Category: Travel Tips

Planning for self drive in Africa, below is what you should know to make your planning effective. I remember scouring the internet for all kinds of information and it was so confusing. Enjoy the planning stages and use the time to prepare yourself physically and psychologically and find reputable companies and our holiday was arranged by now my friend Moses who helped us to plan our holiday. Through his company he offers self drive in Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya and our safari was full of fun and hassle free due to the reliable cars that he offers to clients.

Visas

For some countries you will need to apply for a visa in advance, either from the embassy in your own country or in a neighboring African country. Others you’ll be able to get at the point of entry (airport/border).

Money

Visa is much more widely accepted than Master Card or any other card so always take a Visa card with you. Just remember to tell your bank where you are going; otherwise they may block your cards.

If I can’t get local currency, I take a couple of hundred (Dollars/Pounds/Euros etc) in an accessible purse, and change that amount at the airport. Or use the ATM to get out a little bit. Then, I’ll change the rest of my money as I go, just so that I’m not getting out tons of cash at the airport, especially when I’m tired and disoriented.

Safety

Unfortunately, there will always be some places that you will be advised to avoid, for various reasons, but luckily, those places tend to be in the minority.

Health

The World Health Organization is the place to find out about any particular issues that are affecting the areas you might be travelling to. Like for instance, the current Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa. Or you can try The Travel Doctor, another great resource when looking at what precautions you need to take in which countries.

Vaccinations:

Aside from your routine vaccinations (MMR, Polio, Diphtheria, Meningitis etc.) Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B (3 x vaccinations), Tetanus and Typhoid are all highly recommended. A Yellow Fever certificate is required if you are travelling from a country where Yellow Fever is a risk you can find a list here. 3 x Rabies vaccinations are also recommended if you are going to be visiting any remote areas or likely to come into contact with animals. First port of call is to speak to your doctor. They should be able to advise you on what you need and may be able to give you some of your vaccinations for free, or on a cheap prescription. For everything else go to your local travel clinic.

Malaria:

Malaria is rife in many parts of Africa. Taking anti-malarial is a personal choice and some people don’t like them as the side effects can be a bit nasty. I do take anti-malarial, that’s my choice and I’ve never had any trouble with the ones I’ve tried. If you choose to take them, your doctor can advise the best ones for you. Always test them out a few weeks before you go. If you do get side effects, probably best to find out before you leave home. See below in the ‘Staying Healthy’ section for more info on malaria prevention (just remember some malaria tablets make the contraceptive pill ineffective).

Travel Insurance:

Travel insurance is a must. That way, if you need any specialist help whilst you are there, you are covered to get the best care

What to Pack

• Clothing: 

In terms of what’s appropriate to wear, it varies from country to country. Predominantly Muslim countries tend to be more conservative than other countries, but here are a few guidelines I tend to stick to wherever I travel to avoid any unnecessary attention (or offending anyone):

• Dress modestly, if going to a school, market, village, border crossing etc. Shoulders are usually fine, but keep your knees covered. No miniskirts or hot pants. Knees and shoulders should be covered in Muslim areas, such as Zanzibar.
• You’ll be ok in shorts in some tourist spots i.e.) Victoria Falls. But still, don’t go too short. If in doubt, look at what the locals are wearing. Follow suit.
• At your hotel/round the pool it is usually fine to wear what you want.
• I always carry a scarf with me in case I need to cover my shoulders or head.
• It is rude to show the small of your back in some places so wear longer tops or tie something round your waist.
• Take at least one nicer outfit if you are planning to go to any of the up market hotels, however they don’t usually have strict dress codes.
• Leave your fancy jewelry at home.
• Leggings are good to take. You can wear these under a dress that might be too short otherwise.
• Even though it’s Africa and you don’t expect it to be cold, it DOES get cold at night in many places, so take some warm clothes i.e.) a fleece.
• A good pair of sturdy shoes.
• Take a sports bra for those bumpy roads.

Where to Stay

There are loads of great hostels, hotels, camps and guesthouses in Africa. You can book most of these through places like Hostel bookers or direct by emailing them. I tend to get recommendations from other travelers as I go, and cross reference with Trip advisor and Lonely Planet. I also know loads of great places to stay, so if you want to know any for specific areas, just ask in the comments below! If you’re camping, they’re usually pretty safe (hippos etc. aside), and almost all places have a guard, probably your main concern is in cities and towns.

