Stretching for 50 km along the base of the rusty 600 metre high Rift Valley escarpment, the park is home to the scenic gem, Lake Manyara extolled by Hemingway as ‘the loveliest I had ever seen in Africa’.

The park is a sanctuary to over 400 species of birds including the pink flamingo, sacred ibis and Egyptian geese; huge herds of buffalo and elephant and numerous hippopotamus, fondly referred to as ‘water cattle’. Manyara is also home to unique tree climbing lions.