The park and lake take their name from the manyara bush used by the Maasai to build their stockades. The Maasai actually use the same word, emanyara, for a kraal (you can see a manyara bush at the park entrance). Once inside, the first part of the park is thick groundwater forest with huge trees, including Cape mahogany, croton, sycamore fig and several sorts of palm. Beneath these soaring canopies, dense undergrowth provides a delightful array of wild flowers and butterflies, but this is not easy country for game viewing.

Animals found in the area include elephant, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, waterbuck and warthog. Manyara is also known for its tree-climbing lions. These majestic animals find shelter in the branches of trees from the heat and biting flies. There is a particular belt, which they frequent along the woodland, south of the Msasa River. These lions also have a peculiar specialisation of killing buffalo. You should see troops of live baboons and Sykes monkeys playing beside the road.

Further into the park it becomes drier, gradually opening out into forests of umbrella-topped fever trees and baobabs. As the vegetation changes, so does the wildlife. Near the southern end of the park, there are two groups of bubbling, steaming hot springs that have dyed the surrounding ground a rainbow of colours with their chemicals.

Like most other Rift Valley lakes, Manyara is a shollow soda lake, fed by groundwater, and varying hugely in size according to the season. As it shrinks back a broad floodplain opens up. Many animals choose to graze the new shoots and wallow in the muddy shallows. Amongs them paddle water birds such as pelicans, flamingos, cormorants and herons, while a little further out, pods of hippos grunt the puff their way through the heat of the day.

On the southern side of the park, you will find the hot springs of Maji Moto. This word directly translated from Swahili means hot water, and are about 60ºC. The views from some of the lodges on the rift wall are spectacular, and it is highly recommended that you spend at least one day/night of your safari in the area.