Lake Manyara National Park

Lake Manyara National Park sits beneath the dramatic wall of the Great Rift Valley escarpment, with a landscape that shifts from groundwater forest to open grassland to the alkaline lake itself. It's best known for its tree-climbing lions — an unusual behavior not fully explained by researchers — and for the flocks of flamingos that gather along the lake shore when water levels are right. At around 330 square kilometers, over a third of it is water, making it a strong destination for birdlife alongside the more typical safari species.