EXPLORE UGANDA IN A SELF DRIVE OR WITH CHAUFFEUR CAR RENTAL
ABOUT UGANDA.
Uganda is a landlocked country which lies astride the equator, is twice the size of Pennsylvania, bordered on the North by Sudan, West by Congo, on the East by Kenya and on the South by Rwanda and Tanzania found in East Africa. Uganda is proudly known as “the Pearl of Africa” renowned for its ever lush green atmosphere with savanna and grasses flourishing everywhere in the country. The country is blessed with magnificent, tranquility and idyllic scenery offered by its reminiscent and overwhelming landscapes, it’s made even more exciting by the captivating, shimmering and teeming wildlife species that are found in the different National Parks and forest reserves. Uganda is highly credited for its rich cultural diversity and eco tourism. It’s made up of 4 regions Central, Eastern, Western and Northern Uganda with tribes such as Buganda, Banyankole, Bakiga, Batoro, and Banyoro among others. The people of this country are overwhelmingly very friendly making it so easy to ask for help or direction if lost.
When is the best time to visit Uganda?
Uganda enjoys almost perfect weather throughout the year and is sunny most of the months with average temperatures of approximately 26 degrees though it varies from region to region. The country does not experience winters or summers and usually heavy downpour in the morning can be followed by bright rays of sunshine leaving no indication that it had ever rained earlier in the day.
The rainy season usually runs from March-May and October-November. November and December are light rain seasons. Rainfall totals range between 500mm- 2000mm or more enabling Ugandan farmers to grow their food all year round without necessarily using the option of irrigation.
The dry season runs from December to late February and from June to September with the hottest months being January and February with temperatures ranging between 24-32degrees. This makes it the best time for game viewing in National Parks like Kidepo in the North, gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest National Park. This is surely the best time for tourists to visit and enjoy the country’s stunning beauty and various species of animals.
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Ugandan currency.
Uganda is a sovereign country with its own official currency known as the Ugandan shilling (Ugx). One requires Ugx to pay for a meal, cold drink, fuel at a gas station, fares at the lodge, hotel bills, pay for a taxi or boda boda, buy things from the supermarket.
Other currencies in use include the US$(commonly used), the Pound Sterling and Euro are rarely in use. Most financial transactions in Uganda are carried out in Ugx.
Feel free to use your credit or debit card to pay for goods bought at the supermarket or visa card at ATM’s. Only exchange your US$ or Pounds at authorized foreign exchange bureaus and banks. Take caution when exchanging your dollars, Euros at places like hotels as they tend to offer lower rates compared to those offered by authorized forex bureaus unless those hotels have official foreign exchange bureaus around.
1US$ is approximately worth 2500shs or more, so watch out for those that want to offer you less, always find bureaus that offer the best rates. Authorized Foreign exchange bureaus are fairly distributed throughout the city (Kampala).
US$ are usually used to pay for services like car rental, gorilla permits, chimpanzee permits, entrance to parks, some hotels also accept pay in dollars. It’s advisable not to use the forex bureaus at the airport as they most cases offer lower rates compared to those in Kampala.
The currency is denoted in Ugx coins and bank notes, the frequently used coins being 100,200,500 and 1000shs. The rarely used coins are 10 and 50, the designated banknotes are 1000, 2000,5,000,10,000, 20,000 and the currency point being 50,000shs.
NB: - Watch out for fake coins and banknotes and keep your money purse out of sight as counterfeits and thieves are always lurking around in hope of robbing you of your hard earned money.
Languages.
English is the officially spoken language in Uganda and mandatory in schools. Other commonly spoken languages include Kiswahili, Luganda –it doesn’t hurt to learn a few words like “webale” meaning “thank you”, Runyankole, Rukiga, and Rutoro among others. Common religious affiliations include Catholics, Muslims, and Anglicans.
Food and drink in Uganda.
Ugandan restaurants offer cuisines to suit all tastes whether English, Asian, Indian, French or local. You can enjoy meals cheaply in almost all restaurants around the country .Indian, Italian and Chinese restaurants can be found in the cities of Kampala, Jinja and in all other major cities. Local foods include Cassava, yams, African sweet potato, white Irish potatoes, chapatti, matooke (bananas). Popular sauces served include meat stew, chicken, goat meat, groundnuts sauce among others. Common snacks include grasshoppers (Nsenene)-these are seasonal and madly savored by most locals, groundnuts usually served in a spill of a paper, Samosas, Cake, Mandazi (a doughnut) enjoyed by most.
