About three million years ago, during the formation of the Great Rift Valley, depressions and valleys formed. Later they were gradually filled with alkaline water from underground sources. Thus, Lake Manyara and several small lakes adjoining it were formed. It is surprising that the water in them has a completely different color from gently blue to emerald green, depending on the mineral composition. And it changes with the advent of the new season. The lake contains large reserves of salt and phosphates. Its dimensions are 50 km in length and 16 in width. In the dry season, Manyara practically dries up. In those places where the rift comes close to the lake itself, hot mineral springs beat. On the shores of the lake grows an amazing plant - rubber spurge. It was important in the lives of local residents. The Masai tribe used it as a material for the construction of housing. In their dialect the name of the plant sounds - "emanyara". This word later referred to the alkaline lake with the adjoining park as "Manyara". Lake Manyara National Park The National Park Lake Manyara was granted the status of a protected area in 1960. Its territory covers 330 km2 and includes a lake with an area of ​​230 km2 and an adjacent territory. The uniqueness of this place is in a variety of beautiful landscapes. There are sparkling lakes, hot springs, dense forests and high steep cliffs. This place was loved by the famous traveler and writer Ernest Hemingway. He called it the most beautiful place in Africa. Animal World of the Reserve Because of the unique natural conditions and landscapes in the park, there is a huge variety of species of animals and birds. The main attraction of the park are lions who can climb trees. Because of the tall trees in the forest, it is inconvenient to track down their prey, so they learned how to climb the lower branches of trees to increase the view of the area. Here lives a large number of hippos, which almost all the time spend in the lake, moving like ships and making grunting sounds. In the shady forests there are many monkeys, among them baboons and blue monkeys. Black rhinoceroses and elephants, giraffes, buffalo herds and antelopes can all be seen while walking through the reserve. Rich and diverse world of feathered inhabitants of the valley. More than 400 varieties of local and migratory birds are recorded here. Among them there are pelicans and storks, cormorants. Many species of predator birds attract the attention of ornithologists from around the world. The incredible beauty of the sunsets over Manyara, the pink foam of thousands of magnificent flamingos in the coastal waters will leave an unforgettable impression of this unique creation of nature.