TOURING UGANDA, THE "PEARL OF AFRICA": Guest Post by Owen Floody

Lions in tree in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda.

With many thanks to Owen Floody, a frequent contributor to The Intrepid Tourist. In 1971, Owen and my husband Art participated in a field course in animal behavior in Uganda. The descriptions in Owen's post below bring back many memories of that first trip to Africa.

Rhinos.

This column describes a 12-day June 2025 safari in Uganda that was run by Wilderness Travel and ably led by Robert Sunday, of Classic Africa Safaris.  After one night decompressing in Entebbe, we began the first of several long drives, aiming for Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda’s northwest.  Fortunately, the drive was broken up by an hour at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.  There, we had great fun tracking white rhinos on foot.  The high point was a standoff between one male and several females: Dust was raised but we apparently didn’t merit any actual contact.

Murchison Falls.

One of the beauties of Murchison Falls is the variety of activities it offers.  We took two Nile cruises, one to the base of the falls, the other to the Victoria Nile Delta in search of Shoebills.  For balance, we drove to the top of the falls, where we surrendered our barrels and marveled at the volume of water being forced through the tiny opening in the rock.  

Giraffe.

In addition, we went on several game drives, during which we even managed to tear our eyes off the giraffes for long enough to enjoy the many other animals and birds (e.g., Ground Hornbill.)

Ground hornbill.

Of course, experiences of this sort can’t go unpunished, so that we then piled back into the Land Cruiser for the long drive south to the Kibale Forest National Park.  This park is one of the relatively few in East Africa consisting of rainforest rather than savanna.  Naturally, then, it features rainforest creatures, chiefly chimpanzees and other forest primates.  The highlight of our visit was the two hours that we spent alternately crashing through the undergrowth and quietly hanging out with a troop of chimps that seemed to ignore us completely.  Out of the forest, we enjoyed a walking tour of Bigodi village, including visits to a coffee farm, banana-beer brewer, and native-plants herbalist.

Chimpanzee.

Fortified by the coffee, beer, and herbs, we hit the road again for the mercifully short drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park, perhaps Uganda’s best known savanna park.  Accordingly, we sought grassland animals, on our own and along with researchers tracking radio-collared lions and leopards.  

Lioness.

And we came back to the theme of cruises, as we enjoyed a small-boat ride on the Kazinga Channel.  Along with the Nile cruises at Murchison Falls, this is among the best known and most pleasant water experiences in Africa.  The hippos were impressive and the hyena an unexpected treat, but it was the multitude of Pied Kingfishers and other wonderful birds that stole the show.

Pied Kingfishser.

Finally, it was time for our last stop, at the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, near Uganda’s southwestern corner.  Like all other visitors to Bwindi, we were there for up-close-and-personal views of Mountain Gorillas.  We did the smart thing and hedged our bets by scheduling two gorilla treks on separate days.  This was fortunate and speaks to the care with which Wilderness Travel planned this trip.  The first trek was difficult and culminated in limited views.  

Gorilla.

Apparently, no one had told the gorillas of the fans hoping for an audience.  But the word got out overnight and resulted in an easy trek and incredible views the next day.  It is simply amazing how gratifying it is to see these majestic animals so completely at ease and at such close range.  Was it the small plane or gorilla memories that transported us back to Entebbe to begin the long, but satisfying trip home?

FERRY TRIP ALONG THE COAST OF NORWAY: Let’s Deliver the Mail! Guest post by Owen Floody

Early morning on the coast of Norway.

Our friend Owen Floody, a superb photographer and frequent contributor to this blog, recently took a trip on a mail ferry along the coast of Norway. Here is his report.

Just back from a 12-day cruise on a Hurtigruten CoastalExpress ferry traveling the coast of Norway between Bergen, in the south, and Kirkenes, near the Russian border.  The coast is often majestic and beautiful and the many fjords we visited are especially so.  Several Hurtigruten ships ply the route and my experience is limited to the Nordlys, a relatively recently renovated ship with a capacity approaching 600 but carrying just 397 on our trip.  The quarters were functional, if a little cramped, and the food (breakfast and lunch buffets, served dinner) were great.  The ferry, being a ferry, makes many stops, only a few of which are long enough for off-board sightseeing.  However, Hurtigurten’s Expedition Team offers more than 70 excursions that vary in style (e.g., walks, hikes, bus tours, small-boat tours), physical demands, and cost.  These can serve to pursue special interests or simply to break up the routine.

Bakklandet section of Trondheim in the early morning.

