Enjoy a quick escape from the city of Kampala with 4×4 Rooftop tent car and head on out on a safari adventure in Uganda. Uganda might not have the great herds of wildlife of neighboring Kenya and Tanzania but this is a country that rewards in so many other ways. It’s fairly small which means that within only four or five hours of landing at Entebbe airport you can be in a rain forest tracking habituated chimps, watching a lion prowl a golden Savannah-space or put-puttering over the waters of Lake Victoria to the idyllic Sesse Islands.
It’s geographically and climatically diverse: you can shiver through the snow fields of the Ruwenzori’s, more romantically known as the Mountains of the Moon, one day and drive across an arid semi-desert landscape in the northeast the next. It’s friendly, safe and ethnically diverse. And, for East Africa, it’s cheap.
Entry to the national parks is generally much lower than that of neighboring countries, you can score yourself a bed in a beautiful hotel, guesthouse or lodge but for this time round you can sleep in your rooftop ten on your vehicle.
I got in contact with 4×4 Car Hire Uganda, while trawling the internet for inspiration for a special anniversary holiday for my husband and myself. At that point I had not even considered an African safari, knew next to nothing about safaris and wasn’t even aware that Uganda was a safari destination. But the initial contact left me intrigued so we decided to go for it.
It was a leap of faith to trust all the arrangements to Jackie the consultant half way round the world, but encouraged by the great reviews we took that leap, and boy did it pay off. Even the planning stage via emails was good fun and really showed that the company care about their clients.
We told them about our hopes and wishes, and carefully taking everything on board, and using their knowledge and expertise they put together a couple of preliminary itineraries, of which we chose one even if we were on self-drive. This was then fine-tuned until it was exactly what we wanted, thanks to 4×4 Car Hire Uganda the best car rental agency offering 4×4 rooftop tent cars and camping across East Africa.
All along every email we sent was promptly answered, and the enthusiasm they have for Uganda and what it has to offer really shone through. All their emails were very personal, and made us feel special. It is very rare indeed nowadays to encounter such personal approach. No copy and paste with this company or having to wait ages for replies.
The safari itself, we stayed for 16 nights – could not have gone better, it was journey across Uganda. The vehicle was suitable for four people and had two rooftop tents. Each with own comfortable mattress, sleeping bags and pillows. The rooftop tents are very user-friendly. The vehicle has a long-range fuel tank of 150 liter. This double cab is perfect for the real adventurer who wants to see more of the African continent.
We appreciated the care we took while driving, negotiating the roads which at times seemed impossible to drive on. We stayed in safe camping grounds stunning locations with views to die for, up the mountains, in the rain forest, on the Savannah.
We got practically within touching distance of mountain gorillas, had a chimp walk by brushing against our legs, a leopard circling our car as interested in us as we were in him, saw elephants, warthogs, herds of hippos and buffaloes, the list goes on.
The safari culminated in a music and dance show at the Ndere Centre in Kampala, which was an incredible show of energy and talent that lasted for 3 hours.
Jackie had taken care of every detail: the locations, where to camp, the activities were excellent, just what we had hoped for. We did hit a snag once, due to adverse weather (seems to be the only thing out of their control), and the way it was handled showed the company’s total commitment to their clients’ satisfaction: one phone call with 4×4 Car Rental (using the phone they provided for easy communication) and thinking on his feet he came up with a solution there and then. And talking about detail: they had even arranged a special anniversary cake to be delivered to our accommodation.
We had the pleasure to meet with Jackie and Moses, his partner, at the end of our tour, and were happy to be able to offer them our thanks is person. I wholeheartedly recommend you contact them for first class, truly personal service.
They promised at the beginning that they will leave no stone unturned to give us a great and an unforgettable experience, and this they delivered. I have traveled the world for 30 years, and this was easily one of the best trips ever.
A word of warning though: We are already planning to return to see some of the other great places. And I wouldn’t let anyone else but 4×4 Car Hire Uganda arrange it for us. Jackie promised it will be even better next time. How exactly it could be I have no idea, but I believe her.