The car hire service provision may not seem to be a popular means of transport in Rwanda but in recent days , it has been developing not only for frequent travelers or people who have their own vehicle in the garage in most areas in Rwanda and Kigali, but especially for people on holiday to the land of a thousands .

At the airports in Rwanda that include Kigali International airport, GYI airport and Kanembe Airport,  you will find a desk of multinational companies, national or international in the terminal building. But at popular tourist destinations like Nyungwe forest National Park, Lake Kivu, amazing Nyamata Church in Kigali , Ntarama church, Akagera national park. You will also find a choice of local car hire companies with a similar philosophy as the low-cost airlines offering cheap all inclusive car rental prices both in Kigali and in Nyagatale.

Aside from the type of car you would like to rent , An important consideration tom make is the optional insurance coverage, also called CDW (Collision Damage Waiver) that is mostly provided by the majority of car hire companies. This service, which is relatively inexpensive, will cover any damages to the vehicle hired.

Unlike the multinationals most local car hire companies in Rwanda offer a fully inclusive insurance without excess, which means that you do not have financial liability in case of an accident or damage to the rental vehicle. Generally, if insurance is not purchased, the customer may be held financially responsible for any damages that occur with the car during the rental period stated on the rental agreement.

If the insurance does include an excess consider that, while on the road, anything can happen. Insurance coverage is often the only link between a holiday with complete peace of mind or considerable additional expenses in case of damages to the car or an accident.

Normally there is a fee to be paid if a certain amount of kilometres has been exceeded Although rental agreements generally include unlimited mileage, there are still agencies offering rental cars with mileage limits.. But, as said before, in Spain unlimited mileage is usually included in the rental price.

Most of Car rental companies in Rwanda will usually deliver a vehicle that is filled with fuel, although this may vary depending on the location as local car hire stations do sometimes not have a facility close by to fill up the vehicles returned by previous customers. When vehicles are returned to the car hire agency, some expect that you take care of refilling the fuel tank yourself, whilst others may request you to return the car with an empty tank when you sign the rental agreement

Please note that if a client is not able to provide a valid credit card on the driver’s name at the pickup of the vehicle, some car rental companies will refuse to deliver the car to your preferred place in time or never .In order to rent a car in Rwanda especially in Kigali, most companies require the customer to provide a valid credit card in order to confirm the booking. In some cases, the credit card is not actually charged until the rental period expires on the date specified in the rental agreement.

No public transport connects Musanze to the the Rwanda Volcanoes Park headquarters at Kinigi, 13 km from town, nor does it from Kinigi to any of the car parks from where one enters the forest to start tracking.

Individual travelers may be able to beg fits with other tourists, but for larger transport-less groups the only option is to hire a vehicle and driver for the morning.

ORTPN in Musanze can advise on this and Highland Gorilla Tours & Travel can arrange vehicle hire.  In the rainy season you will probably need a 4 x 4; in the dry seasonal ordinary taxi voiture should be adequate and will cost far less.

The going rate for a 4×4 from /to Musanze is around US$60 for the round trip; tour operators in Kigali can organize it as a day trip from Kigali for around US$150, or less if several of you share a vehicle.

If you spend the night beforehand at the Mountain Gorillas’ Nest, the Kinigi Guest House or the ORTPN Campsite, all quite close to the Kionigi park office, you stand a reasonable chance of hitching a lift up there from the main road; but you will still need transport in the morning to reach the start of the trek.  Whatever method you choose, make sure that it is reliable – if you don’t turn up at the appointed time you risk invalidating your permit and having to pay again.

Currently car hire in Rwanda has become popular trend of travel in the land of a thousand hills. When it comes to the ground transportation fraternity, organized travel can easily be attained if you decide to work with car rental agencies. This is normally used by independent travelers on a self drive in Uganda. Remarkably, renting a car in Uganda has been so useful to visitors traveling to Uganda since they are convenient, safe, and reliable to take the travelers at any place they are practically or still be unfamiliar with.

