Self-Drive Holiday in Uganda

Self Drive on a gorilla safari can be a good option! While planning self drive holiday in Uganda, Uganda self drive specialize in organizing self-drive itineraries. They will book your accommodation for you, and usually you will have a choice as to what type of accommodation you would like. They meet and greet at the airport and facilitate you getting your rental car, they will provide route maps and other useful information. This is a good option if you don’t have the time to research your itinerary yourself. It’s also a good idea to book your accommodation in advance especially during the months of December and January.

Tips for Driving in Uganda

• Driving is on the left hand side of the road in Uganda (so cars are right hand drive).
• Seat belts must be worn by front seat passengers.
• No cell phone use is allowed while driving.
• Average speeds are 35mph (60km/h) in built up areas, 75 mph (120 km/h) on the open roads.
• All road signs are in English.
• All distances are in km’s.
• A traffic light is called a “robot”.
• Always lock your car when you park it and never leave valuables in the car,
• “Car guards” will pop up to help keep your parked car safe.
• A tip of a few shillings is fine.
• Keep your windows up and doors locked when you stop at a traffic light, especially in towns and cities.
• You’ll need a valid driver’s license (if your license is not in English, you will need to get an International drivers license),
• Avoid driving at night if you can.

If you have plans to take holiday that involves driving around in Uganda before, there are some rules of the road you will need to bear in mind –because things are going to get pretty hectic around that time.

The first thing about driving in Uganda is, of course, having driving permits and of age of above 18 years old, we drive on the left. When I say ‘we’, this does not necessarily apply Ugandans but also international travelers on self drive expeditions. With a very limited inner-city public transport system in most places other than Uganda, everyone drives.  And they usually drive between 10 and 20 kilometers an hour faster than the speed limit. They slow down just for the speed cameras.

Follow the traffic lights on road as you may do in your mother country, red traffic lights indicate a stop for everyone except … you’ve got it. They stop an extra two or three seconds turn across on-coming traffic, or just shoot through. In some areas it is considered cool to slip through behind, as long as you keep really close. If five cars can stick close enough, they can all go through. But you are allowed to be rude to those people.