Tanzanian Summer!: First Non-Program Day

Well for our non-program day we decided to go on a hike through the “Elephant Cave” in Karatu! It was a great way to start the day. The sun was out but it was breezy enough that it wasn't a brutal hike up to the cave. The caves were located on top of a huge hill and are visited by elephants. buffalo, mongoose, baboons, and many species of birds. With high levels of nutrients in the soil and minerals essential for their diets, elephants specifically travel to the caves to drink up the nutrients from the soil and regain energy and strength. Our guide said that eating the minerals in the soil helped build strong bones for the elephants and allowed them to digest their food better as well. We unfortunately didn't see any elephants, but our professors have promised that we will during our trips to other national parks and during our trip to the Serengeti at the end of the session! After seeing the caves, we went to see the waterfall nearby, which had a 60 meter drop but had low water pressure since the dry season is approaching.

Later on, we headed to downtown Karatu where we browsed shops and street vendors and had time to relax in a cafe with cokes (much sweeter because they’re made with real sugar cane!). It was the perfect way to relieve ourselves after the long hike up to the caves. After that, we drove to Happy Days Pub, where we ordered beers (gasp!) and enjoyed some local vibes. Drinks are much cheaper in Tanzania than they are in America!
Tonight we all have to catch up on readings for our field lecture tomorrow to Lake Manyara National Park. We head out in the morning and stay the whole day to record wildlife, their habitats, their interactions with one another and other species, etc. Hopefully we’ll see some interesting primates, birds, and smaller mammals. No promises on elephants, but who knows! We might get lucky. For those of you wondering, the wildlife pictures will be up soon!