Following the big run (UltraMARAthon), we were all ready for our sore feet to be soothed in the sand and sea, so I flew the family to Watamu the next week. We had plenty of time to soak up the Indian Ocean vistas from our sundowner deck and enjoy a few fun activities. A sunset cruise with friends aboard the tradition Swahili “Monangu” dhow offered fun for kids and adults alike. I joined Ollie on the good ship Alleycat for some deep sea fishing one day, and the joy of Ollie’s success pulling in his first 50-pound sailfish was matched only by the exhaustion after the half-hour battle to reel it in. And while the great blue marlin eluded us that day, we also caught a giant trevally, and I am sure we’ll be back for another round soon!

I also had the excitement of taking Ollie for his first scuba dive. It was action packed with green turtles, octopus, and thousands of stunningly colored fish all around. Ollie took to it like, well, a fish to water, and I’m looking forward to our next diving adventure.

Over the Easter holidays I traveled with Steph and the kids to Australia. With Ollie now eleven years old, and Halina nine, it was the perfect time to bring them back to this beautiful country where I spent an adventurous childhood. During our three weeks on the eastern coast, we experienced much of what I have always loved about Oz, as well as a few new things. 

Highlights for the kids included seeing nine wombats on a night drive, a first surfing lesson at Manly Beach in Sydney, sailing through stunning Sydney Harbour, riding horses down Seven Mile Beach, successfully completing the Coffs Harbor Ocean Swims, and of course our week on Haggerstone Island in far north Queensland on the Great Barrier Reef.  

Steph and I also enjoyed a special evening out in Sydney for the Handa Opera outdoor performance of West Side Story. The exciting choreography and classic music were made all the better by the backdrop of the iconic Harbor Bridge and Opera House all lit up, and fabulous fireworks during the intermission!

Steph and the kids have been dreaming of a trip to the Great Barrier Reef for years, and I was excited to go back to that part of the world. I teamed up with my Australian travel partners at The Tailor to organize the trip to Haggerstone. The island is a family-owned and hosted destination, castaway-rustic and comparable in many ways to our own style of safaris in Africa. Snorkeling from the island and the boat each day, we saw green sea turtles and great numbers of other marine life, including countless fishes, rays, starfish, and coral. Fishing expeditions were exciting and successful due to the remote location we were in, and always involved cooking our coral trout catch for lunch on the boat – except for the crayfish ceviche and various sushi dishes! There is nothing quite like fresh seafood in such an exquisite location, especially when you have caught it yourself and the only other thing you have to do that afternoon is relax! We also made a special trip to the mainland one day, to climb the monstrous sand dunes that emerge straight out of the sea at the very northernmost tip of Australia. Our Aussie safari was such fun for all of us, but especially the kids. With so much coastline and outback to explore, with interesting wildlife and the most colorful birds, and with the cultural highlights of Sydney as well as the Aboriginal tribes and lands, Australia has so much to offer any traveler. 

I take my guests to Murchison Falls National Park whenever I get the chance. Although this place in northwestern Uganda is not on many peoples’ radar, I find that a day on the Nile here is unlike any other day on safari.

We stay in a private mobile camp along a stretch of the Nile just upstream of Lake Albert, and below Murchison Falls – treacherous rapids and twin waterfalls of some 40 meters in height.

Murchison Falls

Our camp along the Nile

An early morning game drive on the north bank of the river can be spectacular. The park is a golden and green savanna full of honey-colored kob and oribi, dotted with buffalo, giraffe, ground hornbills, and patas monkeys. There are several prides of lions here, and leopards are often seen resting in the tree branches.

Murchison Falls National Park

Uganda kob

Ground hornbill

We spend the rest of the day on the water. Our boats are perfect for both fishing and cruising, as well as for getting close to the bottom of the falls. In the midday heat, we enjoy the river’s cool breeze as the wildlife come down to drink. We catch baitfish hiding along the water’s edge, and then put out serious lines with the hopes of catching a big Nile perch! We even fish at the bottom of the falls, and disembark for a hike up to the top to get a feeling for just how mighty the Nile really is.

Cruising the Albertine Nile

Colobus monkeys

Elephants along the edge of the Nile

A lone giraffe coming down for a drink

The bottom of Murchison Falls

Fishing for Nile perch at the bottom of Murchison Falls

Ollie with a nice catfish

Hauling in the Nile perch

Ollie with the 15kg (33 lb) Nile perch!

Solomon and Halina at the top of the falls – the first trip to Uganda for both of them!

Being on such big water means that the birding is exceptional here. Thousands of cormorants commute to the nearby lake each morning, kingfishers dive for food next to the boat, egrets pluck bugs from the backs of elephants as they graze on papyrus, and bee eaters feed their chicks nestled in holes in cliff banks. Drifting by these scenes closely, in silence, is incredibly relaxing.

Madagascar bee eaters

The giant kingfisher

A very relaxed croc!

We also have a very special viewing of one of nature’s most interesting species – the shoebill. On most birders’ bucket list of sightings, this huge bird can reach almost five feet in height and has the world’s largest bill. We were able to get quite close to one of these prehistoric-looking creatures, and even saw him successfully catch a fish!

The shoebill is hunting…

…he strikes…

…and he gets a fish!

We return to camp at dusk to enjoy drinks by the fire on the riverbank, followed by dinner in the open mess tent. We fall asleep surrounded by the sounds of the river’s nightlife, a unique chorus of hippos and frogs.

The end of the day