The Great Rift Valley swells with the waters of Lake Manyara, one of Tanzania's finest national parks.
The lake's shimmering waters dominate the landscape of the park, offering a number of wildlife viewing opportunities. Yellow-billed storks, pink-backed pelicans and chestnut-banded plovers all make their home along this body of water and turn the lake into a constantly moving mass of color.
While many visitors come to the park for its dynamic bird population, travelers will have some of the best opportunities at Lake Manyara to see hippos up-close, as well as a number of elephant herds and the occasional tree-climbing lion.
Despite the lake covering a large portion of the park, guests can hike through the park's savannas, squish their way along its marshes, or meander through the fig and sausage trees in the park's acacia woodlands. Within the woods, the birds can often help travelers locate some of the park's larger residents. Guests can often spot a giraffe or antelope with the assistance of a red-billed oxpecker, which will usually trill upon the large animals' arrival.
Bird paradise at Lake Manyara
Posted on Tuesday, Feb. 7th, 2012
