Safari Day 1- Lake Manyara National Park

I adored the experience of climbing Kilimanjaro. It was a great sense of accomplishment and the views were incredible. I must admit though that I am not sure if I enjoyed the climb or the safari more. I loved seeing the incredible views from the safari and the animals. I cannot say enough about seeing these majestic animals in their environment. The way they protect their young, play, find dinner, and so much more. Some were active while others seemed lazy. We saw hundreds of animals, but I never tired of them. Even on day 4, I wasn't tired of seeing more zebras or elephants.

I am almost glad I ran out of room on my camera memory (stupid memory card issues) since I could take photos of animals forever. I will definitely attach too many below, but enjoy and go on a safari soon!

Day 1- Day one was a lot of driving from our hotel (4 bumpy hours) to Lake Manyara National Park. It was also the first day of many boxed lunches. It was interesting to see the small variations between days. After a hot day in the car and sun, you were ready for any food. We ate lunch in the parking lot before entering the National Park. Our guides warned us to close the windows on the car to avoid monkeys taking anything. We laughed, but learned more about that on day 2.

The pictures tell a better story than I can, so I will only give a quick overview. The first animals we saw were monkeys and lots of them. We saw them hiding in the trees and playing on the ground. We saw the parents carrying the baby monkeys around. They were fun and playful. Then we entered the plains area which was full of different animals. There was a pond for the birds and hippos to play in. The plains held a range of animals (I lost track but they included zebras, buffalo, and impalas), but I think the big excitement was seeing an elephant up close. The open area vehicles were perfect to view the animals.

After an afternoon of exploring, we were off to the hotel with some beautiful views and a buffet dinner. The only downside to the safari for me was that I finally was sick. I basically had a cold that I think was caused by incredible amounts of dust. It was great to shower every night and get rid of the grim from the day in the truck. Oh and sleeping in a bed after nights on the ground was definitely nice.