Beginners Guide to Renting a Car & Self Driving in Uganda

Uganda is such a great self drive adventure destination, and securing a 4×4 car rental to explore the country is an experience you will never forget. Pamba Tours Uganda has been organizing car rentals for safaris and other personal purposes for almost a decade now.

The most common car rental option is self-drive and the other renting a car with a driver. For both options, Uganda has everything to offer to a traveler; endangered primates including mountain gorillas, chimpanzees and monkeys among others, wildlife, birds, rivers & lakes, beautiful land forms and people – there is an array of jaw-dropping attractions in every direction you look.

Uganda is known for being best traveled by a 4×4 vehicle due to the nature of the roads that can be challenging to first time drivers. Though the Pearl of Africa is a bit small country, the attractions and places are many so you would need to carefully plan your self-drive trip and ensure plenty of time for relaxation and activities.

If this is your first time self-driving in Africa, do not fear, the Pearl of Africa will welcome you warmly. Here is what you should know about self-driving in Uganda. A detailed insight into what to expect while driving yourself out there in the wilderness.

Driving in Uganda

Driving in Uganda is definitely different from driving in most other countries especially Europe, however, it doesn’t have to be a challenging experience.

The three basics of driving in Uganda

The basic driving qualifications of a car on self-drive in Uganda should encompass 3 key factors;

• Feeling comfortable while driving a 4×4 vehicle whether manual or automatic.
• Having basic experience in driving off-road and maneuvering slippery surfaces & gulled road.
• Feeling comfortable driving on the left side of the road.

Unlike other destinations in Africa such as Tanzania, Zambia and Namibia, most of the car rental options available on self-drive in Uganda are of Automatic transmission except the Land cruiser LX and GX types that are strictly Manual. In smaller vehicles like Toyota Rav4s and Land cruiser Prado’s, if you need specially one for manual, you would need to clarify it to the company you are reserving with. Both transmissions come at the same price.

Popular routes and trip ideas

Uganda has a number of interesting routes to follow during yourself drive vacation but the most common include the following;

1. Kampala – Bwindi Route via Mbarara

This mainly goes to Bwindi National Park for Gorilla trekking and other safari activities in the park including nature walks, cultural visits and birding. You can plan overnight stays in Lake Mburo National park for a short wildlife encounter to see giraffes, zebras and different species of antelopes among others. In case you are planning to trek mountain Gorillas, you can thereafter relax from Lake Bunyonyi, a lava dammed lake with one of the most beautiful scenic views in the country.

2. Kampala – Kasese Route via Fort Portal

This route takes you to Queen Elizabeth National park for a number of safari activities including game viewing during game drives and boat launches, birding and chimpanzee watching in Kyambura Gorge. You can plan stopovers in Mubende for lunch and overnight stays in Fort portal or Kibale National park where you can track chimpanzees as well. This route can join the Kampala – Bwindi route through Mbarara and you can choose to reverse follow the route to Kampala or continue to Bwindi Forest.

3. Kampala – Masindi route

This route goes to Murchison falls National Park through Masindi with a brief stopover or overnight stay at the Zziwa Rhino sanctuary. Here you can witness the strongest falls in the world, the Murchison as well as amazing wildlife. You can continue with this route via Gulu till the far North East in Kidepo National Park or choose to continue south west to Kasese and reverse or continue the Kasese route.

4. Kampala – Mbale – Moroto Kotido

This is the most challenging and complicated route and sometimes comes with restrictions to vehicle types allowed on self-drive. Many car rental agencies do not allow Toyota Rav4s to maneuver this route via Jinja, Mbale, Kapchorwa, Moroto to Kotido and the Kidepo National park.

If you choose to drive it in one day (the most risky choice to ever choose), expect to be behind the wheels for more than 12 hours with favorable road conditions. The biggest part of the route is murrum and roads can go from bad to worse during rainy seasons. The slippery nature of the soils in the regions of Moroto and remoteness of the areas from services including accommodation and mechanics are also key points to note.

The best way to drive this route stress free on self-drive would be at least renting a Land cruiser Prado or bigger vehicle as well as plan at least 1 overnight stays in between. You can stay in Kapchorwa where you can visit the Sipi falls or choose to go hike the Elgon Mountain. You can as well plan to stay in Moroto where you can also choose to visit the local people or take a game drive in Pian Upe game reserve.

