With covid-19 pandemic still at hand, travel in the world has greatly changed. Today, self-drive tours have become one of the preferred ways to explore East Africa, a popular region in Africa with exceptional safari destinations. As everyone looks to get back to wild to reconnect with nature, we have come up with 7 amazing tips for a successful self-drive tour in East Africa.
Know the car’s mechanical conditions
The mechanical condition of the rental car is essential determinant of successful self-drive tour in East Africa. Most safaris in East Africa and Africa at large are conducted in the remotely located destinations these include national parks, reserves. These are found far away from city centres or towns. Your car should be in stable mechanical conditions if you to get there smoothly.
In Uganda, you will need 8-9 hours to drive up-to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park for gorilla trekking, about 5 hours to drive from Nairobi to Masai Mara National Reserve to witness wildebeest migration.
Some of the essentials you should check if your rental car has include spare tyre, wheel spanners, jerks and you also have some basic knowledge on repair where breakdown may occur.
What to carry
For successful self-drive tour or any trip to be realized, you should consider packing essentials first. You need the right clothing, equipment and boots. Some items may cut across but for visitors traveling for gorilla trekking or chimp trek, you need long trousers, waterproof hiking boots, camera without flashlight, extra batteries, sunscreen, sweater, first aid kit, gardening gloves and others.
Book your accommodation early
What makes East Africa self-drive tour complete is when there is availability of accommodation. Yes, there are many accommodation options for visitors to have overnight stay before or after their thrilling experiences in East Africa’s magnificent wilderness areas. Available accommodation choices in most protected areas range from budget, mid-range to luxury.
Forecast the weather
The weather pattern in East Africa is usually unpredictable. It can rain at anytime of day and this requires you to be well-prepared with your rain gear. This in most cases affects safari activities and that is why you need to understand the best time to travel to East Africa and what activities to engage in on particular season. Gorilla trekking, chimpanzee safaris, wildebeest migration experience, mountaineering and many others are ideal during the dry season.
Get updated maps
Self-drive tours largely mean you are manager of your trip. Maps are essential in guiding you especially when finding directions to your safari destination. This is why you need up-to-date maps to avoid you getting lost en-route.
Have a properly planned itinerary
A well-planned itinerary comes with the list of activities you are to do them, when to do them and when you should be at the destination among other things. It helps you maximize every available time to explore and experience what East Africa has to offer the world. You should prepare your itinerary before actual date of travel.
Go along with important contacts
Self-drive tours come with some challenges and that is why you need emergency contacts with you. You can have contacts of the accommodation facility you plan to spend a night, park warden’s contact for direction or car rental agency. Prior hitting the road to your self-drive tour, have adequate time to research and get to know whom to make a call just in case you have an emergency. Our experts are available 24/7 for any road assistance.
Book your self-drive rental car with us and be guaranteed of a memorable road trip in East Africa.