On the same note However, self driving in Rwanda can be disastrous if you are never careful. This can be validated by you hitting the internet and see how some customers complain about them due to the high costs they land in after using the car rentals as some car rental companies hire cars to customers without insurance coverage and pretend to have. Not well services and there are also overwhelmingly hidden fees that are not explained to the customer before hire.

So we are here to enlighten you on how to avoid Rwanda car rental nightmare:

Know what car suits your travel needs.

Continuously, most people make a mistake of under estimating the need or finding out what car best suits the needs of their travels and just go for expensive car rental yet there are those cheap cars in Rwanda purposely for a specific need. Say adventure, business car rental or corporate car hire. Example if you are going for a Rwanda gorilla safari, ask yourself which car suits the tour, read about the terrain of the Virunga volcanoes and know in detail which car maneuvers the terrains. Vehicle with high ground clearance would perfectly fit your needs.. The most recommended cars for safaris are the Toyota land cruisers, Toyota RAV4s and the Nissan patrols reason behind is these are sport utility vehicles with 4WD with reasonably high ground clearance vehicles. On the other hand if you are going for a city tour around Kigali city and the neighboring towns of Musanze, Huye or Karongi with about two persons,best recommended use a compact car.

Book a car rental in advance

Like the old saying goes, The early bird catches the worm and this works well in Rwanda car rental business due to the high demand and growing car rental demand and yes, in the high tourist seasons. If you start searching and booking your car rental earlier than the date you intend to travel, you have the time to look for a best car rental as you have all the time to search and also bargain for better offers getting the best car rental deals. Theres always room for you to control the car rental deals in that you tell the car rental company whatever you want in the car rental service that is the size of the car, specification and the prices

Ask for the disclosure of all the prices included in the car rental package

In every business on the internet, there are always attractive prices displayed on the websites and there are always additional costs behind the enticing price on the internet. So you have to play your part and tell the car rental company in Rwanda to stipulate each and every expense you may incur while using the car rental services in Rwanda. Some of the hidden costs are fuel refill fees, early return fees, limited mileage, road taxes, and airport parking fees. So make sure all these are included and explained to you in the car rental clause and the car rental agreements so that you can easily budget for your car rental in Rwanda.

Ask if the car rental in Rwanda is comprehensively insured

It’s a mandate from the government of Rwanda that every car rental in Rwanda must be insured against third party, comprehensive insurance is recommended and yes never hire a car in Rwanda without comprehensive insurance because if you land in trouble and in cases of damages, all the costs caused will be apportioned onto you. Very much recommended make sure that has third party insurance and comprehensive insurance where by the car is covered against all cost it may cause while traveling.

Considerably following the above advice well, you are more likely to avoid the nightmares that may be attached to Rwanda Car Rental and definitely enjoy your self drive car rental in Rwanda.

Looking for a classic bridal car to make your day special? Finding your dream car to make your day colorful is one most challenging part of planning a wedding. When considering the right venue, also think of that one stylish bridal cars from Rwanda Car Rental to make your day colorful.

Search online

While others may refer or recommend a particular car rental company, it is better that you do it yourself. Google about car rentals in Rwanda and you will be presented with a number of car hire companies that offer the same or related services. You will find list of car rentals available for hire, terms and conditions, the rates which also vary from one car hire agency to another. It is always advisable that you check at least two or more car rental companies as this will help ascertain what they offer, the rates and the type of cars.

Select the right bridal car

Everyone dreams to have something exceptional during their wedding day and the car to use is very key. When planning which bridal car to choose for your wedding, our luxurious limousines, Chrysler, Rovers and many more are always available at your service. If you cannot afford limousine then opt for our comfortable Mercedes Benz Models.

Reserve your car as early as possible

When planning wedding, there is a lot to put together and to beat the deadline, you must do things early enough. Because it is stressful and challenging to find that dream car for your day, we advise you to arrange booking as early as possible to avoid doing things in the last minute.

Choose the venue or reception

Make sure that the wedding reception is near or close to the town or city. This is one way for you to avoid incurring costs especially if your venue is in the remote area. Note, further the reception from town, the more charges you incur for bridal car.

In summary, take note of the above information and you will be the best bridal rental car in Rwanda that will make your day colorful.

