Lake Manyara National Park

Lake Manyara National Park is located 126 km (78 mi) south west of Arusha[8] and can be reached by car in an hour and a half.

The lake has no outflow, but is fed by underground springs and by several permanent streams that drain surrounding Ngorongoro Highlands.

At the area near the park gate there is a tall forest, sustained by groundwater, dominated by evergreen fig and mahogany trees.

On the west side of the park, the rocky escarpment of the rift valley wall rises steeply to 1,219–1,829 m (3,999–6,001 ft).

A narrow zone of dense acacia woodland grows at the base of the rift wall, on materials washed down the face.

[13] Other features include a hippopotamus pool at the northern end of the lake and two hot springs, one near the centre of the park and the other near the southern edge.

This 60 °C geothermal feature is formed by underground water that passes through hot volcanic magma rocks of the great rift valley.

[citation needed] The flora of Lake Manyara National Park is diverse, with over 670 flowering plant and fern species documented.

Rivers flowing off the escarpment and perennial springs below the rift wall support tall, evergreen groundwater forests dominated by Trichilia roka with Broad-Leaved Croton (Croton macrostachyus), sycamore fig (Ficus sycomorus), quinine tree (Rauvolfia afra) and forest toad-tree (Tabernaemontana ventricosa).

[13] Growing at the edge of the groundwater forest are dense stands of yellow fever trees (Acacia xanthophloea) and the palm Phoenix reclinata.

[6] Woodlands on the western shore of the lake dominated by Acacia and Commiphora species are also supported by groundwater.

[13] Vegetation on the escarpment is characterized by Ruellia megachlamys and African baobab trees (Adansonia digitata).

[5] The groundwater forest to the north of the lake, and largely within the National Park, is a well-known breeding site for thousands of pink-backed pelican (Pelecanus rufescens) and yellow-billed stork (Mycteria ibis) along with smaller numbers of Marabou stork (Leptoptilos crumeniferus) and grey heron (Ardea cinerea).

[5] Over 40 species of birds of prey are documented, including palm-nut vulture (Gypohierax angolensis) and Ayre's hawk eagle (Hieraaetus ayresii).

Predators of Lake Manyara National Park include lion, leopard, African wild cat, spotted hyena, black-backed jackal, bat-eared fox, serval, honey badger, African civet, genet (Genetta) species and several mongoose species.

[3] Lake Manyara is the type locality for the endangered fish Oreochromis amphimelas, a species of in the cichlid family.

Lake Manyara National Park philosophy
Overlooking Lake Manyara National Park
A fever acacia in Lake Manyara National Park
An African Baobab in Lake Manyara National Park.
Southern ground hornbill at Lake Manyara National Park
Lilac-breasted roller