Planning a trip around Uganda for the first time? If you are planning a road trip to Uganda for the first time, there are several things that must be put together to make it memorable. With this guide, we believe that you will have a well-planned road trip to Uganda this holiday.
Where to go for a road trip in Uganda
When it comes to road trips, Uganda is that one country with several amazing tourist sites for you to explore. Most importantly, you need plenty of time to allow plan appropriately for your holiday. This will allow you put everything together and in the end, make your holiday successful. Prior to embarking on a road trip make sure that you have where to spend a night whether in Kampala or at the national park where most of the safaris are conducted.
Uganda comprises numerous tourist sites which means you have somewhere to visit. There are 10 national parks in different parts of Uganda where safaris are done and they include Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Mgahinga National Park (the two parks are popular habitats for mountain gorillas), Murchison Falls National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park (amazing for its tree-climbing lions at Ishasha sector), Lake Mburo National Park, Mount Elgon National Park, Kibale Forest National Park, Semuliki Valley National Park, Mount Rwenzori National Park, and Kidepo Valley National Park. There are also many wildlife reserves that are equally ideal for safaris and they include among others Matheniko wildlife reserve, Pian Upe wildlife reserve, Katonga wildlife reserve a mention but a few.
Things to see and do in Uganda
Uganda is home to intense biodiversity. It is remarkably a famous home to about 500 mountain gorillas making it a home to half the total number of these creatures that still thrive on earth. This makes it one of the best destinations for gorilla trekking. To track these creatures, you need $600 to help you secure your permit. Over 5000 chimpanzees are confined in different parts of Uganda making it an ideal place for chimpanzee tracking. Other primate species to look out in Uganda include golden monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, olive baboons, L’Hoest monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, red colobus monkeys, and many more. There are also many wildlife species including African elephants, buffaloes, leopards, lions, giraffes, warthogs, antelopes a mention but a few thus making this beautiful country the best for wildlife viewing. Equally, over 1080 bird species are all confined within this magical African destination including the rare African green breasted pitta, African green broadbill, shoebill stork, bee-eaters, great blue turaco, and many others. Its huge concentration of bird species makes it an ideal place for bird watching. Others include otters, the Nile crocodiles, hippos, butterflies, bush pigs a mention but a few.
Key things to take note of before embarking on a road trip in Uganda
- When driving in Uganda keep left. If you are looking for a self-guided road trip, you should put this in mind so that you can drive safely through the Pearl of Africa.
- If you are a first-time visitor to Africa, you should avoid self-drive in Uganda. Driving is not for the faint-hearted in Uganda most especially in Kampala. Self-drive is recommended for those who have ever driven through East and Southern Africa.
- Always wear your seat belt. This is not only a safety measure but also can be a traffic offense in Uganda
- Be mindful of the speed limit and signpost. Recommended speed limits for towns are 50km/hour and the recommended safe speed for highways is 80km/hr.
- Have GPS if you are to embark on a road trip to Uganda
- Be mindful of the season-the dry and wet seasons are two important seasons to put into consideration while planning for a road trip. The dry season starts from June to September and December to February. The dry season is characterized by low rainfall and is perfect for a road trip as the routes remain relatively drier. The wet season begins from March to May and October to November
- Don’t drink and drive
- Don’t use a mobile phone while driving and many others
- Accommodation in Uganda can go at $20 to $50 for budget depending on the area, luxury hotel facilities can be got at shs 600000 and above.
- Decide the route
- Arrange for stop points
Transportation
There are many Uganda car rentals that you consider to find yourself that dream car for your road trip in Uganda. Our fleet of cars ranges from SUVs to large trucks. They include Toyota Rav4, safari land cruiser, land cruiser TZ, Toyota land cruiser, super custom, Minivans, and many others. All these are comfortable and pocket-friendly.