Gorilla Trekking ranks among the absolute highlights of African travel. The exhilaration attached to the first setting of eyes on a wild mountain gorilla is difficult to describe. One of the classic Uganda safari experiences is tracking mountain gorillas in the beautiful Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and nothing will ever prepare you for the first glimpse or the sound of the silver back pounding its chest amidst the dense undergrowth. Bwindi Forest is Uganda’s tropical rain forest hosting half of the remaining endangered gorillas. This large primeval forest in the Virunga Volcanoes mountain ranges, is located in south-western Uganda in Kanungu District.

The excitement of gorilla trekking kicks in when you’re up close to the imposing and magnificent figure of a silver back mountain gorilla, female mountain gorillas wondering through the forest and it’s all baby gorillas peeking through leaves or hiding behind their mothers. When they sense that all is well they will start showing off by swinging, twisting, turning and somersaulting all for your entertainment. In order to meet the gorillas, one needs gorilla permits that should be bought in advance at the Uganda Wildlife Authority offices or through Uganda’s tour operators and travel agency!

Gorilla permits will set you back as they cost US$700 but don’t think twice about going out for this genuine once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This is cheaper than Rwanda where a gorilla permit costs US$1500 (as per 2012 updates). For November bookings, there is even a discount of USD 150 on all Ugandan Permits thus you only need USD 350 for a permit to the gorilla sanctuary! Keep in mind that a portion of the fee collected from the park goes to the local communities and gorilla conservation initiatives, helping to ensure their survival among us!

Nice Journey to Bwindi to meet the rare mountain gorillas!

Jinja town is one of the traditional districts in Uganda and before the Europeans came to the town it was first prominently known as the small fishing village that was located in banks of longest River Nile and with the arrival of the British colonial rule in 1906, the town started to grow very fast. At first as trading Centre as well as river crossing area and later it was turned to an industrial town of Uganda. Currently Jinja which is well known as adventure district of Uganda is one of the interesting historical districts in Uganda endowed with different natural and artificial attraction pulling tourists to book safaris to Uganda.

In the mid-19t^h century Jinja town had grown very fast and occupies by different people such as the Indians, as well as Africans, and European. The construction of the Owen Falls dam led to generation of hydro-electricity and this uplifted the statutes of the town into an industrial city in Uganda and it attracted foreigners to take safaris in Uganda to identify investment opportunities. Bad news came during the political crises of the 1970s during the regime of President Amin who decided to push all the Indians who were running the industries in Jinja. This greatly affected the town and hard to pull its development down but today the only town visitors should yearn to visit during their Uganda safaris is Jinja, the adrenaline capital of the Pearl of Africa.

Jinja town is where the source of the longest river in the world is located and also visitors interested in taking a tour to this town has got an opportunity to participate in white water rafting on the Nile.Jinja is point where the rapids stretch up in the Nile and therefore visitors to this place can enjoy spectacular places in the whole of Africa when participating white –water rafting. Rafting in this place is very intense but safety is guaranteed to tourists when carrying out the activity as the team of expert guides have to give you company through the experience. Always rafting trips are followed by a rescue fleet so that for any visitors who find it unbearable can retreat.

Uganda safaris destination of Jinja offers travelers who are seeking adventure experience to enjoy their safaris in the source on the Nile in Jinja town .The adventurous town is blessed with the worldwide best organizers of the rafting activities including Adrift who were among the first people to invest in the adrenaline services and market their products to travelers on Uganda safaris.

Travelers who are non-experts in adventurous activities like rafting in the standard rapid falls are also catered for because there are less extreme options where such travelers can also enjoy and get an interesting wonderful experience and this option even caters for a family float trip.

In addition victors can also have wonderful experience in white water by participating in the adventurous activities like Kayaking. The memorable experience here starts from training course offered to visitors as well as guided trip which is done through the interesting but scaring raging rapids.Besides that visitors on their Uganda safari can also get involved in boat cruises and this means Jinja is really an adventurous district so for any visitor looking for destination to enjoy adventurous activities, he or she confirm safari to Uganda the pearl of Africa.

Have you ever traveled to Africa, particularly Uganda? Or have you ever hired a vehicle from a 4×4 Uganda car hire agency? If not, it’s high time you booked your safari with us in our self-drive vehicle.

Uganda is one of the best countries to go on safari. This is due to several adventurous activities done in Uganda, which involve sightseeing, game drives, gorilla and primate trekking, forest walks, launch cruises, birding, and also spending overnights in tents and lodges deep in remote areas. It gives you a true experience on an African safari, particularly in Uganda.

