
Uganda Road Requirements For Vehicles and Drivers
By East African standards, Uganda major roads are generally in good condition. Surfaced roads radiate out from Kampala, running east to Jinja, Busia, Mbarara Tororo, Mbale and Soroti, south to Entebbe, southwest to Masaka, northwest to Gayaza and Kayunga (and on Jinja). As a rule, however, Uganda, un surfaced roads tend to be very variable from one season to the next, with conditions likely to be most tricky during the rains and least so towards the end of the dry season. Even in this generalization, an isolated downpour can do major damage to a road that was in perfectly good condition a day earlier, while the arrival of a grader can transform a potholed 4×4 track into a road navigable by any salon car.
Driving in Uganda is interesting, a bit more challenging than other East Africa and Southern Africa countries. You definitely need to be a defensive driver. During yourself drive, just drive defensively when buses and minibus-taxis are around as their drivers are crazy. These are now the main hazard on Ugandan roads aside from unexpected potholes. Minibus-taxi drivers in particular have long been given to overtaking on blind corners, and speed limits are universally ignored except when enforced by road conditions.
As a big threat as minibus-taxis these days are the spanking new coaches that bully their way along trunk routes at up to 120km/h. You will be overtaken by big buses carrying over 70 passengers traveling at excessive speeds, oncoming traffic appears to be heading straight at you. People pass in curves, on a hillside and each day one reads of accidents that result in loss of lives and sometimes in great numbers. Keep an eye in the rear-view (driving) mirror and if necessary pull of the road in advance to let the closing loony past. Other than them you won’t see much traffic outside of Kampala, except on the road to Jinja and the Kenyan border.
The best thing however is to hire a car and a driver, and not just any but a well maintained vehicle and a safe driver that follows the rules. Not easy to find either one of those. We hire only the best driver guides who have been to almost every corner of East Africa and know the twists and turns of every safari destination, – and feel a concern for the well being of our client. Driving at night can drive you mad and you should avoid the habit of driving without lights. Most Ugandans have this habit of driving without lights. To be more perfect, hire a vehicle and a driver and enjoy your road trip in Uganda and East Africa as a whole.
You will meet lots of very friendly and helpful people. If you are unfortunate enough to have a puncture remember to get out of the way of the rush of local people wanting to help change the wheel for you. Drivers in Uganda are very aggressive and keep you on the edge of your seat. Though I’ve mainly been around Kampala, so of course driving in the city is much more intense than in the rural areas. If you do plan to drive definitely have someone go with you for the first few drives, as driving on the left side, and amidst tons of minibus taxi’s and motor scooters is crazy. Overall the people are welcoming and helpful if you do happen to need help.
If you hire a decent car you probably won’t have any breakdown problems, fuel is available all around the country and there might be an occasional roadblock at Owen Falls Dam, Jinja, and a customs one on the way to the southwest. No one will try and solicit a bribe from you, unlike some other countries. Fuel is expensive in Uganda – the equivalent of around US$1.4 per litre for petrol and slightly less for diesel. If you are arriving overland its worth stocking up before you enter the country.
Contact us for the kind of car of your choice either on line or by directly visiting our offices. All our rates are fully inclusive of insurance, local taxes on unlimited mileage basis. Our company considers value for money and also covers great rates and outstanding customer service.
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How Much Does a Gorilla Tour Cost
To many visitors to Uganda, Seeing mountain gorillas in Africa is one of the top tourist attractions that is cherished by every travelers to the continent. As one of the most incredible wildlife experiences found in Uganda, Rwanda and Congo, it’s believed that only 900 endangered living mountain gorillas live in the three countries. The Unique opportunity of seeing gorillas in their natural home comes with some total gorilla safari cost that surprise tourists at the time of inquiry and booking. Gorilla permits, accommodation, transport, tourist Visa and tour expert are the five things that confuse tourists wondering why gorilla safari prices are high or low.
Gorilla Permits
When planning a gorilla trekking safari in Africa, it’s very essential to first book your gorilla permits with your right tracking dates before any other thing for the safari because a slight change in your tracking dates can change your travel plans and even affects your Air ticket dates. If you to track gorillas in Rwanda, gorilla permits cost $1500, $600 for Uganda and $400 for Congo. In Rwanda if you explore more other national parks of Nyungwe forest and Akagera, you get 30% Discount. Other discounts follow you if you visit Uganda and Congo in low season months. Though gorilla tracking is known by many travelers across the globe, very few have been able to experience the lifetime wildlife encounter of meeting gorillas face to face in the jungle forest. However, the cost of your gorilla safari tour in Africa depends on the choice of the gorilla trekking destination.
