Lake Manyara Safari Review: Tanzania Day 2 Guide

After ending an absolutely amazing Day 1,

we kicked off our Day 2 tour!

Jet lag? Completely gone!

We met even more animals today than yesterday.

Let's get Day 2 started~~~

Here we go!!!!

Lake Manyara National Park

Lake Manyara NP

Today is the day we head to Lake Manyara National Park!

By now, running into elephants on the road has become totally normal.

At first, I was so amazed that I squealed with excitement,

but later on, elephant families were roaming around like neighborhood dogs,

so we became pretty nonchalant about it. haha.

And then, we arrived at the entrance of Lake Manyara National Park!

Most national park entrances in Tanzania look like this,

and they always have buffalo skulls displayed at the front! lol

A quick photo taken during our restroom break.

Even though we're in Africa, the weather was actually quite cool, so I wore long sleeves and long pants.

(A fashion statement showing my absolute determination not to get sunburned!)

You have to get permits before entering the national park,

and that's your cue for a restroom break.

Once you're inside, you can't step out of the vehicle to protect the wildlife.

So, make sure to use the restroom while they're getting the permits!!

This area has a jungle-like terrain, giving it a completely different vibe from Tarangire, which we visited yesterday.

Maybe that's why there were so many monkeys around.

Look at those incredibly clear eyes, haha.

We also spotted a baby monkey.

They say a monkey's butt is red,

but this was beyond red—it looked like Shin-chan's mom had given it a massive spanking,

it looked so sore!

We see these guys so often now we could practically take roll call.

And I bet we'll keep seeing them every day... haha.

Suddenly, a loud CRACK!!! echoed through the clear blue sky.

Startled, we looked around and saw impalas fighting!

Impalas live in herds,

and the male impala lives with several females and young offspring.

To do this, he has to be chosen by the females,

and the strongest impala has the ultimate advantage..!

So this match was all about who is stronger...

who is the real alpha male...

to claim his dominance.

They say watching a fight is the most exciting thing.

And honestly, we found ourselves cheering them on with pure excitement... haha.

Our lunch view for today!

We packed lunch boxes from yesterday's hotel and enjoyed them right inside the national park.

There is a designated picnic zone inside the park,

and all the travelers we hadn't seen during the safari seemed to gather here.

The park is massive, and the trails branch off in so many directions,

which makes having an experienced guide absolutely essential.

The reason there are trees submerged in the lake is because of the heavy rain a few days ago. :(

Our guide, James, kept apologizing, explaining that we couldn't go any deeper because it was too dangerous.

Honestly, we were just glad the picnic area wasn't flooded!

For mid-range luxury safari tours, lunch is always provided as a packed lunch box throughout the entire itinerary!

If you go high-end, they cook fresh meals on the spot and even serve alcohol,

but since breakfast and dinner were surprisingly hearty and delicious, we were perfectly happy with our lunch boxes.

Though... we had no idea we'd be eating the exact same lunch box for 5 days straight.... haha...

The contents were so shockingly identical that we eventually stopped taking photos of them.. lol.

It usually consisted of chicken, bread, fruit, a hard-boiled egg, chocolate, nuts, juice, and water. Nothing too fancy, but it did the job! haha.

Kudu Lodge and Camp

Kudu Lodge and Camp

On our way to the lodge after the tour, we came across some picture-perfect clouds and paintings.

We didn't get out to ask about the prices,

but when traveling in Africa, it's pretty common to see people selling beautiful artwork by the roadside.

Passing through the village, the sign for Kudu Lodge came into view!

This village seemed a bit larger and livelier compared to the others.

We stayed at Serena Lodge for almost our entire trip, but today was the one and only day we stayed somewhere else!

Welcome to 'Kudu' Lodge! (A kudu is a type of African antelope, which explains why the lodge's logo is shaped like a deer!)

Can a 2-star lodge really be this spacious and cozy...?

Lush greenery right outside the window... and that insane natural light pouring in....

The bedroom was easily one of the largest we've ever seen, with a surprisingly long hallway leading to the bathroom,

and there was even a cozy sofa and table setup where we could do some quick work!

But the absolute highlight that got us super excited? There was an actual fire.place!!

In the evening, a staff member came by to personally light the firewood, allowing us to fully enjoy a cozy fireplace "space-out" session.

Firewood crackling ASMR

While we were busy being amazed by the room...

exhausted from the intense African heat, we immediately ran straight to the pool! *pitter-patter*

On our way, we spotted a cute Pumbaa family (not real, just statues)!! Haha.

As we entered the pool area, a majestic elephant statue welcomed us!

The water was deeper than expected, gradually sloping from 1m down to 2m,

and without us even asking, the staff kindly came over to set up the sunbeds for us!

The water quality was just okay, but the pool was incredibly spacious

and completely surrounded by trees and flowers,

making it the absolute perfect spot for a private, relaxing swim.

Now that we've had a nice swim, what time is it?

Yep, time for a drink! 🍻

Since dinner wasn't until 7:30 PM (for some reason, dinner in Africa always seems to start after 7:00 PM;),

and we had some free time to kill, we headed straight there!

There were cozy sofas, but since we're absolute bar counter lovers, we naturally gravitated straight to the bar! haha

The bar wasn't huge, but they had a surprisingly wide variety of drinks.

We ordered a beer and a gin (Bombay Sapphire) to start!

Struck a cheeky model pose while waiting~ and asked for some ice,

But they told us it was already cold enough!! lol

Actually, not just here, but in almost every restaurant, the staff looked quite flustered whenever we asked for ice.

It seems like ice is a real luxury in Africa...

Finally, dinner time! While Serena Lodge was fully buffet-style,

Kudu Lodge had a system where you pre-order your custom menu during check-in.

We were just starting to get a bit tired of buffets, so we were incredibly excited for this dinner!

First came the appetizer soup, bread, and salad,

and then the star of the show: braised oxtail. Oh my goodness, it was absolutely delicious...

It tasted a bit like Korean braised short ribs (galbi-jjim), but with a unique twist!

The sauce was to die for. I mixed it all with my rice and completely polished off the plate!

We finished off every last bite of the fruit dessert and headed back to our room, thoroughly satisfied and happily full~

Since dinner was so spectacular, our expectations were sky-high when we went for breakfast the next morning. But...

The spread was surprisingly underwhelming. Total shock.

It was a pretty dry and bland breakfast... haha. I must have been really disappointed,

because I only took a single photo of it... lol

And that's the end of Day 2 of our Tanzania honeymoon!~

Tomorrow, we head to the Serengeti National Park.

Since May is the low season, we're a bit worried. T_T

I'll be back soon with Part 5!~~