It should be noted that most of Uganda’s tourist attractions are located in very remote areas at times making access a bit very difficult so it needs a good experience and trained driver to reach these some of the very difficult-to-reach areas of Uganda which are gifted with nice-to-see attractions. However, this can be very possible with our well-serviced 4×4 vehicles that can handle Uganda’s tough roads more so in the remote villages and parks.

If you need a complete safari, our tour operator can organize one for you, or if you just need to hire from us a vehicle with or without a driver still it’s very okay we have trusted comfortable cars for hire of all types. Contact us at Uganda Self Drive and we will get back to you as soon as possible. To have a wonderful safari, you are recommended to choose the right car that suits your budget plus the number of people you’re traveling with.

For one or two travelers a Toyota Rav 4 is good, however, the most suitable cars include a safari minivan and a safari land cruiser are the best to use. You are always advised to choose the best car that fits the number of people you are traveling with and the tourist destination, for a big group of about 7-10 a safari van is very suitable it has a popup roof which provides a clear view also suitable during a game drive as you will be in position to view various animals from a far distance and also it makes photography so easy. This kind of vehicle has an air conditioner, adequate seat row space, and a good space for cargo; once you book this car with us a discounted rate can be offered. The price for the safari minibus in Uganda ranges from 90 to 120 per day but excludes gas/fuel.

A Toyota safari land cruiser is also recommended when on a safari to Uganda’s remote national parks, since most of the roads leading you to remote areas of Uganda are tough this vehicle is highly recommended to be used, you can hire it with a driver or without a driver. It can accommodate up to 8 people including a driver; it’s regarded as the most comfortable and suitable car for rough roads and camping safaris.

It’s well equipped with an air-conditioner, in-built fridge, pop-up roof, First kit, 2 spare tires with a good space for luggage. It has a 35-inch big tyre which allows navigating muddy marram roads in the villages plus tough terrain of the parks. It can access any corner of Uganda with a lot of ease including crossing borders. We have many of this kind, Hiring this car can go to USD 170 per day with a driver or at USD 150 per day without a driver without fuel.

Most Ugandan parks are located in the south-western part of Uganda including Kibale Forest National Park, Bwindi National Park, Lake Mburo National Park, Semuliki N.P. Lake Bunyonyi, Mgahinga Forest National Park, Queen Elizabeth N.P, other Uganda parks include Kidepo Valley National in the far northern part of Uganda, Murchison Falls National Park in the Northeastern part of Uganda, Rwenzori Mountain and Mount Elgon both located in the eastern part of Uganda.

All these Uganda parks alongside other attractions in the remote areas can be well explored in a customized 4×4 safari car. Whether you want to rent a car with a driver or without, there are plenty of them at a very fair and friendly price.

During this past weekend’s prayer session, President Yoweri Museveni acknowledged that the tourism and entertainment industries were indeed affected by this. He said that apart from tourism and entertainment industries that would be greatly affected by the threat of the COVID19 pandemic, the economy of Uganda would continue to thrive.

Remember the country has for the next 32 days, starting last Friday, put any gatherings of sorts on hold and demanded that all bars be closed. On top of this, Uganda has now closed its borders allowing only the cargo planes. Though highly welcome in these dire times, the industry will lose over a million tourists that visit Uganda annually. Only last week, tourism enthusiast, Amos Wekesa called attention to this.

“Now for Uganda, the tour operators are actually laying off our employees,” he said. “I know that for sure yesterday three lodges put off 70% of their stuff.” He worried the impact starts from the community but then becomes a national issue. “That means these kids are going to be very desperate in the villages and millions of people are gonna lose opportunities,” he said. “Because tourism is not just lodges and so on and forth.”

But an optimistic Museveni said that while tourism would suffer, this would allow for the country’s business community who have been importing from China to go into manufacturing. “Uganda has been spending US$7bn, importing things from China, but now the businessmen are no longer importing. They should therefore start manufacturing from here. This challenge might in the end become an opportunity for us. It is a wake-up call for Africans to start manufacturing things from here and stop depending on others,” he said.

President Museveni who was accompanied by the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Kataha Museveni was speaking during the intercessory national prayers on the COVID-19 global pandemic held at State House, Entebbe organized by the Inter-Religious Council Union (IRCU). The intercessory prayers sought to seek the protection of God and spare Uganda from the global pandemic that has sieged the entire world. They expressed hope that the COVID19 pandemic would soon come to an end.

