We left early on Friday morning and headed to the Lake Manyara National Park. We stayed in a great campsite that even had a pool! We headed out to look for animals in the afternoon. The first we saw were lots of baboons. There was a super tiny baby one which was adorable. From there, we saw elephants and GIRAFFES. HOORAY. They crossed the road right in front of us. We stopped in this wide open area by the lake and it felt like the world went on forever! The food every night was fantastic! It was nice to eat some different foods than the food at the house (though all of it is pretty good!). Afterwards, we watched a traditional Tanzanian song/dance/acrobatics show at the campsite.
The second day, we drove a long distance to the Serengeti, which is 14,763 square kilometers. We drove through the Ngorongoro Crater (we came back there for the third night/fourth day). It was a high mountain and there was tons of fog. Slightly like Jurassic Park but also incredibly beautiful. We ate lunch on the edge of a mountain. Then, we stopped at a Maasai town. Tanzanian originated from over 100 tribes, the Maasai is very common around here. We got to dance with the women and they put traditional necklaces on us. We got to see their houses, which are basically tiny huts. It was pretty cool to get a taste for the traditional culture. Then we drove to the Serengeti gate. It was AWESOME. So cool to say I have been there. At the entrance, we got to climb on this large rock formation and look over the place. It was raining in some parts and sunny in others, so it was cool to see the weather. The rain proved it interesting to get to our campsite. Our van almost tipped over completely. Basically horizontal. Pretty eventful. The campsite at the Serengeti isn't fenced off, so we got some hyenas on our campsite (they are a bit cuter than in the Lion King).
The next day, we woke up early and headed off to look at animals. The highlight was watching a cheetah chase a baby antelope and lost. It had already hunted and vultures took over its old food. It was very interesting. More zebras, hippos, giraffes (yay!) and elephants too. I saw so many antelope and wildebeest that I was over them by the end. We went back for lunch and it was definitely the best meal I've eaten here (pork chops and avocado were a major highlight.) We then went back to camp at the Ngorongoro Crater site. It was VERY cold there because we were on top of a mountain. But, the stars and the view was amazing.
The final day we explored the Crater and saw more great animals. Before we left, an elephant showed up on our campsite. It ended up charging at us, so I ran REALLY fast from that one. The highlights included 3 lionesses hunting and eating food (then being chased away from its remains by hyenas and vultures. I didn't know that hyenas could scare away lions, but apparently they can). We then saw three male lions just napping in the road. We were SO close it was amazing. We also saw over 200 zebras all together in one place. That was pretty cool. We then left for back home in Arusha! On the way back, an angry baboon jumped into our open car door, which was moderately frightening. Lots of close animal encounters on that day.
Overall, it was an awesome trip. Our jeep had a blast and saw some amazing things! Unfortunately, I can't put pictures here because I have no way to put them on my friend's computer I am borrowing. But, here is one he took of me with a giraffe.
Talk to you all soon!
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