Mto wa Mbu sits where the Great North Road meets the Rift Valley escarpment, at the entrance to Lake Manyara National Park. It is well known for unusual cultural diversity, with many of Tanzania’s ethnic groups represented, and for irrigated banana and rice farming.
Village cultural walks — taking in farms, markets, local breweries and craft workshops — are a popular activity, and the town is a natural stop between Tarangire, Manyara and Ngorongoro.