On reaching Kidepo National park, it is recommended to plan returning to Kampala through Kitgum and Gulu towards Murchison Falls National park where you can catch up the Kampala Masindi route.

Therefore, using these route options, you can plan;

• An all round trip of Entebbe/ Kampala – Moroto – Kotido – Gulu – Masindi – Fort Portal – Kasese – Mbarara – Bwindi/ Lake Mburo – Kampala.
• The Western Circuit route from Entebbe/ Kampala, Masindi/ Mubende – Fort Portal – Kasese – Mbarara – Bwindi/ L. Mburo – Kampala
• The Eastern circuit from Entebbe/ Kampala via Jinja, Mbale, Kapchorwa – Masindi – Kampala or Kapchorwa – Moroto -Kotido – Masindi – Kampala
• You can also plan a dropoff in Kigali by taking a one way Uganda – Rwanda rental by choosing to drive from Entebbe/ Kampala – towards Mbarara using any route of your choice to Kabale (Bwindi areas) – Kisoro – Kigali.

 

Renting a Car in Uganda

How to get one

Once you choose self-driving in Uganda for your next road trip, the first note should be how to get a car rental to use. There are different providers offering different rental car options and therefore, you will need to decide which car to rent. If you are planning to camp, you can look into an option of renting a 4×4 Land cruiser with a tent on top and if you are so tight on budget, you can plan on taking on a Toyota Rav4 with ground camping.

Renting with a tent

Uganda is a great place to camp. Camping outside a designated campsite or wild camping is prohibited, but there are many excellent campsites across the country. Having a tent on your truck gives you the flexibility to either make camp or stay in a lodge if there is space. Being able to set up a tent also gives you the ability to experience nature in a way that you may miss in a lodge.

Car rental discounts

At Car hire Uganda, we offer up to 10% discount on all car rental options that go over 7 days and up to 20% for more than 20 days in low seasons and 15% in high seasons. You can ask for a quotation via our official email address info@carhireuganda.com or call us/ whatsApp on +256782544311

Best Car rental choice to make

Considering the fact Uganda’s road network is generally poor, especially the feeder roads, you will need a 4×4 car to navigate more easily and to reach some of the less accessible areas. Most of the highways are paved but there are more dirty and gravel roads to expect. A 4×4 with rugged tires is the best way to get around. All our rental fleet available for self-drive safaris from the smaller Toyota Rav4s and long chasis Safari Vans are full time four wheel drive (4wd).

Most of our car rental options available for self-drive such as Rav4s, Land cruiser Prado’s, VXs & V8s and 9 seater Hiace drones are of automatic transmissions. A few are available in manual upon request. Prices remain the same.

The Toyota Land cruiser GX, the manual variant of the Land cruiser V8 and the Land cruiser LX (hard body) are strictly manual transmission and these are the most recommended for very poor routes and cross border rentals such as in Serengeti and Masaai Mara of Tanzania and Kenya respectively.

Required Car Driving Licenses

As long as you have a driver’s license of your home country, you can drive in Uganda as long as your Visa is still valid. The International driving license is also allowed by traffic rules. Keep in mind, however, that in the Pearl of Africa you will drive on the left side of the road and all our car rentals have the driver’s seat on the right side of the vehicle.

Driving on the left

If you are not used to driving on the opposite side (of the car and the road) take your time and exercise caution. It may take you some time to adapt and later on feel more comfortable. If you have a passenger with you, ask them to help remind you how to turn, and can act as the co-driver. They can help you with reading the map or GPS in case you are not certain of the roads.

What you need to know about the Cars

Don’t always forget that 98% of the cars in the country are of models below 2010 and 70% of vehicles used in the tourism sector are of models below 2004. Though they are given out in good mechanical conditions, you are advised to make sure its mechanical condition is at per especially before hitting on a longer distance.

Maintenance Checks

Early in the morning, make sure you check on radiator coolant / water levels, engine oil and sometimes gearbox oil in case you the shift in the gears are not on point. Adjust tire pressure and make sure it’s well balanced and the spare wheel tyre as well.

It would also be cool to be comfortable with some basic maintenance skills, like changing spare tyre of the car since sometimes a flat tyre can happen to you in very deserted areas where the assistance team can take hours to reach.

