Planning a Road Trip To Uganda? The amount of planning you need to do will largely depend on the length of your trip. However, it’s not like you can’t just jump in a car and start driving. As long as you’re very flexible, you’ll have a great time even without planning. However, if you have a strict budget or certain things you absolutely want to do, doing some planning in advance will pay off.
There’s something special about being in control of your own transportation and being able to go wherever you want in Uganda, whether that’s a small town, a big city, or an off-the-beaten-path gem. There’s also something great about stuffing what you need into a car and not worrying about baggage restrictions, lost luggage, and people throwing away your cologne and hand creams.
Road trips are a popular mode of travel in many countries around the world but there’s hardly a better place than Uganda. Uganda is best explored by vehicle. There are major cities, small towns, and breath-taking scenery all along the way, and more so the remarkable national game parks. Meanwhile, whenever you’re planning for your road trip to Uganda remember to take a look at this guide:
Choose Your Adventure
Okay, so first things first. Where do you want to go? What’s the Ugandan road trip you want to take? This will help determine when to go, how long you need, and what budget to plan.
Choosing your adventure will help you choose some of the places you might stop. I’m not a big fan of planning trips down to the hour, but it’s a good idea to know the key places you’d like to visit. Just like choosing the overall adventure, this will help you plan your time, budget, and activities. For example, maybe your dream is to do a gorilla trekking expedition. With this in mind, you will have to know what it all takes for you to do a gorilla trekking excursion in Uganda thus easing your road trip.
Determine Your Budget
This is an important step. If you are financially unwell but would like to go for a road trip in Uganda, you should probably avoid planning a road trip that will be too pricey. However, you might be able to do a one-week road trip in places that won’t make much money and also sleeping in accommodations that match your wallet.
Uganda can be cheap or it can be as expensive as you want it to be. If you are to do gorilla safaris sleeping in high-end accommodation, this will raise the price exponentially than going for a wildlife safari sleeping in budget accommodation. Therefore, determine your budget before going on a road trip to Uganda. Budgets usually revolve around food, transportation, accommodation, and activities.
Choose Your Dates
When it comes to road trips in Uganda, choosing the dates is important. The best time to do a road trip is during the dry season, which is typically from December to February and then June to August. However, it also depends on what activities you’re looking to do. If you’re on some sort of wildlife safaris then your road trip should be targeting the dry season when the grasses are shorter but when you’re a birder then you should target the rainy season as it’s the best time for bird watching – rainy season runs from March to May and then November.
What Vehicle Will You Drive?
In order to do a road trip, you’re going to need some sort of vehicle. Uganda has so many local rental companies; you can rent one from a variety of locations across the country.
If you’re driving in the warmer months, any vehicle will do most of the time. You don’t need a big truck or an SUV unless you’re planning to go off-roading or simply need the space. Most of the roads in Uganda’s big towns and cities are very well-maintained but those in the remote areas are not so good and you may require a power 4X4 car to navigate through those roads.
In terms of car rental Uganda costs, it largely depends on the car type you’re taking as well as the model. A Land Cruiser V8 will cost higher than a Rav4, and also the latest model of Land Cruiser V8 will cost higher than the old model of the same car. It is also to take note that any car given out with a driver-guide will cost higher than the one without; in a nutshell, you will pay the driver-guide if you tend to order for one.
Most importantly, have fun!
