Lake Manyara National Park

Lake Manyara National Park may be compact at 330 square kilometres — but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in sheer diversity. Stretching along the base of the Great Rift Valley escarpment, the park is a ribbon of emerald green: groundwater forest, acacia woodland, open grasslands, and the shimmering alkaline lake itself. Ernest Hemingway famously called it "the loveliest I had seen in Africa." Lake Manyara is famous for its tree-climbing lions — a rare behavior that still puzzles scientists — and its vast flocks of flamingos that turn the shoreline pink. The park is also a paradise for primates: troops of baboons and blue monkeys move through the forest canopy. Balbina Safari includes Lake Manyara as a perfect entry or finale to the northern circuit, offering a completely different ecosystem in just one day.