Best Self-Drive Safari Holidays in Africa

Are you keen to explore Africa at your own pace? Our 4×4 car hire Uganda has been created with the independent and adventurous traveler in mind and are far less daunting than you might imagine.

While we would be the first to admit that road conditions throughout much of Africa are the stuff of infamy, our range of self-drive safaris through Rwanda and Uganda are perfectly and manageable. Major roads in Rwanda and Uganda are tarred, well- maintained and well-signposted with plenty of friendly service stations along the way.

Stick to the wide national roads or turn off onto secondary tarred roads, winding their way through scenic countryside or over magnificent mountain passes.

Fly in and collect your pre-booked vehicle, load up and go. Our 4×4 car hire Uganda holidays in Africa have been created with one eye on experience and the other on practicalities.

When it comes to the game viewing in the various parks and reserves on the self drive safari itineraries, you might have to negotiate a graded gravel road to get to your lodge or safari camp but once there you will be in the care of professional guides and their fully equipped 4×4 Land Cruiser vehicles, so you won’t miss a thing.

Volcanoes National Park

But you may try a self-driving safari in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park and be sure that you will tract to see the mountain gorillas. For most visitors Rwanda means Volcanoes National Park, and Volcanoes National Park means mountain gorillas.

This is the original Gorillas in the mist destination, Africa’s most hyped Gorilla Park, and the place where famed American primatologist Dian Fossey spent many years studying the gorillas.

Up-close sometimes so close you can virtually feel the gorilla’s breath on you mountain gorilla sightings are a given and the park’s vegetation compared to some other gorilla parks is comparatively clear and conducive to easy sightings.

However, having been lucky enough to see mountain gorillas in every park in which they exist, the gorilla-watching experience at Volcanoes National Park feels a little too polished and, dare I say it, not quite wild enough.

Once you’re with the gorillas, however, the experience is every bit as wonderful as you’ve heard, and if I based my review on the hour spent with the gorillas alone, then Volcanoes National Park would be hard to top.

And of course, Volcanoes has more to offer than just gorillas and it’s these other activities that perhaps reveal the best of the park – tracking golden monkeys, bird watching, visiting local communities and, best of all, tough hikes to the misty summits of volcanoes.

This is one of the best parks in Africa if you allow sufficient time to partake in the broader range of activities on offer. The gorilla tracking itself is amazing, and with its upmarket accommodation and ease of access, its best suited to those who want a taste of the African rain forest without too much discomfort.

Nyungwe Forest National Park

The road trip to Rwanda’s offers a taste of Nyungwe Forest National Park. Nyungwe’s strongest draw card is the chance to track chimpanzees which have been habituated over years to human visits. It is easily accessed from a good tar road, with a range of accommodation options and a well-organized park headquarters.

Most tourists come to track chimpanzees and you need to book your permit in advance. The habituated chimpanzees are in a patch of forest away from the main area so you need transport. Do hire a porter. They carry your bag, and more importantly, help you navigate (or rather haul you up and down) the steep slopes as you try to follow the rapidly moving chimps.

Nyungwe is also home to eight species of monkey, some of which are quite easy to see on the road and from the trails (we had our best sightings in the park headquarters car park). You can also arrange to visit the delightful habituated black-and-white Colobus troop.

Nyungwe is a mecca for bird-watchers with 27 Albertine Rift endemics. There are specialist bird guides at the park headquarters, but forest bird watching can be difficult and frustrating. In addition, the park has wonderful trails and waterfalls, not to mention an aerial boardwalk, so it is well worth spending at least two or three nights here.

You can browse our range of 4×4 Car Hire Uganda or contact us directly. One of our tour consultants will advise you on which holiday is most suited to your needs or they will tailor-make your journey complete with car hire, carefully selected accommodation and detailed directions.

 

 

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