After a short break and lunch we were escorted on a lovely boat tour down the Nile. A small, private boat had been hired for us and at first we were disappointed, thinking that the larger boat, the African Queen, would have been a better option. That misconception was quickly corrected as soon as we left the dock. Due to the smaller size of the boat we were able to pull in close to the shore. This enabled us to see many animals up close and personal. We saw numerous hippos resting in the water. Our guide explained that hippos do not swim a lot and when you see them they are not swimming but rather they are standing or kneeling in the water. They were sleeping as we coasted by but there was always at least one who would give us the eye as we went by. The most exciting observations occurred further down stream. This was where we found the very large crocodile, shown below, resting on shore. Our guide explained that it had likely just eaten a belly full of Nile Perch. He brought the boat within a metre of this very large reptile. Later, even further downstream, we saw many more crocs and when we approached them they would rush into the water right by our boat. Sarah could have reached over and touched one as it rushed by but for some reason she did not!!! The icing on the cake came when we approached the rushing waters of Murchison Falls. The power of the water was amazing, as was the whole afternoon!
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