Tourist Visa
The majority of tourist visas can be obtained at either the boarder or international airport upon arrival and tourist to Africa on gorilla tracking tours are advised to budget for the cost of a tourist visa at the time of trip planning so that it doesn’t come by surprised. Rwanda tourist visa go for $30, Congo tourist visa go for $100 and Uganda tourist visa go for $50 all valid for a period of 90 days. However, some travelers don’t need tourist visas to Rwanda but they must have one for Uganda or Democratic Republic of Congo if they are to track mountain gorillas in Bwindi Forest national park, Mgahinga national Park and Virunga National park.
Transport
No matter where you track gorillas in Africa, your transport means will be of key importance to your safety and leisure. There are many ways of transportation for gorilla safari tours and each depends on the tourist interest and budget. The majority of tourist use safari land cruisers with a pop up ideal for photography and wildlife viewing. Its also the best safari vehicle if you going to explore other wildlife parks in the country. Some tourists feel comfortable to go on a self driving trip, some backpacking and others flying to and from gorilla park. Be sure that all gorilla safari means of transport cost differently and are charged per day. One on a flying safari must pay a higher gorilla safari price than the one using a private safari landcruiser.Ans still the one on self drive pays much more than the one on a backpacking trip.
Safari Accommodation
All gorilla national parks, Virunga, Bwindi, Mgahinga, Volcanoes and Kahuzi Biega offer variety of accommodation facilities to all types of visitor’s luxury and budget. The choice depends on the traveler and interest but variety is surely available for everyone. Make a right choice of your gorilla safari accommodation and sleep in comfort a night before you ultimate wildlife experience in Africa. The time is now to enjoy the life time experience since it’s anticipated to more expensive in the future.
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Get Discounted Uganda Gorilla Permits for 2017-2019
Is gorilla tracking top on your bucket list this year, next year or the other year and you want to track mountain gorillas with discounted gorilla permits? Uganda also known as the pearl of Africa is the only place to be where huge discounts are given to all tourists for the months of April, May and November. The introductions of discounts on gorilla permits make gorilla tours cheap and affordable for many travelers not only in low season but all year.
Be one of those to track mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park by reserving your gorilla permit in time among the 120 gorilla permits sold per day by Uganda Wildlife Authority in both parks with only 8 in Mgahinga and the rest for Bwindi impenetrable. It’s during the low season when budget travelers explore the beautiful country of Uganda and experience the top tourist’s attractions without spending much. However, all tourists planning to track gorillas on budget in Africa, low season months are the best.
Forget the belief that low season months in Uganda are rainy seasons when roads are impassable and forest jungles are too muddy because it’s the opposite. Rainy seasons in Uganda are not actually rain seasons but they are just like other months of the year because it rains on just specific days and at times you may spend a full week without seeing any drop of rain. So go ahead and plan your Uganda gorilla safari tour at cheapest rates for low season that are a result of discounted gorilla permits.
The other advantage of tracking gorillas in low season months is that many tourists tend skip eyes off this period so few of them visit the country for gorilla tourism hence getting a chance to experience a marvelous feeling in the entire jungle forest. April, May and November are the only months when gorilla permits in Uganda cost $450 per trek from the usual price of $600.Foreign tourists save $150 per trek a good amount to cater for other travel essentials like accommodation and transport. For those foreigners living in Uganda with work permit, gorilla permits cost only $400 for low season. Comparing Uganda gorilla permit prices with that of Rwanda another gorilla tracking destination in the region that sales permits at $1500 all year without low season. Uganda is simply a perfect place for cheap gorilla safari tours in Africa for all kinds of travelers- Budget and luxury.
While in Uganda, there is much more to see and experience including wildlife, chimpanzees, monkeys, culture, landscape, lakes, falls, Birds, mountains, among others. Amazingly even accommodation facilities in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park offer discounts to tourists during low season and it’s another factor that make Uganda gorilla tours cheap and unforgettable. Get a life changing experience with gorillas in Bwindi forest and Mgahinga on your gorilla trekking safari in Africa and save big for the future.
