Lake Manyara National Park

I finally saw some big animals! We took a game drive around Lake Manyara National Park in the afternoon and spotted several different kinds of animals. We were really excited to finally pop the tops of our cars so we could stand on the seats and look out the top! We saw plenty of baboons, Syke's monkeys and impala. We also saw a few zebra, giraffes and elephants. Some of the elephants crossed the road right behind our van so they were about ten feet away from us! It was definitely a memorable moment! Although the park is only about twenty minutes away the area is so different from our typical landscape around camp. Near camp it's like a lush tropical forest, but it was grasslands and different forests throughout the park. It was also finally warm enough to wear my shorts and tank top! I know it's winter in Africa but I never expected it to be so cold! In the morning we took a hike around our camp and up Moyo Hill, while recording all the different bird species we saw. I'm usually not a fan of birdwatching but it was nice to get out of the classroom and I'd never seen most of the bird species before. After dinner we discovered the African equivalent of Nutella! It was pretty close to the real thing! I bought a chocolate bar yesterday but it just wasn't the same. Tomorrow we get to watch a troop (group) of baboons for two hours and record their behavior. They're very animated and dramatic creatures so it should be interesting!