[8] These alkaline flats sprout into grasslands, attracting grazing animals, including large herds of buffalo, wildebeest and zebra.

[3] The Western side of the lake is flanked by a steep rift escarpment, to the North are the Ngorongoro highlands, while in the East and Southeast an undulating plain with isolated volcanic mountains gives way to a peneplain.

The shores of the saline lake host at its Northern tip the town of Mto wa Mbu with its irrigation agriculture.

The wetter and more productive uplands all over the catchment are mostly used for rain-fed agriculture by various ethnicities depending on historical migration and resettlement patterns.

The wider Lake Manyara basin social-ecological system suffers from multiple environmental problems due to unsustainable land and water use.

[10] Lake Manyara has experienced an overall upward trajectory in sedimentation rates over the last 120 years with distinct peaks in the 1960s and in 2010.

The following table summarizes the most numerous species, according to the Important Bird Areas factsheet: Lake Manyara.

With an entrance gate that doubles as an exit, the trail into the park is effectively a loop that can be traversed by jeep within a few hours.