There are various modes of getting around Uganda on a travel adventure with the top two including; booking a guided safari package from a tour agency and hiring a car from an a car rental agency. Both options remain popular in Uganda even during this Covid-19 pandemic period, however, many approach Car Hire as a lowest price possible contest rather than concentrating on the value of the deal they would get.
Today, lets focus on getting a car to travel around Uganda during you vacation from a rental agency and how best you can benefit from it so that your adventure doesn’t get ruined with things you didn’t think about before while making your final decision and choice.
Rates & Discounts
Though most of the car hire agencies in Uganda have standard rates for respective vehicle models, when you try shopping around you will find some offering more less than than. However, we all know that cheap can become expensive when it goes wrong. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you should pay for hire prices than you do. We recommend that before you choose the lowest rates, its better to ask what will be included in the offer you are getting. You can find out that some offers exclude important aspects such as insurance of the car or other parts of the vehicle.
The thing is, with the rising popularity of Tourism activities in Uganda, Car Hire market is also becoming more competitive with rates differences for comparable quality and service becoming relatively that has forced upcoming rental agencies offering bigger discounts on their offers.
However, these pretty alluring discounts can sometimes vanish in the wind when you consider the long lines in their contracts such as drop charges for remote destinations and late return fines as well as other service charges you didn’t think about when you shopped for the ‘best deal’.
It is thus better to look into account of all these starting from the rental terms, insurance policies including the excludes and includes among others. All we we mean here is that you need to consider other things beside the price and when you compare please make sure you compare apples to apples and not apples to pears.
Which Car type to Hire
There are various points to make note of while choosing the right Car type to hire that you will need for your stay in Uganda. First of all you need to consider whom else you will be using the car with. Is it with family with kids, wife or fiancee or alone. Small SUVs such as Toyota Rav4’s may be good for couples or single travelers where as vans such as super customs or safari vans can be ideal for families.
For what exact purpose; business or road trip travels. If it is travel, you go ahead and look into which activities you will be doing. You can sometimes need a car with a pop-up roof or sliding roof for better game viewing experience in the Savannah Parks. Else, if you are going to visit forested parks only, any good 4wd vehicle with a good ground clearance.
Also consider how much luggage that you are going to have. Does the car you are thinking of big enough to have you all plus hand luggage and big suitcases? Bigger SUVs with larger trunks such as Landcruisers TX/ VX/ GX/ V8 can be ideal for travelers with more luggage. W
Consider where are you going to use it from; within town or upcountry. Driving in urban centers might not require powerful vehicles because of the smooth roads, however, most of the roads in Uganda and Upcountry regions are generally poor so it’s a must you will need a 4WD or all wheel drive.
All rental car companies in Uganda allow for unlimited mileage all round Uganda, but it’s a good idea to check their policy before confirming.
Car Rental Insurance
This is the most critical part while looking for a Car Hire in any country. You are traveling in a new destination and chances are there that the trip may not all go well. So you will need a favorable insurance policy. In Uganda, most Car Hire Companies offer the same Insurance policies and most of these include Comprehensive Insurance.
Comprehensive Insurance covers most emergencies on the vehicle such as from Fire, theft and crashes. However, it sometimes doesn’t include damages to windscreens and tyres and it advisable to look into this with your company on how to handle such situations like extreme Tyre damages and windscreen shutters. This will save lots for you.
Ask about the excess insurance. The better thing in Uganda is that the comprehensive almost covers all damages to the car. However, there are fines that can arise in crush situations caused by reckless driving. Single vehicle accidents such as rollovers can result to towing fines of not less than $1000.
Things to note after receiving the car
You are now in Uganda and ready to startoff your vacation in your rented car. Sometimes time can be on the bad side and it is understandable you just want to take the hired car and drive away to your next destination, but wait! Its a bad idea that can impact losses and delays in the middle of your adventure.
Start by making a careful check around the car, look for any small dents or scratches, in case you find some, take note of them with the Car Hire company personnel. You can take pictures of them for proof since you never know you might be responsible for damages you didn’t perform. You can also ask for possible known issues with the vehicle since the staff that works on deliveries know better about their company’s fleet.
Make sure you have the spare tire, a jack and set of tools, there is noting more irritating than to find out in the middle of nowhere that you don’t have a jack when you need to replace a flat tire.
It is also recommended to spend some time to get acquainted with the cars’ features and switches. Most of the cars in Uganda are Japan made therefore there is a high chance they are not the same as those yoy are used to at home. Make sure you know where the lights switches are, how to operate the windshield wipers, the air conditioner and even set your favorite radio stations as well as set your side mirrors. It might be quiet frustrating to fight with the new switches while driving of a sudden on a new road.
Handling Emergencies in the middle of the trip
When your car gets an emergency on the road such as a minor breakdown. Most car rental agencies give you between 30 minutes to 3 hours to get you fixed. Therefore to save time, it is better to first call your car rental company for a quicker solution. Tell them where you are and what might have happened to the vehicle.
Secondly to save you from getting scammed, in case you find help first, don’t make payment to them before consulting you company. They might charge you 600%. It is always a good norm to let your company know about the help you have got, and let them discuss the payment. You may not get a refund due to overpricing.
When returning the Car
Make all necessary arrangements to return the car on time, otherwise you will be charged an extra day. But all in all prior communication matters.
In case you are returning the car in another city that is not Kampala or Entebbe, there is a possibility of an extra charge and it is better you communicate this as well in time.
