Month: September 2019

While on a self drive safari, a traveler would need a local phone number to call out for help in case of emergency like car rental breakdown, getting lost on the way, theft or any other issue.

The medium of communication is key to a traveler. It makes the traveler get in touch with the person he/she wishes to seek help at a certain period of time. The medium should be effective and convenient to make communication successful between the traveler and the person he/she wishes to contact. Many travelers who take up self-drive safaris in Uganda always wonder how they would make communication in case it is called for. This question comes in queue because Self-drive safaris involve a traveler driving on his own to explore the different tourist attractions so a means of communication is always needed. The advice is always one is to get a local phone number.

How to get a local phone number

One way is to ask from the car rental company to get you a local sim card beforehand.

The other way is- you can get it by yourself. When you arrive in Uganda, you get to the nearest local mobile outlet and then apply for one. The requirement for getting one is always simple.

• Pay a small fee of usd 1$(ugx3000)
• Fill in the required form
• Present an original copy and photocopy of your passport
• And then the sim card is given to you.

The role of a local phone number on a Uganda self drive safari

Get in touch with your beloved ones at home. Once you get connected to a local number, you are able to contact your family and friends at home. The international call rates in Uganda are relatively low. It is a half a dollar per minute. The call is always clear when you call directly and it is always good to know and also tell your family that you are doing fine and having a good time. It always becomes tense for both you and your family while in a foreign country so a little communication within erases the tense.

Easy access to the internet. The local phone number makes a traveler easily access the internet. In this day and age generation where people can hardly live without the internet, having a local phone number is a lifesaver. With the internet, a person does a lot of stuff like business transaction, paying bills back home, communication and it also help the traveler on a Uganda self-drive get the right bearings of the destinations through the Google map GPS. Most of the local mobile operator have 4G network across the country. The traveler is likely to have a safe and fast internet.

Helps in accident rescue. Sometimes accidents happen to travelers while on a self-drive safari but the ugly part of it some of them may not have a reliable means of communication (local phone number). At the occurrence of the accident, they have nowhere to start from to inform the concerned parties about it. However, this kind of confusion and panic can be bypassed by getting a local number to make effective communication so that the concerned parties (the Rental Company or mechanic) can come to your rescue.

It is a way to calling for safety and security. This world is full of bizarre, there is no ultimate safe place. Insecurity issues can arise at any time in any place at a given time. Therefore a local phone number is much needed to get in touch with the security authorities.  It is also advisable to get the local emergency number whenever the traveler is setting off for a self drive safari.

For proper organization of the pickup and delivery of the rental car. A traveler needs a reliable and effective means of communication to get in touch with the  Uganda car rental provider to make the exact appointment point for the pickup and delivery of the rental car. So a local phone number will be a perfect match for this job.

Reserve parking is one of kind of a hurdle task especially for newly graduated drivers. The whole thing of reserve parking seems to be complex for the driver since whenever they try to command the car goes to the opposite side. it would even cause one problems in case he or she has just rented a car for instance for a self drive Tour Uganda.

Reserving parking is one of the aspects of driving that is put into details when learning to drive but still it becomes an issue for many drivers.

This is a very technical task because a driver does not visibly see where the car is moving but only use the side mirrors to tell the direction of the car. More to that the car has to be squeezed in a small space that is normally left in between the other cars in the parking lot.

To get rid of the havoc that has been bothering you all the time, here we bring the tips to reserve park the easiest way possible:

Why Reverse Parking Is More Preferable?

Many drivers who aren’t comfortable with reserve park, they would rather park upfront in that they dodge what seems to be their nightmare. The upfront park is okay but when you learn reserve park driving becomes a vacation for you.

Above all reserve parking commands convenience and visibility while exiting the parking lot. You are granted safety since you have a clear view of what is coming from the road like the pedestrians and other vehicles.

Think of it when you get an urgent call and you would like to drive off straight to attend to the call and then you put again reserving the car and keeping a keen eye on other parties on the road. This leads to time waste and through the rush and tussle, you can easily cause an accident.

How reserve parking works:

Most cars driven in Uganda are old model where by one has to look through the side mirrors to reserve park the car. It is best for you to unfasten the seat belt to easy move your body while looking through the side mirror. It is also commendable to physically look behind through your driver seat.

For the new model cars, the reserve parking is a bit easy due to the technology encrypted. This has back camera monitor and a parking assist system that can easily make your reserve without any hassle.

Steps to proper reserve park

1. The first step is to look for ample space to where a certain car you are driving will fit. The parking lots normally have designated places for small and big vehicles. So check out for the space where your car will fit.
2. Secondly get let’s say the end points of your parking space are named point 1,2,3,4 where your left side is 1,2 and the right side are 3,4. Get the car to the right side and ensure that car’s rear bumper is in front of point 3.
3. Next step, look around to see if there is no car or person close to you or coming through the side mirrors. Then turn on the emergency or double indicator button to set a warning that you are reserving or parking in the back space.
4. The fourth step is to know the surrounding is clear and get to the reserve gear. Get to the wheel to the right side to get into the space while reserving. You should also keep an eye on the outside.
5. Keep reversing onto the left side till point 3 appears. Use as the focal point to direct the car into the far end of the space.Keep moving into the space till point 1 is seen in the left side mirror as you keep looking through both side mirror. when all the lines look parallel in the mirror, straighten up the steering wheel.
6. Keeping moving while the steering wheel is straight till you reach the far end and then shift the gear in to parking.

