This unusual park lies in the shadow of the Great
Rift Valley whose reddish brown escarpment wall looms
1,950 feet high (600 metres) on the eastern horizon. Waterfalls spill over the cliff and hot springs bubble
to the surface in the south.
Much of the park often
appears to be in a heat haze created by the soda lake -
Lake Manyara. The la ke attracts considerable birdlife,
and its surrounding terrain contains such a rich mosaic
of different habitats that it supports a large number of
animals.
The park is accessed by road
via the village of Mto wa Mbu, an eclectic market town
where several tribes have converged to form a linguistic
mix like nowhere else in Africa.
Such diverse
surroundings attract equally diverse species such as
monkeys, antelopes, zebras, hippos and crocodiles,
buffalo, giraffe and a high density of elephants. The
park is particularly known for its tree-climbing lions,
who may be seen sleeping off the heat of the day on a
branch instead of a shady spot on the ground like most
other lions.
Fish-eating birds inhabiting
the lake include pelicans, storks, cormorants and
Egyptian geese. Flamingoes colour the lake pink as they
arrive to feed at the lake during their migration. One
unforgettable sight is a giant flock of red billed
quelea who gather in their thousands and waft over the
water like a giant swarm of insects.
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