Lake Manyara National Park is one of the smallest National Parks in Tanzania and one of the country’s best kept secrets.

It is nestled at the base of the western escarpment of the Great Rift Valley, and it covers an area of 318 square kilometers; despite its small size, however, its terrain is so diverse that its animal lists are some of the most impressive in Tanzania. The Park, located 4,500 meters above sea level, includes most part of the Lake and its shores and also large areas of ground – water forest, acacia woodlands and open swamplands.

The word Manyara is of a Maasai origin, and it refers to a thin succulent cactus, which scientific name is euphorbia tincalli, that Masaai men plant as living stockade to keep their cattle from straying. The climate is marked by a long dry season from June to September and short dry season from January to February.

Manyara’s most stunning feature is the lake, which covers two-thirds of the park’s surface. The Lake is located at the base of the escarpment of the Rift Valley, a 6,000-mile fissure in the earth's crust, stretching from Lebanon to Mozambique. The unearthing of ancient humanoid fossils on the valley floor confirmed the Great Rift Valley as the cradle of mankind and home to the first human beings.The riftforms a ribbon of fertile Lake’ systems among which Manyara is included.

Tinted pink by the myriad flamingos that make their home here, Lake Manyara is a sanctuary for over 380 other bird species, being a bird – watcher’s paradise.

Streams and rivers around the lake attract large numbers of animals, drawn both to the fresh water and the rich, nourishing vegetation; among the countless species, there are abundant sightings of monkey, jackal, mongoose, hyena, hyrax, zebra, hippo, warthog, buffalo, Maasai giraffe, duiker, waterbuck and impala. Significant numbers of elephants are also resident in the Park whilst sightings of black rhino and leopard are not uncommon.

The human population of the whole area includes different ethnic groups, mostly Maasai, Iraqw and Barbaig, dedicated to pastoralism and agriculture, and whose traditional colorful villages and markets can be seen throughout the Park.

Particularly amazing is the market town of Mto wa Mbu, which means mosquito river in Ki-swahili. The place has been used along the centuries as a trading point by different cultural groups and still today this village is a living example of one of the richest linguistic mixes in Africa; this ethnic diversity is best seen as part of a cultural tourism programme which consists in guided visits around the town and its markets. Home to over 90 tribes, the four major African language groups can be heard in the area: Nilotic, Cushitic, Khoisan and Bantu.