In the north of Tanzania, Lake Manyara National Park centers on its eponymous alkaline lake, a key habitat for hundreds of thousands of bird species. Lake Manyara is an unspoiled paradise of groundwater lakes fed by underground springs. Surrounding the lake are marshlands, grassy plains and acacia woodlands, home to tree-climbing lions and long-tusked elephants. Giraffe strut across the grasslands, where herds of buffalo, zebra and wildebeest graze. Between November and April, thousands of greater and lesser pink flamingos gather on its shores, along with pink-backed pelicans, yellow-billed storks, grey herons and pods of hippo.