Road-tripping creates everlasting memories, the perfect escape from the bustle and hustle of one’s ordinary life. Indeed, nothing beats the feeling of spending hours with your loved ones in a 4×4 safari vehicle, traveling all over Uganda, meeting amazing communities, and taking in breathtaking sites along the way.

With a perfect camera, you can immortalize the fantastic moments as you commit some of the memories to your diary for future reference. When it comes to thrill-inspiring road trips in Africa, Uganda boasts an abundance of those. Read on to uncover the top five road trips in Uganda that you should consider before hitting 60.

1. Kampala to Bwindi Gorilla National Park

Distance: 490 kilometers

Duration: 8-10hrs

Routes: Kampala – Equator – Mbarara- Bwindi

Mountain Gorilla in Bwindi National Park

Uganda is popularly known to inhabit half of the world’s remaining population of endangered mountain gorillas, found in the impenetrable jungles of Bwindi National Park. Thousands of tourists from all over the world visit Uganda mainly for mountain gorilla tracking in Bwindi National Park, located in the southwestern part of the country. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi takes place in the 4 sectors of Buhoma, Ruhija, Nkuringo, and Rushaga. Each sector has its own gorilla groups and accommodations (Lodges and campsites).

Brief Itinerary for a 3 Day Gorilla trip in Bwindi

Day 1: Kampala to Bwindi via Mbarara (8-10hrs), Overnight in Bwindi Jungle

Day 2: Gorilla trekking experience, evening community walk

Day 3: Drive back to Kampala with en route stopover at the equator for photographs.

Other things to do when you visit Bwindi Gorilla Park

Other tourist activities to do in Bwindi gorilla park include birding, community encounters, forest walks, gorilla habituation experience, and biking among others.

2. Kampala – Jinja Road trip

Distance: 80km

Duration: 2hrs

Route: Kampala – Mabira Forest – Jinja

Jinja is one of Uganda’s most beautiful cities, visited and loved by many tourists. It is located in the Eastern part of the country, 80km (2hrs) from Kampala capital. The journey starts in Kampala with an en route stopover in Mabira forest for a nature walk, birding, or zip-lining. Proceed to Jinja for a boat cruise to the source of the mighty river Nile.

Other things to do on a road trip to Jinja include white water rafting, Bungee jumping, Quad biking, kayaking, Horseback Riding, and a fantastic boat cruise among others.

White water rafting activity takes almost a full day, therefore, taking part in this activity may not give you a chance to take part in other activities unless you stay for a night in Jinja.

White Water rafting in Jinja – Uganda

3. Kampala to Murchison Falls National Park

Duration: 2hrs

Distance: 240km

Route: Kampala – Masindi – Murchison Falls National Park

The journey to Murchison falls national park is one of the most popular road trips taken by most tourists on self-drive Uganda safaris. To fully explore this park, one requires at least 3 days and 2 nights. The main tour activities done in Murchison falls national park include;

• Day and Night Game drives: Conducted in 4×4 vehicle with a pop-up roof for excellent game viewing and photographing, highly recommended to employ a park guide to assist you to look for the animals in the park. Among the animals to see include pride of Lions, Leopards, Elephants, Buffaloes, Giraffes, and several antelope species among others.
• Boat Cruise: A road trip to Murchison Falls National park offers a great opportunity to take a fantastic boat cruise to the Nile Delta, and to the bottom of the magnificent Murchison falls. While on the boat cruise, herds of buffaloes and elephants are seen quenching their thirst, and huge Nile crocodiles as well as Hippos are also seen basking along the shores. This is also a birders’ paradise with other 400 species including migratory species.
• Chimpanzee tracking and birding in Budongo forest
• Adventurous hiking to the top of the falls
• Local community tours

African Elephant – Murchison Falls National Park Uganda

This short road trip allows you to see Africa’s Big Five (Lion, Leopard, Buffalo, Elephant, and Rhinos in Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary).

4. Road Trip to Kibale Forest (Home to 13 Primate Species)

Duration: 7hrs

Distance: 340km

Route: Kampala –Fort Portal – Kibale National Park

The trip goes through the beautiful and amazing landscapes of Uganda’s countryside. Kibale National Park is known for the highest concentration of primates in Africa with 13 species which include chimpanzees, Black and white colobus monkeys, Grey Cheeked Mangabeys, L’Hoests Monkeys, vervets, and Galagoes among others.

Besides chimps and other primates tracking, Kibale National Park is famous for its excellent birding experience with our 350 species, night forest walk, butterfly watching, chimpanzee habituation experience, and Bigodi swamp exploration.

A road trip to Kibale National Park allows you to explore and experience the local communities living around the park, and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the volcanic hills and crater lakes. On the edges of Fort Portal town, we find Tooro King’s Palace, as well as the historical site known as “Amabeere ga Nyina Mwiru”, one of the must-visit sites on your road trip to Kibale National Park.

