Basically, a self-driving tourist is one who travels to a particular destination with aims of going for a self-drive safari. In most cases, a self-driving tourist books (hires) his/her private vehicle from a certain car rental company without a driver, meaning he/she drives him/herself during the entire trip. Most self-driving tourists are aged between 25-50 years, and travel either with family or as a group of friends. In most cases, the older the travelers are, the longer their trips will last, with those aged over 41 years traveling for over 30 days, compared to just less 15 days for a self-driving trip by travelers under the age of 25.
Where is self-driving most popular in Uganda?
Self-driving in Uganda varies from one’s interest in what he/she want to experience during the self-driving safari. However, if you are more of a wildlife lover and on your self-driving safari you want to spot some big games in Africa, then your safari should be conducted in the western parts of Uganda.
The western Uganda comprises of exceptional national parks such as; Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kibale Forests National Park, Rwenzori Mountains National Park, Semliki National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable Forests National Park, Mgahinga National Park, and Lake Mburo National Park.
The other popular places in Uganda include; Murchison Falls National Park (Northern Uganda), Mountain Elgon National Park (Eastern Uganda), and Kidepo Valley National Park (North-eastern Uganda). Self-driving is also eligible and popular in Central Uganda – on Kampala city tours.
What are the challenges of Self-driving in Uganda?
Self-driving in Uganda is very exciting as it offers a lot of flexibility, freedom and independence but it incurs a lot of challenges and problems. The major challenge of self-driving in Uganda is accidents that occur especially in the national parks due to the poor roads.
Most of the roads in Uganda’s national parks are not tarmac and wide enough hence if not carefully driven onto, you are most likely to get lots of over-turns of the vehicles, especially in the wet season when the dirt roads become slippery.
Murchison Falls National Park is one of the most astounding national parks in Uganda but also the top one with poor roads and most of over-turn accidents of the vehicles happen in this park.
Therefore, you are advised to drive at a reduced (very low) speed in any of Uganda’s national parks to avoid over-turn of the vehicles or else hire an experienced driver from your car rental company that you will have booked with.
While in the parks, you are emphasized to put all your minds on driving instead of thinking of other things as you are driving, which can lead to untimely stops hence causing vehicle over-turns. The other self-driving challenge include; poor quality vehicles owned by some car rental companies, hence you are recommended to book your self-driving safari with experts only such as 4×4 Car Hire Uganda.
What kinds of vehicles do self-driving tourists rent and how they rent them?
By all means, self-driving tourism will be done by car, and if you contact one of Uganda’s leading car rental companies like 4×4 Car Hire Uganda, you will get a good-quality vehicle – exactly the one you will order for. Among the kinds of vehicles to hire in Uganda for self-driving include; Land Cruisers VX, GX, V8, TX and TZ, Rav4, Safari Vans, Coaster Buses, Super Customs, and Extended Land Cruisers. The vehicles hired come with different prices depending on the type of the vehicle you want and the extras such as camping gear, GPS devices, child seats, and chauffeur services, among others.
The rates start from as low as US$ 35 per day to as much as more than US$ 250, depending on what you are renting and how long will your self-drive trip be. To hire a vehicle from any given company, visit its website and contact it via the ‘’contact us page’’ and ensure that you include all the details of the vehicle you need, the starting and ending dates, and if possible, you also inform your company about the flight details.
What is considered to be hired a car in Uganda?
Due to the flexibility, convenience and privacy, most travelers in Uganda prefer self-driving but there are several things to consider before renting a car from any car rental company, such as; you need a valid driving license/permit and it should have been in use for at least 12 months, you should first agree to the company’s terms and conditions (agreement), leave a photocopy of your passport to the company, pay some deposit of at least 20%, and lastly, fueling the vehicle is done by you, and above it all; you are advised to book in advance for best experiences.
Damages, fines, and compensation in hiring a car
Uganda is a country where accidents are common due to over speeding, especially in her national parks, and therefore travelers should avoid driving at a high speed unless when you find a sign post giving you a green light to drive at a high speed, such as; at Entebbe – Kampala Express highway.
You are also advised to follow the road sign posts thoroughly well in order to avoid making mistakes. Travelers should take note that any damages caused to the car beyond the agreed limit speed and time for driving are liable to the clients since they are not covered by the insurance. If you are found driving under alcohol influence and caught, you are in a clear position to face the consequences (penalties).
Police fines resulting from reckless driving and not following traffic rules and regulations are all tied to the clients, but in case you get fined because of road abnormalities on the car such as; tax, worn out tyres, dead head lamps, cracked wind screens are meant to be compensated by the rental company.
And lastly, if at all you get a problem on the way with the vehicle, you are advised to call your rental company first rather than fixing it by yourself because by doing so, you are most likely not to be compensated by the company since you will not have consulted it before – some companies, like 4×4 Car Hire Uganda, have technicians (mechanics) all over the country.
4 Fantastic Tips on how to achieve the best deal out of your car hire safari
Booking your car hire safari in Uganda can seem pretty cheaper and easier, but there are various catches which can leave you paying a lot more than you expected. In this article, below, are some of the fantastic tips on how to enjoy your car hire holiday without any unpleasant shocks when you reach the rental desk.
Book now amend later
Have you discovered the right car but not thoroughly sure? A lot of booking sites will recommend that you “save for later”. Be very vigilant though – often this doesn’t actually lock in the price, and the original quote has escalated up by the time you actually book. Instead, book straight away through a given car rental operator that offers free amendments and cancellations – letting you change the booking if at all you change your plans.
You should however be very cautious to review the cancellation policy – often you need to cancel or amend within a set time frame to avoid incurring any fees. Set a reminder in your calendar for the last day that you can amend your booking without any charge.
The more flexible and punctual you are, the more you get best rates
If your trip dates are flexible, you can often sacrifice a little convenience for a better deal. Most car rental operators do full-day rentals, and this means that a 25-hour rental will value the same as a 48-hour rental in terms of rates/prices.
However, you should also know that though a car is hired to you for 24 hours (full day), driving at night is totally prohibited due to the many reasons that will be told to you during your booking, and if you insist and drive at night, for any problem sustained on a car you will be penalized – be punctual in your travels to avoid driving in the late nights when you are rushing which can even result into problems.
Therefore, you are advised to regulate your times to get the best value out of your rental.
Always stay in touch with your rental company and update it for any delay
Provide flight details on to your car rental company so they can respond accordingly in case of a flight delay. This stops them from assuming that you are a no-show and renting out the car to some other client.
Therefore, you are emphasized to always stay in touch with your rental company and let it know whichever delay your flight would have incurred – this will avoid inconveniences in your trip.
Avoid complicated fuel policies
Many people don’t even think about fuel policies when they book their rental car – surely every rental company does the only logical and fair thing of offering a car full of fuel and expecting the car to be full on return. Or you can also agree with the company to return back the car with the exact fuel you found in it – if you find it full, return it full and if you find it half, still return it half or even when you find it in a quarter way, you also do the same when returning it. Don’t allow any company to steal you by claiming you to bring back the car with a full tank fuel yet you found it half way – be aware of thieves!!!
