The park offers a wilderness experience in diverse habitats – from its Rift Valley soda lake to dense woodlands and steep mountainsides. Apart from a spectacular setting, the park is famous for its unusual tree-climbing lions and the vast elephant herds it was established to protect.

The shores of the lake attract more than 400 species of birds, including flamingos – many of them waterfowl or migrants. Large herds of buffalo, Masai giraffe and impala roam the lake shores and the forested valley slopes.A Lake Manyara safari is a fascinating experience, as the park also features a ground-water forest, acacia tortilis woodland and hot springs, called Maji Moto. Troops of several hundred olive baboons appear alongside Sykes monkey and short-eared galago. Other residents include Cape clawless otters, Egyptian mongooses, hippos and klipspringers.

Although Lake Manyara National Park is one of the smaller parks in Tanzania, its beautiful landscape is home to an interesting collection of wildlife. Lake Manyara is a soda/alkaline like that reaches a maximum depth of 3.7 m. The vegetation changes from ground water forests to flood plains and finally to acacia wood plains.Tourists often visit Lake Manyara National Park en route to or from the Ngorongoro Crater as part of a short safari.