Lake Manyara National Park

The Manyara National Park in Tanzania consists of a strip of land about 50 km long and between 6 and 8 km wide that includes the homonymous lake and extends to the steep western slope of the Rift Valley. The surface of the park is 330 km². The park is located not far from the Masai village of Mto wa Mbu (in Swahili: mosquito river) and since 1981, given the particularity and uniqueness of its ecosystem, it is a biosphere reserve.

The lake and the surrounding area, included in the national park, constitute an ecosystem renowned for the wealth of plant and animal species, although it is a rather small park it is extremely interesting to visit due to the difference in landscape that is encountered compared to other parks of the north: the northern end of the park is occupied by a dense primary forest, alternating with typical savannah landscapes, dotted with gigantic baobab trees, acacia groves, and gallery forests along the waterways, The park is crossed by many streams and from the river Endabash. At the southern end there are the Maji Moto hot springs.

Lake Manyara, which rises inside the park, is an alkaline water lake, the size varies considerably during the year based on the rainfall trend, but it can be said that it is about 50 km long and 16 km wide , with a total area of ​​about 230 km². The fauna includes numerous elephants, baboons, wildebeest, zebras, giraffes, hippopotamuses and other species, particularly well known are the lions of the Manyara, which have the habit of climbing trees in this area (a behavior that is very rarely observed elsewhere). abundance of birds makes the lake a true paradise for bird watching, also due to the strong presence of pink flamingos.

Ernest Hemingway, who described his safari in this area in the novel Verdi hills of Africa, called the Manyara "the most beautiful lake in all of Africa".

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