Can i go on Self drive holiday in East Africa? Guide to Explore Kenya, Uganda , Rwanda & Tanzania.

Yes! its possible to self drive within East African Countries of Kenya, Tanzania , Uganda & Rwanda on an east Africa road trip with local reliable Company that has been offering great deals for holiday makers within the region .

Toyota landcruiser lx Model 2017 , Manual , Diesel in Mkomazi National Park at Mkomazi Hotel

Sunset at Saadani national Park Tanzania – Coastal Indian ocean

in this blog we explore the hustle involved in booking a long term rental for classic self drive holiday in East Africa and is it worthy to take a self drive adventure considering the money issues ( car rental charges involved with the rental company or park entrance fees, crossing borders, car entry cards stay in different countries  and comesa insurance).

• Is East Africa Safe for Self drive holiday ?
• Where to Start the Self Drive holiday in East Africa ( Kenya , Rwanda , Tanzania or Uganda)
• Which Airline offer Cheap rates and why?
• How to access the visa Services?
• Selecting the destinations to explore in east Africa?
• Selection of the rental company for long term Rental within East Africa?
• How to cross the borders and secure that i have all the relevant documents?
• How are the park entrances paid in various National Parks?
• how to verify that i have a valid yellow card for my rental car?
• Can i get one way car rental within East Africa ?

This blog post is based on expertise experience from one of the tour leader adventures that explored east Africa on 67 days Self Drive Adventure within Uganda, Rwanda , Kenya & Tanzania that interested himself in exploring around lake Victoria- to explore Mwanza , Ssese island, entebbe town, Jinja City and Kisumu Town of Kenya.

We do understand that you’re relying purely on google searches to make the designing of the trip , plan and get the best deals for your adventure in East Africa including things to do while on Self drive Adventure in East Africa.  Over flow of information can be confusing on which to select and which to leave starting with the many rental websites which are not companies that show up in the results. Never miss the question of where to start the rental , country ( Uganda vs Rwanda, Kenya vs Tanzania) where flights can be cheap vs the luxury of some destinations, Visa Restrictions and others.

Is East Africa Safe for Self drive holiday?

Mountain Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – Gorilla permit cost 800$

Yes, the east African Countries of Uganda, Kenya , Tanzania and Rwanda are safe for Self drive holidays as the roads are developed to enable you explore the magical National Parks and other Mountaineering landscapes and terrains on private guided adventure.  Uganda & Rwanda have been flagged as unsafe destinations but this has been in the past history where the countries are close to the Democratic republic of Congo borders but travelers have continued to enjoy self drive adventures to various National parks including the visit to lake kivu that is close to the border of Gisenyi Congo and Volcanoes  National Park for gorilla trekking , Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda for Gorilla trekking yet there is mgahinga National Park for golden monkey tracking and Gorilla Trekking ( Hiking) which has been continuous business with no registered issues of violence.

Kenya and Tanzania is safe and open for wildlife safari watching experiences on Self drive holidays and Self drive East Africa recommends travelers to select the best time of the month to enjoy the unforgettable experiences in the wilderness of Africa on their own adventure. Note Burundi closed its border with Rwanda due to economics issues but Burundi is open for visitation on Self drive Safari holidays with reliable Car rental jeep. Never miss to self drive within East Africa due to safety issues and we have ranked it as safe destination for self drive holidays.

Explore Self Drive Tanzania Holiday

Book 30 Days Self drive holiday Tanzania to visit 22 national parks including Island parks ( Big Five, walking Safaris & Chimpanzees watching) and 5 Game reserves with relaxation on the beaches of Zanzibar islands on Self drive holiday with Self drive East Africa. Get around Tanzania.

Southern Tanzania Safari Circuit

14 Days Great adventures to southern Tanzania National Parks for self drive holidays start from Dar es salaam with the rewarding of watching the big five in the less expensive national parks in the northern Tanzania where the trips are expensive. Explore Tanzania on self drive holiday

Tanzania Adventure Holiday ( Northern Circuit)

Explore Northern Tanzania parks for 7 days ultimate Self Drive safari experience in the wilderness of Serengeti , lake Manyara, Tarangire, Ngorongoro crater for classic adventure of Tanzania on Self Drive Safari with Self Drive East Africa.