Beverages in Uganda include: - Pombe and Tonto-locally fermented from bananas, Uganda Waragi- a distilled spirit, soda products of Coca cola, Pepsi and wines are offered throughout the country. Local beer brands of Bell, Nile special, Moon berg among others are also offered. The official age limit to purchase and drink alcohol in Uganda is18.
Are you interested in visiting the stunning National parks that Uganda offers?
Uganda is a magical country of unmatched beauty with a rich cultural heritage, plentiful of teeming wildlife species, blessed with diverse landscapes offering a rich, exciting, diverse and memorable game viewing experience in its various national parks.
Explore shimmering animal species from over365 mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park offering a rewarding view past Murchison Falls National Park providing magnificent and stunning waterfall sights and is also home to lions, Nile crocodiles through Ziwa Rhino sanctuary with over 335 bird species into Queen Elizabeth National Park-granting you an opportunity to spot tree climbing lions, it also boasts large herds of elephants and buffalos, hippos and Uganda kobs to Budongo Forest Reserve- one of the largest mahogany forests with around 465 plant species and is home to chimpanzees, birds, blue monkeys, white colobus and Semliki National Park- with over 465 bird species and is home to buffaloes, leopards and lions.
Other National parks include:-Lake Mburo National Park harboring some of the rarest mammals such as reedbucks, impalas, elands and topis, Mpanga Forest Reserve with abundant rain forests and wildlife such as the red tailed monkey, parrots, hornbill, Rwenzori mountains National Park-guaranteeing exciting hiking and climbing opportunities offering rewarding, spectacular views upon reaching the top of the mountain. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Kidepo National Park found in the Northern part of the country and do not leave out Kibale National Park offering great chances of spotting chimpanzees and is ideal for chimpanzee tracking.
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Exhilarating, engaging and exciting Activities in Uganda.
Enjoy white water rafting at Nalubale located on the source of the Nile- an activity that makes your trip to Uganda worthwhile and complete, Bujagali Falls in Jinja also favors rafting and kayaking. Spot the sunset while relaxing on the sandy beaches of Ssese Island, enjoy horse riding around Kampala Gardens, in Jinja and Lubowa, and enjoy the serene atmosphere in Botanical gardens located on Entebbe road. Do not miss out gorilla trekking in Bwindi and in Mgahinga Gorilla Park, similarly enjoy chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest National park. See the different bird species offered by the different National Parks. Hiking and mountain climbing on the snow caped Rwenzori mountains with Mt.Muhavura being the highest peak.
Other activities include:-cultural festivals, exhibitions, shows, parties, sport fishing, canoeing on Lake Bunyonyi ,boating commonly done on lakes Victoria, Mburo, Bunyonyi, Kazinga Channel and River Nile. U can also explore the exciting night life in Kampala, check out clubs like Silk, Angenoir, Governor, Alfredo’s located in Ntinda, and feel free to gamble a few shillings in some of the city’s most prominent casinos. Uganda offers an exhilarating and exciting once in a life time memorable night clubbing experience. Enjoy shopping at elegant places like Shoprite, Game, Capital Shoppers spread in various places in the country, Check out Turskeys, Freedom City located on Entebbe road, Mega Standard supermarket located in the heart of the city offering all that you might need.
Visa Requirements.
Uganda uses a reciprocity approach when offering visas-if your country requires Ugandan citizens to have visas to enter then you will likewise require a visa to enter Uganda. Nationals who do not require visas to enter Uganda include Americans, British, Common wealth nationals, Europeans, COMESA countries. All you need is a valid passport issued by your government.
You must have a valid passport with a maximum validity of 6months from the date of arrival into the country.
A valid certificate showing you’ve been immunized against Yellow fever.
A return ticket-you must have one before your guaranteed entry into Uganda, if you plan on leaving the country overland then you can arrange your trip with an airline guaranteeing easy of making a refund on the unused ticket.
A Ugandan visa can be acquired at the immigration office upon arrival into Uganda or you can purchase your entry permit in advance from any listed Ugandan Embassy or High Commissions in your country. A single entry visa attracts an embassy fee of US$ 50, multiple entry visas 6-12months- US$100, multiple entry visa 24months- US$150.
Watch out for fines: - illegal stay-US$ 30 per day, lost passport- US$50, damaged/badly handled passport-US$50, Appeal fees US$500.
4X4 Car Hire and Rental Services.
