Planning a safari trip has shifted from having a tour operator handle it to doing what is best for you. Then, many travelers have opted to rent a car and do a self-drive safari trip. With the self-drive safari, things are a bit different. The main effort here is finding the perfect cruise or car rental, how best to drive, when is the best time for a self-drive safari, and many other questions.
A self-drive is a bit challenging, especially for first-timers; however, a company proposal offers greater benefits than a guided drive. Self-driving is among the most amazing modes of exploration. So, planning for your self-drive safari in Uganda becomes very important. It’s very important to explore these factors before you take the self-drive safari in Uganda.
Are car rentals available for a self-drive safari?
All safaris in Uganda involve driving to remote areas, which require accessibility efforts. Major tourist destinations in Uganda include national parks, reserves, and sanctuary areas. Making self-drive arrangements should always consider capable vehicles.
It’s always advisable to use customized safari cars, which can maneuver through all road conditions in all weather conditions. Safari vehicles are customized with either a rooftop pop-up for perfect game viewing or a rooftop tent. The nature of your safari determines the kind of vehicle you will use. For safaris, only the 4×4 safari customized is the deal.
The selection of 4×4 safari vehicles includes the land cruiser TX/TZ, the VX8, the Nisan Patrol, and the 4×4 safari land cruiser (land cruiser 70 series). The Land Cruiser TX/TZ and the V8 are great for rooftop tent camping.
Luxury travelers can hire a 4×4 safari land cruiser or the V8. The two are the most comfortable for safaris because they are spacious for passengers and luggage. The safari land cruiser can accommodate up to 8 passengers on a self-drive, and the V8 can accommodate up to 5 maximum. The mid-range selection works well with the 4×4 land cruisers TX/TZ and Nissan Patrol, which can accommodate up to five people maximum with enough luggage space.
The safari vehicles for a self-drive are always booked prior to the travel date. At least three months before your travel date. Last-minute bookings should be dropped from your travel plans. It was embarrassing to start searching for a car rental.
Benefits of a self-drive safari
A self-drive safari can be done with either a rooftop tent or a rooftop pop-up for perfect game viewing. A rental with a rooftop tent for camping is the most common; it forgoes accommodation fare. Benefits here include limited costs, flexibility, and freedom of driving, among others. Taking a car with a rooftop tent means no pop-up.
On the other side, a rental with a rooftop pop-up is best for photographing travelers and is perfect for wild game viewing along your drive, especially in the savannah parks.
The best time to go on self-drive safaris in Uganda
Driving in the dry months of December to February, which also double a year in the months of June to September. During the dry months, roads are intact and can be driven through at all times. The dry seasons are perfect for wild game viewing, especially in the savannah parks.
In rainy seasons, roads are slippery, grounds are wet, and sometimes it takes a full day to rain. All tourist destinations are open to visit, but travelers are few. And for travelers wishing to travel in the less crowded seasons, the wet months are perfect. Wet seasons surface from March to May and from September to November.
Where to go on a self-drive safari in Uganda
Murchison Falls National
Murchison Falls National Park is located in northern Uganda. It’s bisected by the Nile Victoria, which meets Lake Albert to make the amazing Albert Delta. This is the perfect place in the parks of Uganda to watch the highest concentration of wildlife. A safari leading to Murchison Falls National Park offers the opportunity to watch the big five at once, considering the inclusion of Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.
The best destination for travelers on a self-drive safari is Uganda. The park is today’s best place to drive with ease. Due to oil development around Lake Albert, roads accessing the park are paved. This park presents the best safaris in Uganda, with great views of wildlife.
Among the adventures to do when taking a self-drive safari to Murchison Falls National Park are game drives, boat cruises, hiking to the top of the falls, nature walks, and visiting the top of the falls. Taking a community visit to experience the lifestyle of people staying around the park, forest walks at Budongo, and chimpanzee tracking
Kidepo Valley National Park
For authentic nature encounters, taking this remotest route of self-drive in Uganda can suggest a great reward. Kidepo is located in northeastern Uganda and is considered the remotest of all tourist destinations. It’s termed “the True African wilderness.” Kidepo Valley National Park, in a unique way, offers the widest opening in the savannah landscape.
A road trip by car takes about 10 hours on a scenic drive. There are two sections of the Kidepo Valley and the Narus Valley that persist with water even in the driest season. These two sections have the highest concentration of wild animals. The eco-biodiversity of Kidepo consists of over 74 mammal species, including some of the big five mammals, antelope species, zebras, cheetahs, and wild dogs.
