This was a 2 hour boat trip on the lower reaches of St Lucia lake, led by our very knowledgeable and friendly guide Jacques. The Shoreline boats take a maximum of 15 people, and sit low on the water, so you get excellent views of hippos, crocodiles and anything else which is around. We saw a fish eagle, goliath heron and African finfoot, amongst other birds. Guides know exactly where to find the hippos, and we learned about their lifestyle and habits. Shoreline guides are also extremely careful not to disturb the animals unnecessarily, and the boats manouevre quietly and gently around the animals (not all tour operators do!) We were recommended to go at 3pm as we would get good views of the animals, which we did, and also got the sunset.