a small game park in northern Tanzania, Lake Manyara National Park is often overlooked by hurried tourists in favour of the bigger parks, such as Ngorongoro Crater, the Serengeti, and even Tarangire National Park. Still Manyara is a place of lush beauty, thriving, diverse wildlife, and is the perfect spot for a day-long safari. It is conveniently located between Arusha and the Serengeti, which also makes it an excellent place to spend a day.
Manyara is known for its birds, and also for its tree-climbing lions. I have personally seen giraffe, elephant, Thompson's Gazelle, Grant's Gazelle, Impala, an Egyptian cobra, several mongeese, Dik dik, Baboons and monkeys of all sorts, and many other animals.
Geographically, Lake Manyara National Park is a small strip of land stuck between Lake Manyara and a large escarpment. It is no more than 5 km wide at any point. The park totals 330 square km, of which 230 sq km are lake.
Simba River, Msasa River, Ndola River, Bagayo River, and the Endabash River all flow through the park. For the tourist there are two campsites, three ranger posts, two picnic sites, and a hotel.