What should you consider when choosing a self-drive car

A trusted car rental company

There are over 100 companies ready to offer you a 4×4 car but not all are trusted since some of them may be fraudsters while others have bad reviews from past clients hence you have to choose one that doesn’t fall into any of the two brackets. Before choosing a company for your car renting, always visit these websites online, do a thoroughly checkup, read the company reviews in order to have the best and avoid regrets in future.

Rates

Don’t settle for one and always send your inquiries to different agencies in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya or Tanzania and compare rates of different cars offered. Go with one that gets you the car at the best rate under favorable terms and conditions not necessarily the cheapest one. This will help you avoid many problems that would come to you due to this cheap car.

Book the right car

The type of car you choose to book greatly depends on the destinations you are driving to. If you plan on doing a self-drive safari to a national park, the best car will be a 4×4 wheeled vehicles or a tourism van. These cars are strong to aces the roads of the national park most especially those tarmac roads. Always consider a right car for your desired destinations for the best safari drive.

GPS

This is one of the most useful or important gadgets if you plan to explore any destination for the first time. The Global Positioning System not only guides you to your final destination but also shows points of interest including nearby restaurants, hotels, gas stations, hospitals,

garages among other which are some of the places that might come in handy when on the road.

Back-ups

You can’t be sure what will happen along the road that’s why you have to be ready for anything. Always fuel up before you leave town and pack a water & fuel jerrycan as a back-up. You should also always request the car rental company to add back-up tires especially every time you are going to remote destinations around Africa to avoid getting stuck making you less enjoy your safari. Other items you can request include the car battery, mechanic toolbox and first aid kit.

The size of the car you are hiring

Rental cars vary in size and range of rental cars including a compact 4×4 Toyota Rav4 with a capacity of 2 to 4 people, a Toyota Super Custom accommodating up to 6 people, and a Safari Van with a carrying capacity of 9 people and then take up luxurious 4×4 Land Cruiser.

Fuel policy

Fuel is one of the essential factors any traveller must put into consideration when choosing a rental car for their road trip. Before you book a car, find out if the rate provided to you does cover fuel costs and other expenses. On many occasions, most car hire agencies operate in the manner that you go with the already fuelled vehicle and expect you to return with it with the same quantity of fuel. This means you must understand the fuel policy of the company you will be dealing with to avoid incurring extra costs that are not planned for.

Reputable Car Hire Company

There are many companies but it is important to deal with a reputable one which is fully registered and a recognized company to deal with to hire your rental car.

Road assistance

While on a road trip, it is not easy to predict how your journey may end. Not to be taken by surprise, always find out if the car hire agency that you choose provides 24-hour road assistance in case of a car breakdown while on a road trip. This is very important for a smooth journey through the lands gifted by Nature.

Note

To drive yourself around East Africa in a rental car, you shall need to provide scanned copies of your International Driver License & Passport plus you incur a border fee if you plan on crossing over from one country to another.