Just like putting yummy food in the mouth, gorilla tracking is one of the safari activities that is not isolated or missed by tourists when they are having a safari of their lifetime as this activity can’t be missed in menu of the various activities they want to explore which will bring you closer to related human beings. Some of the Gorillas families that are tracked include the following: Susa made up of 41 gorillas, Sabyingo, Amahoro etc. Just like in other countries like Uganda, where gorilla tracking is done in Bwindi Forest and in DR Congo, it is done in Virunga National Park. For Rwanda, it is done in Volcanoes National Park which is located in the northwest of Rwanda considered to be the only national park where gorilla trekking can be done. Primate tracking  in Rwanda is done by various touring companies as the packages for this tracking ranges from 2 day gorilla trekking Rwanda to 12 day trekking Rwanda  which gives a wide variety of Gorilla groups to be trekked.

More so, to even start trekking these so called primates in volcanoes national park, a tourism permit must be issued by the body concerned with tourism called Rwanda tourism board. This gives license to the tourists of which type of gorillas to be trekked at that moment. Permits for Rwanda Gorilla Trekking goes for around US$1500 per day of which some bid of the money goes to the communities around the national park for development and well being of people around it. A primate tracking is most suitable in the dry months of June to September and also December, January and February making this activity easier than ever before as you will see below.

Although gorilla tracking in Volcanoes national park  starts from 20 minutes to three quarters of the day in the evening, their some requirements that are needed to do this activity as tourists will go through a couple of challenges like rain, muddy soil, insects e.g. aunts which needs some bid of wearing strong shoes etc. These are some of the requirements needed to trek this amazing Gorillas are as follows.

Tip number one is dressing according to the Safari activity. Wear shirts made of synthetic material which tend to dry faster. This is due to the fact that in most cases, this activity may be done in the rainy season which needs some bid of drying faster to make the tourist more comfortable. Their after you are advised at the bottom to wear long pants made of synthetic material which also tends to dry faster than  other type of clothes making the Safari more sweet and affordable to do . The other clothes like short jeans will make the activity more difficult to do as they will make the tourist uncomfortable and unable to walk properly.

Wear proper foot wear(boots) that is reaches above the ankle, this is because while moving though this good scenery of tropical forests, there will be thorns, sticky plants that may endanger the lives of the tourists most especially the legs.  This will help you to move though the muddy soils, dangerous insects like the aunts that are of a danger to the lives of the human beings. On top of that, wear gators over those boots so that you can cover the remaining space which might be used to enter other staff like water making the tourist unreliable to do. On top of that wear high rubber willies with treads on the boots.

Pack enough food and water before you come for this activity as it mostly takes you a long period of time from morning to the evening hours during the dry months of June to September. This may be in form of snacks, a bottle of water most especially a liter is enough for the all day and it is advisable  for one to bring these items along with him or herself  after all some companies do provide some food to the tourists before proceeding to national park. When you have reached the park in side, you are not allowed to give any food to these gorillas which might endanger the life span of these primates.

Speak about your trekking preferences meaning that you as the tourist will have to communicate to specific company you had booked with to inform them about your fitness level and other diseases you may be facing  plus also what type of Gorilla you might want to see first. This enables the guide to assign you to a group that is in with your range which you can afford to do as some of tracking groups may even track within or  just outside the national park.

Making sure that video camera is working in good conditions and already for use. The first thing is to put in mind is that light from camera shouldn’t be there as long as it does not disturb the movements of the so called primates. These photographs which are made tend to be of a dark exposure because of the so many trees that are situated in the park more so a camera should be kept in a water proof bag so that water does not disturb its settings

Go for Gorilla tracking activity in a dry season is other tip for gorilla tracking meaning that the best months for Gorilla tracking are from June to September and also from December, January and February as these months tend to be dry because in the dry periods, movements of people within the park is much easier than ever before plus also cars are able to move in those roads drive safely. And that is why tourists are advised to come in the dry months although; they can also come in any period of the year. The wet months include the following march, April, May etc.

Practice Gorilla etiquette meaning that you should start and learn to respect the environment of these primates such as their behavior and knowing that you a visitor to them. Don’t be afraid to these primates as they are close friendly to the human beings. More so if they approach you, don’t just run for hide out as they think that you have stolen something from them which marks in the end of the tips for gorilla treks in Rwanda.