varied shore line habitats contain a wide variety of animals, including one of Africa's largest concentrations of elephants and the continents densest biomass (the average weight of plants and animals per square meter).
Much of the land is covered by water, forests or thick bushes which makes sporting wildlife a matter of luck. Algae in the lake itself attract large flocks of flamingos and a series of water springs along the shoreline.
There is a large variety of vegetation and the woodland along the lake's shore contains six species of trees. At water level many crotons can be found, and further away the flat-topped acacia or umbrella tree.
The vegetation in this area is also ideal for buffaloes, giraffes, zebras, warthogs, impalas, wildbeests, and birds. They are plentiful and over 380 different species have been recorded.
It is also famous for the lions often seen resting in the acacia trees. Leopards and cheetahs also can be seen.
At the southern end of the park hot sulphur springs are located, called Maji moto.