East Africa is a special adventure gem when it comes to African safaris. It is hard to encompass the African continent on an African safari without considering a stop at Serengeti National Park, Masai Mara National Reserve, Bwindi national park and now Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. East Africa has a diversity of wildlife and each of the East African countries has unique attractions to offer to tourists.
The one-way rental system allows you to hire a 4×4 in one location and drop it off at another location. For example, you can rent a car at Entebbe Airport and drop it to Dar-es-salaam in Tanzania. The fee usually depends on the drop-off location.
Once you set out to explore east Africa and beyond, one-way car rentals become an unavoidable option. Whether you are considering renting a car in Kampala and dropping it off in Nairobi Kigali or Dar-es-salaam, it is all possible once you consider the one-way rental option. For example, after trekking with the gorillas in Rwanda, you can consider another gorilla trek in Uganda, or proceed to Kenya and Tanzania for the Big Five, Wildebeest migration, unique cultures are many more, thus calling for a one-way car rental system whereby you hire a car in Kampala or Kigali and drop it off to Arusha, Nairobi or Dar-es-salaam.
When hiring a car for one-way car rental, consideration must be put to the following terms.
Most one-way car rentals attract a pick-up and drop-off fee if not both. For instance, hiring a car in Kigali would not attract pick-up charges but dropping it off in Kampala or Nairobi will attract an extra fee.
The charges are unpredictable at the moment because of the ever-changing fuel rates. However, most of the established car rental agencies in East Africa usually charge depending on where you are picking up and dropping off from. For instance, the fee to drop off to Dar differs from the fee for Nairobi drop off. Also, the fee depends on the type of vehicle you are hiring, based on the fact that the cars have different fuel consumption rates. The drop-off fee for a Prado TX might be lower than the land cruiser V8.
Since most of the self-drive car hire business is usually conducted online before arrival, it might be hard to get an opportunity to check the car before your trip. However, you can stress out a few things that can easily be seen even without the help of a mechanic; that is the tires and the spare wheels
It is highly recommended that you test the Jack and the wheel spanner before setting off. However good the car is maintained, it is very easy to get a puncture and for that reason, the tire condition and the Jake should be your ultimate priority whenever you are picking up a car for one-way rentals.
It is important to put the issue of insurance into consideration. Anyone traveling only within the borders of Rwanda will need Rwanda’s local third-party insurance and comprehensive insurance. But if you are to cross the border to countries like Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Burundi among others, you will need insurance or the local third-party insurance for whichever country you will be visiting.
Mind the type of car to hire. The 5-door Rav4 is the best budget option for one-way rentals, unfortunately, most car rental agencies do not allow their Rav4s to go to some places or countries. For instance, most car rental agencies do not allow their Rav4s to go to Tanzania due to the poor nature of the road in most parks such as Serengeti and Ngorongoro conservation areas.
Therefore to be on the safe side, it is recommended to hire an all-terrain vehicle like a Land Cruiser Prado, Land Cruiser V8, Land Cruiser GX, Nissan Safari, or Nissan Patrol among others.
It is important to agree on how long it will take the car rental agency to offer you mechanical help so that you may agree about the damages in case of any delay. Failure to agree on the mechanical help time frame will leave you in a situation where you lose a full day without compensation since it is already anticipated in the contract it there might be mechanical breakdowns.
Given the fact that African self-drive safaris are often off-road trips, mechanical breakdowns are often inevitable. Getting to terms of when you are held accountable for mechanical breakdowns and when the car rental agency should be held accountable will save you a great deal during your one-way rental.
Most car rental companies have mechanics in different areas of East Africa where you are connected to have the vehicle checked and fixed. If it is a big problem that may take so long, the company can send you another vehicle.
For every country you visit, you are advised to buy a local sim card for internet / easy communication with the hotels and the car rental agency in case of anything. Sim cards are easily obtained at all borders and cities and cost less than $2.
One of the top advantages of one-way car rentals is convenience. Everything will be up to you since you are driving a car as your own. You don’t have to worry about airline delays or cancellations and other air travel issues.
Traveling by car also gives you the freedom to stretch and pull over whenever you feel like it. Enjoy the stunning sights that you have overlooked when you are flying up in the air. Additionally, you can avoid the unnecessary wear and tear on your personal vehicle. Your own car will be saved from the harshness of open road.
Renting a one-way car is a great form of flexible transportation. You can simply drop off the car at your final destination other than the place where you got the car. There won’t be a problem as you can stop off anywhere you please and just enjoy your journey with your family or friends.
It will always be a good idea to opt to rent a one-way car, especially if you want flexibility to be on your side. You can manage to execute all your plans with this.
Pricing will always be a big factor when deciding on hiring a vehicle during your trip. As for the one-way car rental service, it is a great alternative for an expensive flight. Instead of booking a flight, you can just rent a one-way car, which is way cheaper.
In addition, you can get more discounts when you avail this kind of service. All you need to do is check out the best deals online and you will surely get more affordable rates.
In conclusion, it is much easier to find and book a 4×4 for a self-drive trip across East Africa on a one-way-rental basis. You can conveniently hire a 4×4 in Kigali, drive through Tanzania, Kenya, and end in Uganda.
