Self-driving in Uganda is one of the best ways to explore the country’s many beautiful sights and by doing this, you have to plan for a road trip holiday. Doing a self-drive in Uganda is perfect for those of you who want to enjoy to drive themselves and also want privacy, lots of flexibility and are looking to travel around Uganda on a budget. You will be able to pull over anywhere, change plans as you see fit and have full control over your itinerary. With great flexibility also comes great responsibility though, so you will be the one responsible for whatever happens on the road.
You can self-drive all the time while exploring the parks or if staying in a lodge take some of their game drives to glean information from the guides and increase your probability to see target species. You can also have other advantages by staying a couple of days in a lodge like guided walks and night drives. Information about accommodation can be found on guide books like lonely planet, forums and blogs.
- Identify your time of travel and whether it coincides with wet or dry season. Adapt your travel time to the season. More often than not you might want to avoid the wet season due to inaccessibility of some places especially if you are a first-time traveler.
- Point out all the places that you would like to visit and research about them
- Arrange them, must visit, and would be nice to visit
- Know how much time is ideal to spend in each area, according to activities you would like to do, resting if between very long drives among others.
- Arrange them in the order they should be visited taking care to minimize travel times and backtracking.
- Calculate how much traveling time there is between one destination and the next based on information on forums, guidebooks or map software.
- Choose where best to start and end your trip. A place which minimizes cost and travel time during your travel.
What to wear on a self-drive in Uganda?
- Summer clothing is worn throughout the year, although at times a jacket and light raincoat may be necessary. Early morning and evening temperatures at altitude most national parks are located 1000m are cool. So, we recommend a sweater to keep you warm especially during your dawn and dusk safaris.
- On safari; Hiking boots are also recommended and since laundry is only possible where you are staying for 2 nights, try to carry the quick-dry type of clothing.
- Casual wear is the norm during the day, a short-sleeved shirt for men, light cotton dresses, or a skirt and top for women. In the evening, all hotels and restaurants require long trousers for men in particular.
- Sunglasses and a hat for protection against the sun are recommended and swimsuits should be packed for the swimming pool or beach.