Talk about the ultimate weather-dependent trip?  This might be it.  Many of the coastal landscapes feature tall mountains that would seem to demand clear weather, but Norwegian weather is notoriously changeable and damp.  What to do?  Well, one approach to this dilemma is one we selected.  The basic ferry ride extends just 6 days north or south.  But you can combine these, as we did, to create the 12-day package.  The obvious benefit is that you now have two shots at any cannot-be-missed features or areas.  Bear in mind, though, that doubling your throws doesn’t guarantee a score.

Puffin seen on a birding "safari" to the Giesvaerstappan Islands.

Another thing to do is to reconsider if brightly lit landscapes are always most interesting or best.  We lucked-out on the weather at several points (e.g., our birding “safari” to the Gjesvaerstappan Islands) and I would not trade these in.  Along similar lines, periods with good but more subdued light sometimes were perfect, such as on an early morning walk through the Bakklandet section of Trondheim, as were occasional instances when the light was distorted to produce attractive effects.  For instance, a genuine sunrise can’t occur if the sun never dips below the horizon (as in Norway at this time of the year.)  Nevertheless, very attractive sunrise-like effects can be produced if the sun’s direct rays are appropriately blocked by landmasses and/or clouds, as in the top photo above.

Dark and Stormy

Misty and Atmospheric

However, I’ve been cheating a bit.  The real test of my suggestion is the ability to produce appealing images under more challenging conditions.  In this regard, I can only note that many of my favorite images do this (obviously in my opinion), so many as to define two categories, Dark and Stormy, and Misty and Atmospheric.  Above is one of my favorite images in the first of these categories and below it is one of my favorites in the second.  And when do images suggest divine inspiration as clearly as in the image below, another in my Misty and Atmospheric set?

Divine Inspiration

Finally, I must close by reminding you that cruises and Covid are not an ideal fit.  My traveling companion and I went determined to mask aggressively in all public settings.  Once on board, however, we said no more than a weak “baa.”  Consequently, each of us spent a significant fraction of our initial period home fighting off Covid.  We should have had the courage of our convictions.  

HIKING AND BIKING IN NEW ZEALAND, Part 3: Guest Post by Cathy Mayone

New Zealand, Milford Sound

Over the Christmas holidays, my niece and her husband, Cathy and Mike Mayone, spent two weeks in New Zealand, driving, biking and hiking on both the North and South Island, enjoying the southern hemisphere summer and New Zealand's unique landscape. I thank Cathy for sharing their trip with The Intrepid Tourist. For more about their biking experiences, you can go to her blog .

Queenstown

Part 3:  New Zealand’s South Island Alps, Lakes and Fiords

As our airplane approached Queenstown, we marveled at the surrounding snow-capped mountains.  As we procured our rental car, the agent casually said, “Oh, you are lucky to have landed. They often divert to Christchurch due to the weather.”  Having heard about the terrible floods that had been ravaging the South Island in the prior weeks, I had been monitoring the weather and relieved that we had some partly sunny days ahead of us.  Given the unforeseen weather, I had also kept our itinerary loosely planned for our five days in Queenstown, which makes for a great home base for many of the South Island’s sites.

Otago Wine Trail

We rented bikes in the old historic town of Arrowtown.  Its buildings reminded me of Colorado’s Old Western towns.  Upon hiring (as they say, rather than renting) the bikes, we didn’t get very far since the Farmer’s Market was just coming to life.  Once on our way, we headed to the Otago Wine Trail that follows a creek to the larger river and gorge.  The highlights of this trail include two suspension bridges we had to cross, one of which was quite long.  The trick is to not look down and not have too many people the bridge at once!  

Kawarau Gorge suspension bridge

We also came to the Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge, the world famous, original bungie jumping site.  Seeing even the most fearful people give it a go, it was tempting, but the vineyards were beckoning us.  The vineyards are all right along the trail so we stopped at a couple of them before turning around for the return.

Drive to Milford Sound

We picked one of our sunniest days to go to Te Anau and the Milford Sound.  Your options are to fly, bus, or drive from Queenstown, with some tours providing combination fly/bus/cruise day trip options.  It’s a two hour drive to Te Anau, and then another two hours to Milford Sound.  We seriously considered the expensive flying option, but determined there were too many things we wanted to see along the way.  Mike was up for driving, so call us crazy, but we did a day trip, stopping in the small lake town of Te Anau in both directions for a break.  The beautiful landscape kept us occupied the whole trip, and the road into Milford Sound cuts through a tunnel rather than having too many hairy turns, so the driving was more manageable than anticipated. 