Driving through All Terrains

Get to know how to drive rough terrains as well as slippery surfaces. Cars like Toyota Rav4’s may be easy to maneuver since they are full-time four wheel drive (4wd) but if you are in vehicles that require to manually engage the four wheel drive gear, it is advisable to first seek for guidance from the support team.

Vehicles like 4×4 Land cruisers will probably be 4×2 or 4×4 but in rare cases, they might need an extra power and additional traction on slippery surfaces, this is when you can engage the extra 4wd gear that is right adjacent to the gear lever.

Extra care while driving some routes

You will find narrow and challenging roads in some areas especially towards the North East of Uganda (Kidepo National Park). These would need extra care and patience to avoid unfortunate circumstances that can be worse to roll overs. Lastly, never forget to maintain the speed limits advised in the contracts.

 

How safe is it to self-drive in Uganda?

Security in the parks

Despite the recent awful occurrence in Queen Elizabeth National Park and Kasese, Uganda remains a safe country to drive in as long as you follow the advice and rules given to you. Cases of breakdowns are very rare.

Activities like game drives through risky areas such as the Ishasha sector should at least be done in groups for extra confidence.

Driving through Kampala

Driving in the city center is quite a hard story to tell the next day, however if you have a route plan through Kampala city center, you can ask for the driver to take you through. During day, the city center especially downtown is always congested by people among which many are not good. For instance if you have a city tour in the City Centre, it’s always ideal to walk as long as your health still stands.

Driving at Night

Driving at night can be dangerous and it’s prohibited in the rental contracts because of a number of reasons such as badly lit roads that can be challenging to maneuver on a first time drive in the dark, limited access to help in case of an emergency on the road among others.

Speed limits

For more safety concerns while on the road, maintain speed limits and follow traffic rules and signs well. Overtaking on Ugandan highways can be dangerous at times as the roads can unexpectedly narrow. Over speeding on gravel roads is also dangerous and might put you at a risk of a roll over or spoiling the underbody of the car.

Blind spots on the road

Be cautious going over blind hills. Use tremendous caution because you never know what may be on the other side, including pedestrians or animals. Lastly while in the National park, say during a game drive – make sure you either hire a ranger to accompany you or go in groups of other travelers.

Parking the car

When you stop in towns or trading centers to buy something or accommodation for an overnight stay, make sure you lock the car. Towns have designated parking lots, make sure you use them well. Just don’t park anywhere to avoid penalties by respective city/ town parking management.

Car break-ins

Don’t leave valuables in plain view when you do leave your vehicle. Prior to parking, secure your valuables and keep away things that could tempt someone to break into your car. Though the likelihood of car break-ins is low, safety should be considered first. Mobile phones, passports, flight tickets, credit cards and cash should be kept with you at all times.

Avoiding getting conned by Roadside Helpers

Not all people who will come to you for rescue in case of an emergency are experts in the mechanics field. Many are impersonators. It is better to contact us for a genuine mechanic. Some end up complicating the situation as they won’t tell you, ‘I’m not knowledgeable here’.

There are some scenarios whereby clients get stopped by certain people warning them about a fault on their car. In case you feel like everything is okay, don’t stop. They want to con you. This is most common in areas of Kisekka Market in Kampala downtown, Kabale towards Bwindi Forest, Lyantonde towards Lake Mburo National Park and Katunguru areas in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

In case it’s true the car has got a mechanical failure, don’t allow them open the bonnet of the car before contacting our roadside assistance team in Kampala.

We have mechanics in all major towns of the country and those towards national parks and other tourist destinations. Those are the only ones allowed to check on the car and give a final word.

Some petrol stations have been red marked by our team i.e Shell Katunguru in Queen Elizabeth and Total Lyantonde. Mechanics at these petrol stations are after money and their major aim is not about assisting you out of danger in case of any but to con you. We advise to visit these petrol stations only for fueling, all mechanical assistance at these points are done at your own risk and cost. Just contact us and we send you our company mechanic in case of a need.

Insurance Covers and Travel Insurance while driving in Uganda

Car rental agencies provide insurance covers only to vehicles in case you are planning to rent one. Personal insurance covers are always advised to be secured by yourself. Anything can happen when you are driving in unfamiliar territory or in unfamiliar conditions. Read the insurance policies provided beforehand and understand what is covered and not covered.

