We arranged a 14-day trip around Uganda with Self Drive Uganda. I dealt with Edward by WhatsApp and Joan by email.
Edward recommended an initial itinerary, which we looked at, and adjusted a bit to our preference. He was happy to accommodate that. He then arranged the necessary permits for chimp and gorilla trekking. And then he recommended accommodation in each place we were visiting. Most of the accommodation was in ‘Nature Lodges’, which we can highly recommend for their super friendly staff, great rooms/safari tents in stunning locations, good food and very reasonable prices. We let Edward make the accommodation bookings for us as he could obtain better rates than we could booking direct with Nature Lodges.
We arranged to hire a Landcruiser LX, which Edward had recommended due to its toughness and our planned journey. None of the rental vehicles in Uganda are new. Most seem to have been imported from the Middle East (Dubai, etc.) after a life there. Once in Uganda, they are reconditioned, resprayed, etc. Our Landcruiser LX was a 2018 model with 263,000 kilometres on the clock, which was quite new for such imported vehicles. Edward said that we were only the 3rd renters (since it had been imported and reconditioned), and that seemed to be the case as it was in very good condition. We picked the vehicle up and dropped it off at the airport, which was a quick and efficient process.
The only issue we had was with the spare tyres and jack. Unfortunately, we had a puncture on the 3rd day, and when we went to use the jack, we found it was faulty. Luckily, a local man phoned a nearby mechanic, who came out to us with another jack for us to borrow. And then when we pulled the cover off the 2 spare tyres we realised they were very old and worn, and only usable for shorter low speed journeys, which was a disappointment since the 4 original tyres on the vehicle were virtually brand new and in great condition. Edward did arrange for us to be given a new jack the next day when we reached a larger town. We then had another puncture in the second week, and due to the state of the spares, it was essential we got a new tyre to continue our journey. There was not one available in the nearest town, but fortunately Self Drive Uganda have a network of mechanics they work with around the country, and they liaised with one and sent a new tyre on a night bus from Kampala which was fitted the following morning. This arrangement that Self Drive Uganda has with a network of mechanics around the country is very useful.
We can highly recommend using Self Drive Uganda, and we ourselves are considering a trip to Tanzania in the future and would definitely rent a vehicle from Self Drive Uganda if we did so (they also rent vehicles in Tanzania, Rwanda, and Kenya). I will though insist on having decent spare tyres and would check them before we set off!
Uganda is a truly amazing country, and exploring it by self-driving is the perfect way to see it. And Self Drive Uganda are the perfect company to rent a vehicle from and help you plan and arrange your trip.
More Details….Trip Advisor