Milford Sound cruise

Once in Milford Sound, we took Cruise Milford’s two hour “boutique” cruise, which was a smaller boat advertised not to be filled to capacity.  It is recommended that you book in advance during the high season, as it would be a shame to show up in Milford Sound and not be able to get a cruise.  Also, there are not many eating options in Milford Sound, so plan for picnic food.  The other tip is to avoid the $10 / hour parking that is closest to the cruise docks and do the free parking / shuttle that is near the airport, making sure you allow enough time.

Milford Sound waterfall

The cruise does a loop on Milford Sound going down on one side to the opening of the Tasman Sea and back on the other side.  The greenish-blue Sound waters contrasted beautifully with the steep, snow-capped mountains abundant with waterfalls.  The boat even went up under some of the waterfalls, giving advance warning to those who did not want to get wet! 

Lupines

We made several stops along the way in and out of Milford Sound such as Mirror Lake, and to take pictures in the fields of lupines--the beautiful, pink and purple flowers that bloom all over New Zealand in the summer.  We arrived back in Queenstown around 10 pm at night, just as the sky was turning to night.  (New Zealand summer days (December) are filled with long daylight hours, making this day trip more doable.)

For a shorter day trip from Queenstown we did the 90 minute drive over to Lake Wanaka.  It was one of the busier lakes with swimmers, kayakers, jet skiers, boaters, and parasailers.  Tired from our previous two days, we kept it simple with a beach take-out lunch and a lakeside walk.  Plus, we needed to conserve our energy to stay up for the New Year’s Eve Queenstown activities.  After happy hour on our balcony, we walked down into town around 7 pm when we heard the music begin.  There were local bands playing to an enthusiastic, mostly middle age with children crowd.  We found it to be a very “sane” New Year’s celebration but perhaps it was still early.  We headed back to our AirB&B for dinner and balcony viewing of the fireworks at midnight, and we wished our family and friends a Happy New Year 18-21 hours before the U.S. would celebrate.

Mount Cook Visitor Centre

We kept New Year’s Day, a partly rainy day, even simpler and opted for a walk around Queenstown, including Queenstown Gardens.  The next day, we headed out for the last part of our trip, driving two hours to Twizel, and then another 40 minutes past Twizel to Mount Cook, New Zealand’s highest peak.  We oriented ourselves at the wonderful Aoraki Mount Cook National Park Visitor Centre. 

Hooker Valley track

Having fallen in love with New Zealand’s suspension bridges, the Hooker Valley 5 km fairly flat track afforded us with three bridges leading us to Hooker Glacier Lake and closer views of Mount Cook.

Hooker Valley hike destination with view of Mount Cook

Back in Twizel, we checked into our AirB&B, slightly different accommodations, as it’s a true B&B in the home of its owners with a farm of three sheep, two young cows, and chickens. Our balcony looked out onto the fields where a Lord of the Rings battle took place. Twizel and the surrounding areas are known for their bright star viewing. With the long days, we were too tired to wait for the pitch black sky but we left the curtain ajar for a quick peak when we awoke in the middle of the night. Twizel, and so many towns we encountered in New Zealand, made us feel like we were returning to a time in the U.S. pre-Big Box stores and Amazon Prime. The towns still have the locally owned hardware and clothing stores, pharmacies, and bakeries.

Lupines and Lake Pukaki

We perhaps saved the best for last with our final bike ride, the Alps 2 Ocean ride, which is one of New Zealand’s 22 great rides.  From Twizel, we rode through the middle of wide open pastures with views of the mountains.  And then we reached Lake Pukaki, with its stunning turquoise blue water juxtaposed with the white capped Aoraki (Mount Cook).  It looked even more stunning on this day now that the Australian bushfire haze had dissipated.  We rode the trail around the lake until the trail ended, ate a picnic lunch, and then did the return trip to Twizel.

Our time had come to make the final drive to Christchurch to catch our plane home.  We left New Zealand wondering why we had never had it on our bucket list. Its people, beaches, mountains and activities afforded us a lifetime of memories and a reminder why we travel.

Related articles and links:

For more information about New Zealand’s amazing Great Rides cycling initiative and an in depth look at all of our New Zealand biking adventures, visit my “Great Riding” articles on my Swim Bike Run Survive blog.

For an in depth look at the Milford Sound, check out Owen Floody’s three part series.

Our South Island accommodations included:

Queenstown – 5 nights in a large apartment with lake views

Twizel – 2 nights in a B&B with small farm

Chicago River Cruise: MAGNIFICENT ARCHITECTURE

Chicago Skyscrapers

No one who visits Chicago can fail to be impressed by the soaring skyscrapers and other large historic buildings that crowd the downtown. One of the best ways to appreciate their beauty, origin, and role in Chicago’s history is to take a river cruise sponsored by the Chicago Architecture Foundation, which I did on a recent visit. The cruises are narrated by knowledgeable volunteers who point out key features of the buildings, tell about who designed them and when, and about their significance.