The president addressed the nation on the Coronavirus pandemic and announced the drastic measures Uganda was taking. Though it doesn’t have a single confirmed case of the virus yet, Uganda will clearly do everything in its power to keep it that way. At the risk of bringing everything to a screeching halt, the president announced a 32 day of no large gatherings; this will spread to schools, churches, and even weddings. But here are the 13 points as clearly listed by the President’s press team.

• Schools, tertiary institutions to close for one month starting Friday, 20th March.
• Religious gatherings, churches, mosques, open prayers were suspended for a month with immediate effect.
• Political and cultural public meetings, rallies, conferences, elections were suspended for 32 days with immediate effect.
• No outbound travel by Ugandans to or through Category One countries (those severely affected by pandemic) for 32 days. These are; Italy, France, South Korea, China, USA, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Norway Austria, Malaysia, Pakistan and San Marino.
• Foreigners can leave but not return in the 32 days.
• Ugandans coming back from abroad, including category one countries, will be quarantined at their cost.
• Non-agricultural workplaces, factories, hotels, taxi parks, etc will continue operating but with SoPs, put out by the ministry of health, eg compulsory sanitary points, temperature monitors, etc.
• Uganda-style weddings that bring together the pentagon of groups will be postponed for 32 days from today. If couples are in a hurry, do a scientific wedding with core members. Not more than 10 people.
• Burials won’t be banned but recommend should be done by relatives who are nearby. Mourning is done later. If the deceased died of Coronavirus, State will take over burial.
• Crop people, cattle keepers, and fishermen. These should observe proper hygiene practices. Fishermen should be studied closely because they live in concentrated landing sites. Monthly (open-air) markets are suspended for 32 days.
• Public transport. Taxis, bodas, buses, etc. Advice: Don’t travel unless it’s absolutely necessary. Also, transport operators are given mandatory soap. In event of an outbreak in a given locality, public transport will be suspended.
• Stop merrymaking, discos, bars, music shows, and concerts. Drunkards speak with saliva coming out of their mouths. Suspended for 32 days.
• The virus spreads by sneezing, coughing. Observe hygiene. Close your mouth, etc. Stop touching surfaces, wash your hands, don’t shake hands, hugging; also do online transactions.
  Do a balanced diet. Eat vitamin C, oranges, lemons, etc.

Uganda has increasingly become a vacation place for many people worldwide. Uganda is a whole new complexion in the game of travel because it has some unique wildlife species a tourist can never find elsewhere.

Though Uganda has much to encounter, little of it is known by travelers thus making it a very difficult destination to lure a tourist into. The aforementioned problem has crippled Uganda and it is why it is receiving fewer tourists as opposed to its tourism potential.

If you are a tour operator out there, here are some of the tips you can use to attract tourists into a Uganda wildlife trip.

Consider exhibiting at trade shows

The exhibition of products is a universal business marketing tool and one of the most effective methods. Having person-to-person contact can make a client understand what you are trying to sell and later might turn into a real customer. There are very many tourism exhibition shows that are held around the world for example ITB Berlin, the New York Times Travel show, the World travel lifestyle expo, and the international tourism and travel show to mention but a few. These shows make you meet so many powerful entities and personnel who may get interested in Uganda wildlife trips.

Give your website a worldwide reach

A website is one of the most popular channels to reach tourists who wish to travel around the world. The world has gone digital, most things are done through technology. Physical markets have declined and now online markets are gaining momentum. Most people prefer to buy stuff online over other means. So as a tour operator make sure that you design a website with enticing Uganda wildlife trip packages and also affordable and great-looking safari car rentals in Uganda and also optimize it so whereby it can rank well in search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo which are recognized worldwide.

Keep track of online reviews

Since most of your work and market is online, customers send their grievances on the internet. It is better for you to join online tourism platforms like Trip Advisor, lonely planet, and Google where you can ascertain what travelers want from the tour operators so that you can make some adjustments to make it better. You should also answer promptly if the client asks a question through online platforms.

Do more eco-tourism

Environment conservation and preservation are on everyone’s agenda nowadays. Many people in the world have gone eco due to diverse effects. travelers want to associate more with nature because it is rare to find in this sophisticated world. therefore, you should tell would-be travelers more about natural attractions such as national parks, lakes, rivers, mountains, and cultural communities.  

 With the above marketing tools, more tourists can be attracted to Uganda, a land gifted by nature.