At Car hire Uganda, the car rental terms and insurance policies outline comprehensive insurance in relation to vehicle covers. However this doesn’t include windshields and tyres. In case of damages to the windshields or tyres, we analyze the circumstances under which it happened and can either be covered partially by both parties or make use of part of the excess insurance to cover them.

Driving in Uganda means you will be spending a lot of time driving in unpaved roads and rough terrains and at times, however careful you drive, a misfortune can happen. That’s why we make use of our comprehensive policies to cover these.

 

Driving Fines and Early Vehicle return

Traffic fines

You can hit on more than 10 adventures in Uganda without paying any fine to either the traffic police or rental company as long as you handle the rules and regulations provided carefully. Police fines levied to you after disobeying traffic rules supposed to be fully covered by yourself. Fines to the car, say due to missing documents or bad mechanical conditions are covered by the rental company.

Single accidents

Single accidents such as roll overs or any other damages to the car out of negligence of the driver are the only fined cases in this matter. These fines range accordingly to the vehicle type and the size of the damage. See our Car rental terms and Insurance policies for more clarification regarding this matter.

Many clients come asking for zero insurance but this is nowhere in real life, as it will give you all the freedom to use the vehicle the way you feel like and breach all contract details.

Early vehicle return

Return of rented cars before initially agreed upon dates in nonrefundable at most times, it is therefore advised to pay for the period you are most sure of making, in case you would need an extension – it’s always allowed and can be settled after.

Best way to Avoid Fines

Respect speed limits always. As earlier noted, 80km/hr is recommended on paved highways, 40km/hr on dirt roads and National parks tracks and 30km/hr in trading centres towns or cities. Speed limits are not always posted and it is better to keep in mind that driving 100km/hr on non-xpress highways may put you on a greater danger than just being fined by traffic police.

Mind about the pedestrians either in urban centers or villages that walk along the roadway to go to work, carry water or shepherd their animals as it may also be quite common to see cows and other domestic animals crossing a road unaccompanied, or grazing alongside the road such as in areas Lake Mburo and Mbarara town among others.

Be wary of Taxi cars (also known as matatus). Uganda has no designated stops or waiting areas for these taxis, thus it is common for the drivers to suddenly slow and pull over to pick up a passenger sometimes even without indicating. Always keep an eye the trailing car and that you are following and ensure there a proper distance between you car and them.

 

Road Conditions in Uganda

The roads in Uganda are generally poor and marrum/ unpaved. The highways are well paved and maintained and easy to drive on, however, the feeder and some connecting roads are not. Road signs are generally prevalent on paved roads though some are not so clear.

The dirt and marrum roads can range from good to worse in different places. The rough roads will not provide the smoothest/quietest ride, so always be prepared to face the challenge. Keep an eye out for the gullies and trenches made by rains, slippery surfaces such as those in the North Eastern i.e Kidepo and the sharply graveled one i.e Mgahinga areas among others.

These unpaved roads should be maneuvered with extra care so you keep the underbody of your car intact. For instance, we always get cases of severe gear box damages to short chassis 4x4s such as Toyota Rav4s from areas of Kidepo and Mgahinga National parks. Many rental agencies restrict these kind of cars from these areas as well.

You will spend most of your time self-driving in Uganda on gravel roads as you tour the Pearl of Africa. Keep in mind that you will spend more time or get a flat tire on these roads. In case of a flat tyre, be ready to get out and change your flat tire to a spare and next time you are at a Shell or Total gas station or any other, get the flat repaired or replaced.

 

Monitor your car fluid levels always

It is always advised to monitor the fluid levels of your car and this is ideal every morning before setting for a fresh ride. Japanese vehicles that are mostly common in the Uganda car rental industry have 4 kinds of fluids i.e coolant in the radiator and the reservoir, engine oil, gear box oil and power steering oil (hydraulic or transmission oil) and brake fluid for the brakes. Others not mentioned here can only be monitored by technician’s i.e cc oil and others. Coolant should be checked regularly while others can be monitored at times such as every after 3 days.

 

The P-R-N-D-2-L Automatic Transmission Gear

Some drivers may not be used to the P-R-N-D-2-L Automatic Transmission Gear.

– P stands for Parking and make sure it is always in the right place before pulling the hand break. The car also ignites from this gear.

– R stands for Reverse,

– N stands for Neutral Gear, the car can also ignite from this gear however it is risky to park your car from here.

