The park is situated at the foot of the great Rift Valley and covers 330 sq. km of which 200 sq. km lies along the lake and the slopes of the Rift Valley. It has tropical vegetation on the slopes and savannah vegetation along the lake. Manyara is world famous for its tree climbing lions but also has a wide variety of wildlife within a relatively small area. The lake has hippos, flamingos and rich bird-life population.