On Thursday, we drove to Akagera National Park- about 2 hours West of Kigali.
We saw this Baboon family on the side of the road.
We met Cecile, our park guide, and she showed us the campsite options.
This campsite called Shakani was very pretty, right beside a lake.
However, Cecile pointed out a nearby group of hippos, so we opted against staying here.
We decided to take a boat ride before it got too late.
I was glad they gave us life preservers, and Cecile came along with her radio too. 
It was about a 20 minute motorboat ride to the middle of the lake where we went slowly around an uninhabited island looking at birds and reptiles.
We saw many eagles.
Our boat guide had an incredible eye and spotted this baby crocodile (about 2 feet long).
We saw many eagles.
Our boat guide had an incredible eye and spotted this baby crocodile (about 2 feet long).
As well as this Nile Monitor Lizard, which looked like a big gecko.
He also spotted this bird feeding babies in a nest. 
We saw a lot of these big smelly, vulture-like birds.
On the way back to the mainland we drove through a hippo group. One of them came swimming to our boat so our driver sped away!
He also spotted this bird feeding babies in a nest. 
We saw a lot of these big smelly, vulture-like birds.
On the way back to the mainland we drove through a hippo group. One of them came swimming to our boat so our driver sped away!Our boat guide- John Didier- did a great job!
We settled for the evening at this campsite on the top of a hill, overlooking two lakes.
It got dark quickly when we got to the campsite so a number of the park guides helped us put up the tent,
and built our fire. Score!
I borrowed Daniel's tent, which I was surprised to see could easily fit six people!
The fire was warm and toasty. 
We heard a LOT of animal noises throughout the night. We are pretty sure warthogs, impala, and buffalo were roaming around us. We did our best to ignore it, told ghost stories, and kept the fire well lit!
We settled for the evening at this campsite on the top of a hill, overlooking two lakes.It got dark quickly when we got to the campsite so a number of the park guides helped us put up the tent,
and built our fire. Score!
I borrowed Daniel's tent, which I was surprised to see could easily fit six people!
The fire was warm and toasty. I also borrowed chairs and sleeping bags from Kris and Josh, thankfully. I am not sure how we would have enjoyed the campfire without those.
We heard a LOT of animal noises throughout the night. We are pretty sure warthogs, impala, and buffalo were roaming around us. We did our best to ignore it, told ghost stories, and kept the fire well lit!
The next morning we got a better view of the lakes surrounding our campsite.
We left the campsite by 6AM. Just a few feet from our campsite we saw this buffalo who we think was one of our night visitors!
The roads around the park were tricky with many steep hills, sharp thorns, and mud. The views of the hillsides and lakes were worth it!
We traveled through flatter terrain and found buffalo roaming.
I enjoyed the challenge of trying to photograph all of the beautiful birds. 
This is a pin-tailed dove. 
Impala are very common around the park. They are a type of antelope; similar to deer.
Paul did an excellent job driving through the park for four hours.
We left Rwanda together on Sunday.
We had very long layovers in Nairobi and Amseterdam. So, we ventured out of the Amsterdam airport to the Central train station.
We left the campsite by 6AM. Just a few feet from our campsite we saw this buffalo who we think was one of our night visitors!
The roads around the park were tricky with many steep hills, sharp thorns, and mud. The views of the hillsides and lakes were worth it!Cecile helped us navigate our way through the park where we quickly found zebra and giraffe.
We traveled through flatter terrain and found buffalo roaming.
I enjoyed the challenge of trying to photograph all of the beautiful birds. 
This is a pin-tailed dove. Impala are very common around the park. They are a type of antelope; similar to deer.
Paul did an excellent job driving through the park for four hours.
We left Rwanda together on Sunday.We had very long layovers in Nairobi and Amseterdam. So, we ventured out of the Amsterdam airport to the Central train station. 
The central part of Amsterdam has many canals.
We walked around from 6A to 10A. Unfortunately, no museums or stores were open yet.
There was a pretty church with ringing bells keeping time for us.
We walked to the Anne Frank museum, but it was closed.
There were bikes all over town, and nice bike lanes on each road. Next time it would be great to rent a bike!
We stopped in a small cafe and had breakfast before leaving.
We found some interesting snacks in the Amsterdam airport, including carrot balls.
And a restaurant called Paul.
There was a pretty church with ringing bells keeping time for us.
We walked to the Anne Frank museum, but it was closed.
There were bikes all over town, and nice bike lanes on each road. Next time it would be great to rent a bike!
We stopped in a small cafe and had breakfast before leaving.
We found some interesting snacks in the Amsterdam airport, including carrot balls.
And a restaurant called Paul.
The fireplace was great!
The silver back was the first one we saw!