– 2 is a lower gear and engaging it means you have locked your car in driving in only the first and second gear. This is advised in slippery surfaces.

– L is the lowest gear and means your car will be driving in the lowest gear and this is recommended in very slanting slopes or when the car is not braking well.

However, it is not recommended to drive the car in 2 and L gears for longer distances as it impacts negatively on the gear box.

 

The Extra 4 Wheel Drive Gear in Land cruisers

Land cruisers mainly Prados and V8 and their closest variants come with a small gear on the left of the main Gear shift pedal. This a 4 wheel gear lever. These cars are full time 4wds however there may come a time when they need a more extra power. Take caution before engaging this gear shift and make sure you drive with it for shorter distances such as not more than half a kilometer to keep the normal 4wd transmission running smoothly.

It is better to call your rental provider support team to give you instructions of engaging this gear but briefly, you first put the car in Neutral gear, then pull the 4wd gear to ‘LL’ position, until you see a 4wd orange sign on the dashboard and then drive slowly out of where you have been stuck. To remove this setting completely, put the car in neutral again and drag the 4wd gear to Hh, reverse a bit for about 10 feet and drive affront for about 6 meters, repeat the process until you see the light off the dashboard or you no longer feel the abnormal power in the car.

 

The Car Dashboard

The car dashboard should always be clear and there appearance impact while driving can range from bad to worse. In case you find an unfamiliar sign popping on the dash of your car, contact our support team in time.

Always monitor the temperature gauge of the car as well and if it exceeds the average and starts shooting up to ‘H’ i.e. high, stop the car and contact support.

The orange ‘check engine’ and red ‘engine oil’ signs are the most critical signs you shouldn’t despise. The red ‘battery’ signs shows that the battery isn’t charging well. This might be due to disconnected terminals, broken belt or a fault with the alternator.

If you are driving a Land cruiser Prado, it’s advised to instantly park and check what might be wrong. If it is a broken belt, do not drive until it is replaced. This is because this same belt that runs the alternator is the one that runs the fan. With the fan not running, you will put the vehicle on a risk of overheating thereby spoiling other critical components of the car engine part.

In a Rav4, as soon you notice this sign it means that you still have some 30 – 50 minutes to drive as you seek for mechanical assistance especially if it is a broken belt.

Other signs can be ‘ABS’ light that is related to the braking system of the car, ‘OD on/off’ that shows that the car is in overdrive and seatbelt signs among others.

 

Be Aware of Animals While in the Park

You will come across animals on the tracks in the National parks especially during game drives. Any harm to these animals can be heavily fined and this is why 40km/hr. driving speed is advised. Be very cautious and aware of animals. Four eyes are better than two, so engage your co-pilot to help keep an eye out. You never know what you may come across. Elephants and Hippos can be dangerous at times, give them a distance before they charge at your vehicle.

Getting Around With Navigation Tools

Getting around Uganda is not too hard, as there are not too many roads to choose from. Having a GPS in the vehicle is one sure way to navigate around the country but make sure they are up to date. The biggest recommendation from my side is Google maps. Using Google maps can be a great deal to find your way around, however always add 15 minutes per hour in the estimated time provided by these navigation maps.

We offer free paper maps in the cars but these cannot be relied on especially by first time users.

Ideally, if you already have your route planned, you can program it into Google Maps and let the device guide your journey. Going off-plan and taking some side trips is easy when you can plan your way back onto your route.

 

Always Stock Enough Grocery

Distances between nearby towns to national parks or other tourist destinations can be long. It should be ideal to shop and pack well your groceries in time. You can stock up cereals, drinking water and other foods especially if you are camping. Snacks are a great way to keep your energy up throughout the day, so make sure you have plenty on hand.uG

Pack Light & Smart

Since you will be driving around the Pearl of Africa, expect to see the best and pack accordingly. Make sure you bring what you need. Doing a self-drive adventure is not like backpacking. The vehicle will haul what you need. Stock up on food and water, and make sure you have appropriate clothes for the environment and a change of shoes.

Here is the list you should consider

• GPS device, good Ugandan or East African map or offline maps/ Google maps
• Flashlights and batteries
• Mosquito Repellants and sun screen
• A well-equipped First Aid kit (including a snake bite kit)
• Rehydration solution
• If possible a Satellite phone
• Camera
• Toilet paper
• Hand sanitizer
• External battery charger or power bank