10 Misconceptions about Self Drive Safaris in Uganda

There are many misconceptions associated to the African continent. Most of these misconceptions are often perceived while some are expressed by people with very limited exposure about the African continent. Below are some of the misconceptions that you should not limit you from getting a Uganda car rental and hitting the road to go on a self guided safari in Africa, the world’s second largest continent.

Should be many days

It’s a common misconception to assume that every African safari has to be many days. But you can execute a very short self drive safari of as low as 3 days. However, the minimum recommended for self-drive safaris is 5 days.

Africa is full of diseases

Diseases are everywhere not only in Africa. The diseases everyone should be afraid of are communicable diseases (leaving alone sexually transmitted diseases). Actually, these are no longer the main concern of Africa countries. Though they exist, they are not so much a threat as non-communicable diseases.

Cannot Self drive with Kids

It is very common to find travel advice online contrary to what we might be sharing but at least our advice is out of experience. It is not based on someone else’s reviews of an opinion that is not based on ground experience. We have worked with a number of families that have executed successful self-drive trips in Africa. Actually, we have had a family execute an overland in more than three African countries.

All you need is an experienced car rental company in Uganda like 4x4 Uganda to share with you all the necessary tips to execute a family self-drive trip.

You need a very big Camera

Unless you are a professional photographer, it’s very unlike that you will revisit most of the photos on your trip where you do not feature. In simple terms, a phone camera is enough to take almost all the photos you will need on your trip. Even the special moments might not need really need a very strong camera. Always remember that some photos of you during the trip will be taken by the help of someone with little or no photography experience.

You need a local guide

It is partly true, you need a local guide but it is also true that you can execute your trip without any local guide. As long as you can use Google maps, you can access almost any place you can think of. In case Google maps are a beat hard for you, then consider using an up-to-date Garmin GPS. It is far better than Google maps yet very easy to use. It can help you locate places such as restaurants, bars, lodges, tourist attractions and hotel. You will keep seeing these places pop up as you drive by.

Visit One Park; See it all

One of the greatest lies that have ever been told is “visit one park see it all”. There are 10 different national parks in Uganda, 8 game reserves, several forest reserves and other protected areas. Visiting a park like Bwindi impenetrable National Park where almost 90% of your trip will be on foot will be totally a different experience from a wildlife safari in Kidepo Valley National Park; you would appreciate the fact that you do not have to simply visit one national park to see it all.

There are also unique things to see in For instance, you can only see golden monkeys in Uganda if you visit Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. You can only see the mountain gorillas if you visit Bwindi Impenetrable Forest or Mgahinga gorilla national park. You can only see tree climbing lions if you visit Queen Elizabeth national park, you can only see cheetahs if you visit Kidepo valley national park or Pian Upe and the list goes on regarding the exclusive parks you have to visit for a particular adventure.

Africa is very Hot

Africa is not a country like so many people believe! It is a composition of over 50 countries located in totally different environments. When we speak of temperatures in Africa, we have to put into consideration the arid North Africa countries, the tropical central and western Africa countries, and the temperate northern, central and South African countries.

You do not have to worry about the temperatures during your holiday in Uganda. This African country has temperature that averages between 26occ and 28occ.

Camping in uncomfortable

The comfort of your camping experience varies according to how much you are willing to part with. There is a wide range of camping options at your disposal where you can stay during your self-guided holiday. You can consider ground camping for as low as US$5 or opt for rooftop tent car hire, a safari version of a camper van. You can also consider glamping in several locations in Uganda, the Pearl of Africa.

Glamping is more of a 3 to 4 star hotel room in a tent form. In case you wish to maximize your camping experience, glamping would be the best option.

All Roads are poor

Whenever you talk about African roads, many people assume that all roads are impassable but that is not true. There are roads that are extremely impassable on the rainy day but there are also roads that are passable whether it is a rainy day or not. Therefore; you simply need knowledge of where exactly you can go in a particular season of the year.

You need a Satellite Phone to Stay in touch

This is one of the most common misconceptions that first time travelers to Africa have. They often assume there is no phone network in most parts of Africa thus you need to carry a satellite phone. This is actually not true. Whether you consider sticking to your home service provider or buying a local sim card in Uganda, you can make a phone call almost everywhere in the country whether you are using a local service provider or not.

The only issue you have to be aware of is the internet service around the country is still poor.