Snippets for Self drive Safaris 2024

Step by Step Self drive Safari Guide 2024

A self drive safari is an attempt to discover any given country with limited or no professional help on how to go about certain things. The best companion you have is a map which can be a hard copy or an offline app like Maps.me or Google maps. Whatever the case, you discover every destination by yourself. For that reason, these are the few things you have to do for a successful self drive safari anywhere in the world.

  1. Identify the countries you want to drive in

Traffic policies vary from one country to other, for instance in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania; they drive on the left hand side while in Rwanda they drive on the right hand side. It therefore advisable to know what the traffic policies are like in a particular country before you consider a self drive safari. This also applies on the minimum acceptable driver’s age.

  1. Find out the fuel costs

A full tank of any small car is likely to take you between 450km and 550km. This helps you in making a choice for the car. The choice of the car will then determine whether it consumes gasoline or Diesel.

Diesel fuel is relatively cheaper however the car repair costs are relatively higher than those of the gasoline car; this implies that they are likely not to be in a good mechanical condition if acquired from a non trusted car hire company. Unless the car hire company is proven, we would not recommend hiring a diesel car and if you have to hire it, consider the TripAdvisor and safari booking reviews of the car hire company.

  1. Read Company Reviews

Platforms like TripAdvisor, safari booking; among several other platforms have made it easy to find out what people say about a particular destination. This helps you to prepare your mind on what to expect during your safari. It will also help you identify some of the service providers to avoid.

  1. Find out about VISA Policies

One of the most important things in international travel is getting a Visa. It is important that you find out about the Visa policies since they vary from one country to another. For instance you can acquire an East African Visa to travel to Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda. Though Tanzania is part of the East African community, it requires a separate Visa for you to enter Tanzania.

Therefore; if you are planning a trip to all the four countries, you might have to acquire two separate Visas.

East African countries offer Visas upon arrival but this is not the case in every country around the world. You will need to find out about the Visa policies in your desired Safari destination.

  1. Accommodation rates (Camping, Lodges, Airbnb, Homestay and Hotels)

Accommodation is one of the main expenditure points during a safari; therefore you need to identify hotels, bandas and lodges that might fit your budget. In under developed countries, some companies are likely not to have websites but with platforms such as TripAdvisor, you can identify the average rates for accommodation.

It is also at this point where you identify whether you are going to do a camping safari or you will juggle between the two; that is; camping at one point and using lodges on some days. Whatever the case, it all depends on your budget.

  1. Find out about the Flights

Your itinerary and budget will greatly influence the flight schedule. For instance, it is better to take a flight that arrives early morning in case you are used to jetlag so that you utilize your first day in the country. There are often two options; arriving in the afternoon and simply touring around the city or arriving in the morning; and then having a full-day trip.

  1. Find out the Peek and Low Seasons

It is recommended to travel in the low season for the purposes of acquiring the best rates. August and July are usually the peak seasons in most countries because of the summer holiday. Therefore it is advisable to consider March, April, October, and November.

  1. Weather Conditions

The weather conditions are some of the things that are likely to affect your itinerary. It is advisable to travel in the dry seasons more so if you have game drives on your itinerary. However this does not imply that you cannot have a marvelous experience in the rainy season, it just has to be foreseen and plan accordingly

  1. Draft your Itinerary

Your itinerary will help budget for your car, fuel and accommodation. Since you might be traveling to a particular destination for the first time, car hire companies often have itinerary ideas depending on the number of days you are planning to self-drive.

  1. Vaccination

There is a need for vaccination not only for yellow fever but also for malaria in case you are traveling to a malaria-prone country.