We are directed to the dock at the top of the stairs to the river walk

It was a beautiful sunny day, not too warm or windy. To board the boat we went to the dock, located on the river walk just east of the stairs descending from Michigan Avenue.

Chicago River and River Walk

We sat in long rows of chairs on the top deck of the ship, affording us with a 360 degree view of our surroundings. The trip began by sailing westward up the river to the north branch, passing under numerous bridges. Although built as drawbridges, we were told that they are now raised only twice a year, in spring and fall, to let large boats into or out of  their winter docks. After the cruise was finished, we walked along the river and visited one of the bridge houses, now turned into a museum.

View of the bridge from inside the bridge house

Most of the buildings in Chicago today were constructed after the great Chicago Fire of 1871 that had destroyed much of the city. As we made our way up the river, it was a trip through history, although jumbled together. Side by side are old and new, lavishly decorated and starkly plain, utilitarian and almost whimsical.

Going under the Dearborn Street Bridge

Reflections

I was particularly fascinated by the reflective glass of some buildings that echoed and altered their neighbors across the river. Or, in some cases, the river itself.
River Point marks the confluence of the river's main stem with its two branches. The arches at the top and the bottom are designed to reflect  the shape of the building and the curves of the surrounding banks--both literally and figuratively .

River Point, built 2017. Designed by Pickard Chilton Architects

 Marina City, built in 1967, are two giant towers that are part of a multi-use complex. The curved balconies remind people of giant corncobs.

Marina City towers

At the end of the cruise we headed toward Lake Michigan, turning around at the Marina. To our left was the amusement park on Navy Pier.

Giant Ferris Wheel, Navy Pier

 As we turned around we were treated to the full panorama of the Chicago skyline. It was spectacular.
After docking, we ate lunch at one of the many riverside restaurants, and then took a walk along the river to enjoy the sights and sounds of life along the water's edge. I thank Jim Akerman and Luann Hamilton and their daughter Claire, for treating me to this wonderful view of their city and for being most generous hosts during my visit.
To learn more about Chicago architecture, visit www.architecture.org

View of skyline from the cruise

 

THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS: Guest Post by Scott Chandler

Blue-footed Booby, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

For two weeks in September, Art’s colleague Scott Chandler and his wife Sonja traveled to South America, visiting sites in Peru and in the Galapagos in Ecuador. Scott is an excellent photographer and has graciously given me permission to share some of his photos. Scott's photos were taken with an Olympus digital camera. For more of his photos of this trip and of his other adventures, you can go to his website: www.shcphotography.com/Landscapes . His report on the Peru half of his South American trip posted last week. Here is his report on the Galapagos.

Cruise ship Isabella II, anchored in the Galapagos

From Peru our trip went to Ecuador and to the Galapagos. We visited probably six islands. We were on a yacht/ship that held 40 people. We would sail during the night to different islands and disembark to visit each island during the morning; the day would also include snorkeling. We would have breakfast around 6:30 in the morning; then, on small zodiac boats which held ten people, we would go onto the island for a hike with fantastic naturalists.

Iguana

It's amazing how close and personal you can get with these animals. They have accommodated to our presence. We would come back to the ship in the late morning and basically put our wetsuits on and go back out in the zodiac to go deep water snorkeling.

Deep water snorkeling

Some of us had underwater cameras like I did and were able to capture the beauty of he planet underneath. This was the first time I ever really saw what it looks like to see underwater since I wear glasses and never had a prescription mask, which I did this time. Then we would come back for a fabulous buffet lunch and chat with all the other people about our experience during the day.

Young fur seal

Then, after some resting, there were a number of options in the afternoon: we could go back snorkeling sometimes, or take late afternoon hikes in different parts of the island. Because of the popularity of the Galapagos islands the Park service is tightly regulating where ships can set their anchor and how many people are allowed to be on any particular island at a time.

View from an island

Because of this strict policy, when you go on the island you feel like there's nobody there but your small group. Since we had a total of 36 on our tour we had approximately three zodiac boats which would disembark on the island at any one time. However, each naturalist would take the group in a different direction so you felt like you were in a small party of 10 or 12. We spent six nights on the boat. Then, when it was over, we went back to Guayaquil for a last night dinner and then everybody was off of their own to get back home. We were gone a total of 15 days in Peru and Ecuador.

Yellow Warbler

We went on this trip with the tour company Tauck. It is fair to say the trip was totally fantastic. I would love to do it again. I think both of us enjoyed the Galapagos part even more than the Machu Picchu part of the trip.

Sunset in the Galapagos