Read MoreTravel to Uganda with Conservation Concepts and BeadforLife
April 11 – 21, 2012 I will be leading my seventh trip to Uganda in partnership with my wife’s organization, BeadforLife.
This trip to Uganda is full-immersion, and will be a very powerful experience. This is not Africa through the windows of an air-conditioned bus, but a chance to feel the red dust on your face and engage one-on-one with some of the most welcoming people in the world.
Here is a sample of what you will experience:
- Learn about the complicated issues of global poverty and BeadforLife’s holistic approach to poverty eradication.
- Visit BeadforLife’s Friendship Village to see the life-changing benefits of home ownership
- Go on a 4-day safari in spectacular Murchison Falls National Park
- Explore environmental issues and their impacts on people’s lives
- Visit an AIDS clinic and find out what living with HIV means in Africa
Follow the link to learn more about traveling to Uganda with Conservation Concepts and BeadforLife. And please forward this message on to your friends!
Read MoreUgandan Shilling Hits Greatest Low in 18 Years
The shilling is the worst-performing currency against the dollar in the world so far this year, depreciating to 2,780 per dollar around 4 p.m. today. Oil importers and telecommunication companies have played a strong role in the demand for U.S. currency, Bloomberg reported.
The shilling is the weakest against the dollar that it has been since July 1993. The U.S. dollar has been strengthening significantly on the international markets as well, despite the S & P downgrade of the United States, due to international financial turmoil, particularly in the Eurozone.
In June, the shilling traded at sh2735/2750, but a Central Bank intervention strengthened it to sh2400, New Vision reported.
President Museveni spent one-third of the state budget—or 1.3 billion USD—in just the month of January 2011, shortly before the national elections. $720 million was also spent on buying six Russian fighter jets, the Council on Foreign Relations reported.
Ugandan opposition leaders vowed yesterday to begin protests over the rising cost of living, particularly fuel and food, AFP reported. Inflation last month reached 18.7 percent.
Kizza Besigye and other opposition politicians pledged to restart the walk-to-work protests at a candlelight vigil in Masaka for a toddler shot by a security officer in April. Besigye was recently cleared of all charges against him connected to the demonstrations early this year.
As opposition supporters went to lay a wreath at the home where the child was shot, the army and police fired teargas into the crowd. The Ugandan police spokeswoman Judith Nabakooba said any protest would be stopped for security reasons.
The Minister of Security, Wilson Muruli Mukasa, said that the opposition is using Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube as part of a “grand plan” to topple the government, BBC News reported. Social media was being used, he said, to “psychologically prepare the people, especially young people, for armed insurrection”.
The government has voiced concerns that Besigye will organise an Egypt-style uprising gain power through the streets after losing elections in February, according to BBC News.
Read MoreRwanda Safaris
ITINERARY FOR CHIMPS IN NYUNGWE FOREST
(Tour Code RW 4) This safari starts and finishes in Kigali.
DAY 1: Arrival
Arrive at Kanombe (Kigali) airport. Meet and greet before transferring to Kigali City. City tour in Kigali (optional) including a visit to the genocide sites, the art and craft center. O/N: Hotel Chez Lando or Mille Collines Hotel (B-L-D).
DAY 2: To Nyungwe Forest
Start for Nyungwe Forest National Park. Along the way, make stops at places of interest including local markets, the traditional palace of Rwanda’s Former King in Nyanza. In Butare, visit the Botanical Gardens and a cultural museum. Drive past green fields of tea scattered across the hillsides and the small wooden houses unique to the areas surrounding Nyungwe Forest. [Approximate driving time: 5 hours] O/N: ORTPN Gisakura Guest House (FB)
DAY 3: Chimpanzee tracking in Nyungwe Forest
Go chimp tracking, the largest in Central Africa. O/N: ORTPN Gisakura Guest House (FB)
DAY 4: Nyungwe Forest
EITHER Go chimp tracking OR Guided nature walk in the forest to see a variety of animals and some of the three hundred bird species found here, which include the Rwenzori turaco and black and white casqued hornbill. Go on an escorted walk in search of large groups of colobus monkeys – sometimes as many as 400 in a group. Picnic lunch. Return late afternoon.
O/N: ORTPN Gisakura Guest House (FB)
DAY 5: Return and departure
Return to Kigali. Fly out if you have any onward flight. [Approximate driving time: 4 hours]
Tour Ends.