It all begins at the same river.

A short boat out to the line where Lake Victoria ends and the longest river in Africa begins — then the gardens, the Speke monument and the Gandhi memorial on the bank.

Grade V rapids on a dam-released river that runs all year, or a slow tube down the calm stretches. No experience needed for either.

A jump over the river, a quad through the village tracks, or a pedal-powered bike out across open water. Stack two into one afternoon.

Three waterfalls down the face of Mount Elgon, with a rope descent beside the main drop and some of the best arabica coffee in East Africa at the top.

Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth and Kidepo — game drives, launch trips and the boat cruises that make a Uganda safari different from everyone else's.

Gorilla tracking in Bwindi or Mgahinga, chimpanzees in Kibale, and cross-border runs into Rwanda — plus the birding, fishing and cultural days in between.