Lake Manyara National Park — Full-Day Tree-Climbing Lion Safari

Lake Manyara National Park is one of Tanzania's most varied safari destinations — a ribbon of protected land between the steep western escarpment of the Great Rift Valley and the alkaline lake that gives the park its name, about two hours from Arusha.

Forest, floodplain and lake

You enter beneath tall fig and mahogany trees in a lush groundwater forest, home to large troops of olive baboons, blue monkeys, hornbills and turacos. Further on, the forest opens onto grassland and floodplain where elephants move in family groups, buffalo and giraffe graze, and hippos rest in the pools. Depending on water levels, flamingos and pelicans gather in large numbers along the lake shore.

The tree-climbing lions

Manyara is famous for lions that regularly climb into the branches of acacia trees — a behaviour seen in only a few places in Africa. Sightings are never guaranteed, but your guide knows their favourite areas. After a picnic lunch overlooking the escarpment, an afternoon drive through the southern woodland completes the day before your return to Arusha.