Uganda

Our first destination was a short flight to Ishasha in Queen Elizabeth National Park. We saw this lioness about 10 minutes after landing, on our very first game drive.

A Ugandan kob (aka an antelope).

Can anyone hum the chorus to "Baby Elephant Walk"?

Where did those three cubs wander off to?

Mom?

The real "Lion King."

What a beautiful animal ...

... but don't upset her.

Early morning is one of the best times to see the wildlife.

We came across a small herd of elephants having breakfast.

The park ranger walked us down to an overlook where we could safely view some hippos.

A "raft" of hippos huddles together, often bumping each other and making a submerged hippo come up for air.

During the day, hippos spend most their time in the water. They leave the river at night to eat.

The male black-headed weaver is responsible for building these distinctive nests. If the female thinks the construction is poor, she snips off the nest and it falls to the ground.

One of the many species of lizards we saw in the camp.

A black headed weaver takes a break from nest building.

This is Rwansigazi, the dominant silverback of the Habinyanja group.

Males reach 5-6 feet in height, with an arm span of 7 feet 6 inches. They weigh 450-500 lbs.

Their diet is composed primarily of leaves, shoots, stems, bark and roots.

"Oh for Kong's sake, not more tourists!"

"When you realize the value of all life, you dwell less on what is past and concentrate more on the preservation of the future." -- Dian Fossey