Uganda

At Zegrahm, we pride ourselves on taking our explorers to the ends of the earth, be it the continent of Antarctica, or an island in the middle of the Indian Ocean with seven syllables—we're looking at you, Thiruvananthapuram. Here is a list of our favorite, if hard to pronounce, off-the-beaten-path destinations you simply can’t miss in 2014:

Prior to the trip, I emailed Jonathan Rossouw and mentioned that my target bird for Uganda was the pennant-tailed nightjar. This is a pretty tough get. A well camouflaged night bird, it is nearly impossible to see during the day unless you step on one and, of course, it is tough to see in the dark at night.

Last June we joined Zegrahm for a return visit to Uganda—having lived there from 1986-1989. Since that time Dick had had two hip replacements and we knew he would NOT be able to join Betty on the trek through the hills and forests—this was their third visit to the mountain gorillas. BUT thanks to our guide, Larry Weiss, Dick was able to be carried down the steep mountain and then back up.