That is how easy reverse parking is! It should never worry you again.

In a lesser developed country like Uganda, driving is a very challenging task to do especially in a cold weather. Other than the muddy and narrow roads, the car can also get physical and mechanical problems. It is best to be alert of any arising hiccup when driving in cold weather.

One of the commonest problems that occur to a car in the cold weather is failure of the car to start.  it is really frustrating to wake up in the morning, trying to start off your journey and then the engine fails to start. The worst bit of it is when the driver literally green about the mechanical operation of the car. This brings so much panic and frustration henceforth ruining your mood of the entire day.

Uganda is regarded as relatively a hot country and the aforementioned problem is very minimal. Though the problem of the car not starting in the cold weather in Uganda is marginal, this is more likely to happen in some parts of Uganda especially in the western and southern part of the country where the temperatures are very low in the wet season.

And also there are cold streaks in the morning in almost each and every part of the country.  The western and southern part of Uganda that get the cold weather are one of the most visited parts of the country by tourists since they have lots of tourist attractions like the wildlife parks.

The tourists usually take up 4×4 car hire Uganda to drive on their own to the different national parks. Thereby this guide on starting a car in cold weather would help them when they experience any difficulties and also other drivers who may face the problem.

Turn Off The Car Completely.

When you realize that you are likely to park the car in cold weather for some good time, ensure that you completely turn off everything in the car.

Every single electric device that uses the battery should be turned off from the lighting system, radio to the heater. Electric devices drain the battery and in cold weather it’s normally at its weakest level of operation.

More to the above, when starting the car in the cold weather ensure that you let the engine run first alone so that the battery gets energized and then turn on the other systems.

Look Out For The Battery Leads

Before getting to the car to start off your journey, get to the car hood and check on the battery area. Normally in the cold weather the battery cable get some salty white substance that weakens the current flow to get to the systems that use electricity.

In case you find the substance clean it up and put back the battery cables and then start off the engine. You should also tighten the battery clippers.

For A manual Car Dip The Clutch While Turning On The Car Engine

This is one of the commonest tip used by drivers of manual cars when it fails to start. Dipping the clutch while starting the engine reduces the work the battery is supposed to do in starting the car.

You should know most of the car start failure are brought up by issues connected to the battery. So if the work of the battery is minimized at the start of the car then the car will ignite easily.

 A car is a mechanic machine used to speed up transportation of people and luggage. In Uganda, different cars are used and basically 4×4 wheel cars are highly demanded for successful safaris.

Cars that are high demand include safari land cruiser, 4×4 safari van, Toyota coasters and  more. Hiring a car depends on a number of tourist. There are 4 seat, 7 seat and Toyota Hiarce which is for 10 pax.

Terms and conditions are considered while hiring a car in Uganda so that the business partners equally benefits. Below are the car rental terms and conditions to be followed when hiring a car in Uganda.

The client has to present a valid identification card. This can easily enable the hire identify him or her and get to know he is dealing with a right person.

The Identity card should be in form of a national ID or a valid passport which in any theft or accident issues, it’s easier for the car provider to trace the client.

In addition the client should present a valid driving license which shows that he is eligible to driving. For the foreign clients, their driving permits should be in either English, French which are easily understood by the authorities.

Sometimes car hirers get cars from different car rental companies in case their cars are all out in the field and yet clients are on high demand of cars especially in high seasons.

For him or her to  acquire any vehicle in a rental company, he or she has to agree and sign on the agreement issued that in case of any damage , he or she has to compensate for the losses.

There should be a full payment of the fee to the car hire company for the service. The client should pay the full amount of money agreed upon before setting off for his or her safari.

He or she can make the payments before the day of pick up or the actual day to pick up the car. The payment should be done through electronic transfers or cash and this should be of the accepted currency such as dollars, shillings, Euros and pound sterling.

All the cars that are rented to the clients have comprehensive insurance that covers for all the damages that occur accidentally.  If the client damages the car intentionally due to careless driving, according to the signed agreement.

There is a certain payment he has to do to repair the damage and here the insurance company is not responsible. The damages that occur to the driver and clients in the car are not catered for the in the insurance

The hirer must inform you about the duration he or she is to be using the car. In the process he or she must present his itinerary disclosing the destination and purpose of the tour.

This will enable a hire to know where exactly his car is going and will be easier to track the car basing on the itinerary.

The client should not exceed the agreed duration and if he decides to extend his or her safari should inform the car hirer.

There should not be a third party involved in the business. In short terms, the client should come pick up the car on his own. He or she should not send someone else to pick it on his before.

He or she should be present at the rental point where the delivery boy handles over the car.

The car should be used for the rightful purpose indicated on the agreement made between a car provider and the client hiring the car. The client is not supposed to use the car for other purposes that are not indicated in the agreement such as using it as a taxi for transportation of passengers and make delivery service with the intention of making money.