Tooro King’s palace – Fort Portal

5. Kampala to Lake Mburo National Park

Duration: 3hrs

Distance: 220km

Route: Kampala – Equator – Lake Mburo

Lake Mburo is the smallest savannah Park in Uganda, a perfect destination for weekend getaways in Uganda, located in the western part of the country.  The park is popularly known for game drives where you can see a variety of wild animals in their natural habitats such as Zebras, Giraffes, buffaloes, and several antelope species such as Impalas, and Statungas among others.

Besides game viewing, other tourist activities conducted in Lake Mburo N.P include Quad biking, nature safari walking, horseback riding, and boat ride to see Hippos, birds, and crocodiles.

Vehicles Recommended for Road Tripping in Uganda

Access to all the destinations mentioned above may require a strong 4×4 vehicle, especially in National Parks such as Murchison Falls, Lake Mburo, and Bwindi Jungle. First-time travelers to Uganda can rent a 4×4 in Kampala from a reliable car rental agency that can give a reliable 4×4 and proper guidance to operate a 4×4 for a fantastic and memorable adventure in Uganda. There is also an option to rent a 4×4 with a driver in Uganda for as low as USD30 per day. The driver acts as the tour guide while on the safari in Uganda.

Is having a Baby on Self-Drive in Uganda Allowed? Does my Car come with a Baby Seat?

Renting a Car for Self-drive in Uganda with your baby is possible as the company provides a baby seat to enable you to transfer to any safari destination of your choice in Uganda.

Travelers can also transfer with their own baby seats so as to save money on renting a 4×4 with a baby seat. If you cannot, the company can purchase this baby seat at your expense. However, you are required to inform us prior to the date of arrival so that the company prepares a baby seat or informs you about the guidelines/ steps on which to follow if you want to have a bay seat and enjoy your safari in Uganda.

So when you are looking to rent a car with us, find out the cost of renting a car as well as the baby seat. After your rental you shall be required to pay an extra fee in case the baby seat is brought all dirty with food and soda drops.

When taking a baby seat make sure it fits well with the size of your baby for safety while driving to any destination of your choice in Uganda.

Top 3 Reasons to Carry a Baby seat on Car Rental in Uganda or Self-Drive in Uganda.

1. They are compatible with the cars

Baby seats are compatible with most cars we offer for car rental in Uganda. These seats carry your baby comfortably throughout the safari to any safari destination in Uganda.

2. They offer Safety

Baby seats enhance the safety of the babies as they seat comfortably in any safari place in Uganda. Note the confidence in your baby seats before transferring with your baby. Our company offers well-maintained baby seats although we advise travelers to carry their own baby seats to carry their babies comfortably as they transfer from one destination to another.

3. They reduce Damage

When going for your self-drive in Uganda and Car Rental in Uganda, make sure the baby seat is in good condition so as to reduce damage that could happen to the car or the baby while on safari.

Other Self-drive tips in Uganda

Uganda is beautiful to explore on self-drive as you transfer from one safari destination to another. Below are the self-drive tips to follow so as to enjoy car rental safaris in Uganda.

• Book your vehicle in advance

As you are planning to go on a self-drive safari in Uganda, we advise you to book your car in advance before the date of arrival to go on your self-drive safari around Uganda.

• Thoroughly check your vehicle before driving

Before starting your self-drive Uganda Safari/ journey, we advise you to thoroughly check your vehicle before setting off. Check the water levels, radiator, oil, fuel, and pressure so as to be ready for your adventure.

• Rent a car with camping gears

When going for a self-drive Uganda safari, we advise you to book and rent a car with camping gear to make your stay in the wilderness very incredible and unique. The camping gear makes it possible for you to sleep in the wilderness as well as cook and do other activities at your ease and comfort.

• Respect and follow the Traffic rules

As you are going on your self-drive Uganda safari, we advise you to follow the traffic rules as well as the road signs located along the highways. While driving in the City Centres, look out for motorbikes, locally known as Boda bodas, taxi drivers that crowd the various places in the City.

• Make sure to fuel your car

When setting off for self-drive in Uganda, make sure to fuel your car so as to avoid breaks along your road trip. Fuel stations are located along the main roads in Kampala as well as the outskirts

We fuel cars with only Total and Shell fuel stations and fuel as other types of fuel could damage the car engines.

When going to remote regions on your self-drive Uganda safari, we advise you to fill your tank so as to avoid inconveniences.

• Carry a Spare kit

When transferring on self-drive in Uganda, we advise you to carry a spare kit that contains spare tires, jerk, and spanners. This is useful since the roads are unpredictable and anything can happen.

• Make sure to wear your seat belt

While on self-drive in Uganda, we advise you to always wear your seat belt so that it protects in case of any road accidents that could happen due to uncertainties. These will also hold you tight when there are unexpected breakings and reckless driving among others.