Habari Africa is a pioneer car rental company with its primary offices in Uganda; we have an unblemished 7years record offering proficient car rental services throughout the region. We own a large fleet of 4x4 vehicles convenient for city rentals, self drive car hire, safari car hire and long term rental hire. We offer a wide array of 4x4 rental fleet either self drive or with one of our efficient English Driver at the Wheels. These vehicles are nearly brand new, well serviced and maintained to suit our clients’ preferred needs, requirements and budget. We offer the most competitive car hire quotes better than those of any other company in Uganda, all our vehicles are 3rd party insured, have comprehensively insurance coverage though we advise our clients to have personal accident insurance inclusive of medical repatriation and we offer these vehicles on unlimited mileage basis. We ascertain that you receive the best value for your money through providing efficient, effective and economical car rental rates and services.
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Our specialized and proficient services.
We offer the following services: - one way car rental deals, last minute rental deals, hassle free online booking system, two way rental deals, Airport Car rentals- we can pick and drop you off from Entebbe Airport, we can design for you a tailor made itinerary for your holiday, Self drive Safaris, a large fleet of 4x4 rental vehicles, Luxury car hire, we can purchase for you Gorilla or chimpanzee permits for Bwindi or Kibale Forest National parks. We can also provide you with driver car rentals, we recommend and help book accommodation for our clients, and we provide cross boarder car hire services to neighboring East African countries. We also offer long term car rental deals of over 90 days or more, discounted rental prices and so much more.
Our 4x4wheel drive safari rental fleet.
We provide a wide spectrum of 4x4 capable rental vehicles that have good ground clearance for excellent game viewing, excellent performance, and enough load space for luggage, have Air Conditioning, easy to drive, fuel economy, and have extra power for rough roads. Our wide rental fleet includes:-Toyota Rav 4-ideal for self drive safaris, 4x4 Toyota Land Cruisers Single and Double cabs, Land Rover Discovery 4x4, Land Rover Defender 4x4,Terrano, sedans, 4x4 salon cars like Corona, Corolla, Caldina, 4x4 Safari Minivans, 4x4 station wagons, Coaster vans.
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Cross boarder 4x4 car rental.
Habari can also arrange for you cross boarder car hire in the vicinity and comfort of your 4x4 to neighboring East African countries such as Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, and Burundi saving you from the hassle of traveling in overcrowded buses that have specific bus stops but within the vicinity of your self drive 4x4 rental your guaranteed comfort and travel at your own pace offering flexibility as you can make even over 10 stops if you choose to. Simply pick up your phone and book with us for your perfect 4x4 self drive safari rental to all your chosen and preferred destinations in East Africa. All you need to do is tell us and we will arrange with customs to deliver to you your car rental anywhere in East Africa.
Camping in Uganda.
In the vicinity of your 4x4 Safari camping vehicle enjoy camping at different camp sites widely scattered and spread across the country ranging from luxury camp sites, fully equipped camp grounds, bush camp sites such as Kibale Forest Camp, Mutanda Lake Resort, Bush camping Murchison Falls, Bwana Tembo, Moses Campsite, Murchison River Lodge, Nabugabo Holiday Resort to mention but a few.
We provide safari camping equipment comprising of a roof top tent, a mattress/mat, blanket/sleeping bag, pillows,bedsheets, camping chairs, table, food storage box, plastic cups, cutting board, plates, bowls, pots, frying pans, knife, cutlery set, dish washing set, headlights, solar table lamp at a rate of US$20 per day for 2 pax.
Driving Tips in Uganda.
Uganda has fairy good roads with road signs and traffic guides but some roads do not have road signs so be careful when driving for crossing cows, other animals and school children.
Always drive on your left hand side and watch out for pot holes, slow down and avoid over speeding as fines are severe.
Ensure that you have a valid driver’s license and if you’re a foreign visitor always ensure that you have a valid international Driving license. Valid road licenses can be got from Revenue Authority offices located in Kampala.
Beware of animals crossing and wandering onto roads and when driving in national parks take extra caution and watch out for animals roaming around.
Ensure that seat belts are worn at all times for your personal safety.
Always carry enough fuel with you and carry extra car tyres in case of a tyre puncture.
Contact us for your most competitive car hire quotes. We offer the most affordable, budget and cheapest car rental rates in Uganda that guarantee value for your money. You may pick up or drop off your car rental in Kampala or in any other major city in Uganda. Come Explore the exciting, vibrant and stunning natural beauties that the Pearl of Africa offers that leave you with extra ordinary and unforgettable holiday experiences and memories of a life time.
Contact us for your most perfect car rental quote on +256.782.014.207 0R +256.392.897.704 OR +44790.863.9450 email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