Where to Start the Self Drive holiday in East Africa ( Kenya , Rwanda , Tanzania or Uganda)

Where to start the self drive holiday in East Africa is important to help you not repeat a country for unique Self drive Adventure in East Africa and we  recommend that you can select to either on the two destinations ( Kenya or Rwanda ).

If you decide to start the rental from Rwanda , it means the trip will flow from Rwanda to Uganda and then Kenya before crossing to Tanzania the ultimate wildlife watching destination in East Africa . Considering that your selecting the East African Tourists visa that can grant you entry into Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya without extra charge for 90 days and once you enter Tanzania the east African visa expired upon its entry and you will be required to get a new visa to enter Rwanda which is simple since it grants the visas on borders and airport unlike the Uganda visas and Kenya.

If you start from Kenya , still you will explore Kenya National Parks and then head to Uganda national park and proceed to Rwanda which is also great destination before entering Tanzania before you return to Kenya where you will take flights back to home.

The above narrative grants you the best chance to explore East Africa on Circular style without repeating the route traveled before for ultimate Safari experiences as you will be crossing via different borders within East Africa.

Check out on the 90 Days overland adventure through Kenya, Uganda , Rwanda and end in Tanzania for ultimate Gorilla Trekking & Chimpanzee watching, Wildlife viewing in Toyota Landcruiser lx 78 series which i tasted in summary way during our East Africa Road trip.

Which Airline offer Cheap rates and why?

Its great news that all East African Countries now have international carriers but considering the cost of the flights and the different arrival time , we would recommend that flying into some airports are cheaper than others case in point like the flight to Kigali international Airport is cheaper when you use Rwanda air and the same applies for flights to Kenya or Dar es salaam compared to flights to Arusha.  Check out on the few airlines for booking to secure that you get some discount which will be used as fuel fees during your rental in East Africa.

Check on the international Airports within East Africa to know where to fly too

• Kenya – Kenyatta international Airport
• Tanzania- Arusha International Airport  located to the Northern Tanzania or Nyerere International Airport which is located to the southern Tanzania
• Rwanda – Kigali international Airport
• Uganda – Entebbe International Airport

Check on Country’s international carriers within East Africa

• Rwanda – Rwanda Air
• Uganda- Uganda Airline
• Kenya – Kenya Airways

However we also recommend other airlines like Turkish Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Emirates, Ethiopian Airlines and any other of your choice!

Never miss to book your flight and take a note that check in time is always 2 hours before the flight – try to spend the last days close to the airport to avoid missing a flight or being disorganized on the last day as it involves handing over the car, paper works and checking the traffic penalties, orientation and feedback to the company.

How to access the visa Services?

The east African Community has tried its level best to make the visa application process clear and less stressful unlike the adventurers that select to visit the central African countries of DR Congo , Cameroon and Burundi. East Africa Countries have developed great visa application systems and even they introduced the East African Tourists Visa that grants you entry into Kenya, Uganda & Rwanda which means you will have to apply separately only the Tanzanian Visa.

The East African Visa is the reason we recommended that you either start your rental in Kenya or Rwanda and end it with Tanzania to avoid spending more money on visas. Never risk your visa by crossing from Kenya to Tanzania yet you still have to cover other countries within the region like Rwanda and Uganda!

Requirements for East Africa Tourists Visa

1. Attachments
   1. Copy of the passport (Bio-data page) with at least 6 months validity
   2. Copy of recent Passport size Photograph
   3. Vaccination Certificate (Yellow fever)
   4. Return Ticket
   5. Travel Itinerary

Cost of the Visa

The Fee payable is USD 100.

1. Visa Fees are non-refundable and all payments are subject to a bank charge.
2. Language; all documents attached should be in English.
3. Any other documents may be required during processing

Note: This is granted for 3 months from the date of issue and not extendable within the country.

Selecting the destinations to explore in east Africa?