There are about 470 bird species, including ostriches and secretary birds, among others. In 2019, CNN named Kidepo Valley National Park among the most attractive destinations in Africa. And in 2021, the park will feature in the World Tourism Awards list of the best safari parks in Africa, and safari bookings in 2019 listed the park at number 11 among the best 50 national parks in Africa. Adventures to engage in mainly include game drives, nature walks, birding, mountain climbing, and Karamoja cultural visits.
Jin cityja
The East African capital of adventures with greater rewards Jinja is located east of Kampala, the capital of Uganda. The adventure capital is globally known for hosting the world’s longest river, the Nile. When visiting Jinja, you can take adventures like boat cruises, whitewater rafting, bungee jumping, nature walks, hill hiking, and quad biking, among others.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
One of the most popular tourist destinations in Uganda It offers one of the best road trips on a safari to Uganda. A road trip safari at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park leads to watching some of the remaining endangered mountain gorillas. Located in southwestern Uganda, seated in the lines of the Albertine Rift Valley, it covers an area of 331 sq km. It’s characterized by tropical rainforest covering volcanic landscapes, favoring the existence of mountain gorillas.
With about one habituated gorilla family, the park offers the highest opportunities for trekking. Also, gorilla habituation is available for trackers in the Rushaga sector. Bwindi Impenetrable has four tracking sectors: Nkuringo, Buhoma, Rushaga, and Ruhija. Gorilla trekking at Bwindi is the best experience and relatively easy for all classes of travelers.
Besides being an endemic destination for mountain gorillas, the park is home to various species of flora and fauna. These include about 300 species of birds, elephants, buffalos, and other primate species, including red-tailed monkeys, L’Hoest monkeys, chimpanzees, bushbucks, about 400 species of plants, and many others.
Adventure activities done at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park include gorilla tracking, nature walks, bird watching, mountain biking, Batwa cultural experiences, etc.
Sipi falls
These magnificent waterfalls are set just at the foothills of Mount Elgon in Eastern Uganda, in Kapchorwa district, in Sipi village. The villages are split into three phases and separated from each other.
Sipi Falls are astonishing features that have amazingly attracted several travelers from across the world. The best part of the falls is the cool and warm climate and a walk through the coffee and banana plantations.
The three overlooking splashes are 100 m below; the next falls at an elevation of 85 m; and the other falls at 75m below. The breathtaking Sipi waterfalls are raised at an elevation of 1600 meters above sea level.
The Sipi Falls are an en-route stop for travelers going to hike Mount Elgon and even those driving to Kidepo Valley National Park through the eastern route.
Queen Elizabeth National Park
The park where one visits and has a longer stay when engaged in several adventures Uganda’s oldest national park and the most famous, as well as the second most visited tourist destination in Uganda, Queen Elizabeth National Park is located in western Uganda, along the radiations of the western arm of the Great Albertine Rift Valley, at the foothills of Mt. Rwenzori.
The park features savannah, woodlands, and the tropics. Unique for the rare tree-climbing lions and the highest concentration of birds, with over 600 species of birds. Subdivided into Kasenyi savannah, open for game viewing, and Mweya peninsula, common with Kazinga Channel that connects Lake Gorge to Lake Edward, for game viewing on a boat cruise. Ishasha Sector is popular for tracking tree-climbing lions, and Kyambura Gorge is a tropical paradise unique for accommodating chimpanzees.
Adventure experiences done on a safari to Queen Elizabeth National Park include Wild game viewing on both game drives and boat cruises, bird watching, tree climbing, lion tracking, chimpanzee tracking, community visits, and visiting Lake Katwe, a salt mining lake. Also hippo census, mongoose tracking, and lion experiential, among others.
Kibale National Park
Kibale is the East African capital of primates, with about 13 different primate species. This is the best place to track chimpanzees in East Africa. Chimpanzees here are fully habituated, and trekkers have the opportunity for a close-up encounter with the chimpanzees, which is rare in the rest of the forests where the apes are tracked across east Africa.
This eco-biodiversity forest is located in western Uganda, about 26 kilometers off Fort Portal. It’s only at Kibale Forest in Africa that tourists can take part in the habituation process. So, tourists at Kibale can do either tracking or habituation. Chimpanzee tracking here costs $200, and chimpanzee habituation costs $250. You spent almost a full day with these giants.
Kibale National Park has two chimpanzee tracking sessions a day: the morning session starts at 8 a.m. and the afternoon session starts at 2 p.m.