The entire east African countries have over 70 national parks and game reserves which are open for self drive holiday makers to enjoy the best destinations- We do understand that self drive adventurers within East Africa are budget conscious and may weigh the option of some activities due to the expensive nature of the park entrances and other necessitates. Selecting the best destination depends on the travelers interests and needs – we shall start with the primate lovers , wildlife seekers and cultural explorers to list the destinations.

Primate lovers – its well known that East Africa is a great place for primate trekking as its habitat for the Mountain Gorillas , Chimpanzees , Golden monkey which are available in Rwanda, Uganda where self drive safaris are okey and great – The cost of seeing the primates is quite high compared to other Safari activities within the region . The mountain Gorilla Permits in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park costs 1500$ and 800$ in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Mgahinga National Park.  Where Car rental companies like Self Drive Uganda limited will secure for you the gorilla permits at no extra cost for ultimate Gorilla trekking in Rwanda or Uganda.

1. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
2. Volcanoes National Park
3. Mgahinga National Park
4. Mount Mahale National Park
5. Kibale Forest National Park
6. Gombe Stream National Park

Yet for nature lovers – You should explore the best destinations in Tanzania to feel the beach and remote National parks that offer walking safaris to see the green vegetation , Birds and forest elephant where possible.

1. Mikumi National Park
2. Nyerere National Park
3. Tsavo West National Park
4. Zanzibar Islands
5. Rwenzori Mountains National Park
6. Masai Mara Triangle
7. Pandwe game Reserve
8. Saadani National Park
9. Lake Victoria visits on the shoes like Mwanza , Chato and Entebbe town

yet for travelers wishing to see the wildlife animals including the big five and Cats on Self drive holiday include

1. Serengeti National Park Tanzania
2. Amboseli National Park
3. Masai Mara National Park
4. Kidepo Valley National Park
5. Murchison Falls National Park
6. Ruaha National Park
7. Katavi National Park
8. Mkomazi National Park
9. Lake Manyara National Park
10. Lake Nakuru National Park
11. Queen Elizabeth National Park
12. Tsavo East National Park

Note Many destinations – if your want the sample Self drive holiday check on the 30 Days Self drive East Africa or 90 days overlanding within East Africa with Self drive Uganda in Toyota Landcruiser manual new model with rooftop tents for ultimate Safari holiday.

Selection of the rental company for long term Rental within East Africa?

The most confusing part when planning your self drive Safari holiday in East Africa is at the time of selecting the best car rental company within the region to offer you the car hire services and support services during the rental on an adventure into Kenya , Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania.

There are many websites but not companies and try to avoid unregistered companies that will sub contract you to another company – try to go with established brands of car rental firms. There are what we could tell as standard fees and never think that cheaper offers are better , just know that there are always hidden costs on cheaper offers from various websites like you renting an old car that is 25 years old which i wouldn’t recommend when going for long term self drive holiday within East Africa and consider new models from 2017 and above to avoid breakdowns and getting struck with a car that cant start or function otherwise you may spend much of you-time on roads repairing .

Ask for the fridge to be running on a second battery since you’re going to be camping most of the time and ask for a bigger fridge of about 30 litres to 45 litres, ask for new model fridge not the old ones to avoid breakdown of the fridge.

To verify that the company your booking with is not just website, the name of the company name should match with that of the website for transparency and Self drive East Africa operates under the company name Self drive Uganda Limited, Team and staff should be listed on the page of the website and support number .

Check on the following website for better offers for long term self drive adventure ( www.selfdriveeastafrica.com)Note : If your going for long term car hire in East Africa , Never Rent cars that are in 1990-2010 as those are old series of cars but recommend to go for 2011 and above since the chances of break down are less compared to the old cars as you know the spare parts are not found everywhere, check on the spare Tyre.

How are the park entrances paid in various National Parks?

After Self drive in South Africa, East African Countries have embraced electronic payment systems from credit card to debt cards and all park entrances fees are paid by visas and master cards for unique experiences. With the exception of the Mountain Gorillas and Chimpanzees permits that have to be applied and paid for in advance through a registered tour operator like Self drive Uganda limited, other payment are accepted at the gate by visa card or other local payment systems that are established within East African Countries.

The above information is based on the travel experience by Edward that explore Tanzania, Kenya , Uganda and Rwanda for ultimate experience of driving within Africa.