Traveling through the Africa’s sun rising constituency is an exciting moment, and taking a self-drive here is an amazing moment. Though number of travelers had opted to explore the amusements on a fully guided trips, today several have turned the trend to taking a self-drive vacations.
The emerging for the 2019 global pandemic Covid-19 that caused travel cautions and restricted traveling patterns, tuned many of the travelers to change and focus on self-guided vacations. Then, nature and adventure system of the region have proved it pure for self-drive as well.
The East African region is Africa’s top safari destinations reflecting on various aspects. Enjoying the freedom of open roads, driving anywhere and encounter anything would wish to be your next focus. Then we bring you our best selection for the five best places to drive to of a self-drive in East Africa.
All you need is securing the best and mechanically guaranteed 4×4 vehicle which can unconditionally take you across. The East African region is the summary of everything one would wish for a self-drive trip in Africa.
However, though having the list of your top traveling destination, the convenience of driving via the unpaved and dusty roads to such destination repel. But travel experience is the world class which can’t even be found anywhere else.
As we say, a self-drive through Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda is good, and is the best. Below is the selection of 5 best places where you can stroll for next self-rive vacation in East Africa.
Serengeti National Park and Masai Mara Game Reserve
It’s not one point, but the two neighboring protected areas of neighboring countries. The combination of Kenya’s Maasai Mara and Tanzania’s Serengeti is the world class safari ever. Yes and true, a self-drive to Serengeti is tests and approves you’re driving skills. The two destinations are top on any traveling list for your vacation to Africa. Driving to Serengeti is one of the most challenging part of Africa considering various aspects.
However, Serengeti National Park and Maasai Mara National Reserve are Africa’s most rewarding as far as safaris are concerned. The Wildebeest migration is the major drama that has drown sum crowds of travelers globally to witness the tens of thousands of wildebeest crossing through the Maasai Mara to Serengeti corridor or vice versa. The perfect destinations to watch the Big Five Games (Lions, Leopard, buffalos, elephants and rhinos), highest concentration of zebras and giraffes together with several antelope species call the two destinations their home.
From the either side to start your self-drive trip, all you need is the 4×4 safari customized land cruiser. It’s not a soft task to maneuver through the dusty, holey and bumping unpaved roads that lead you to the areas. The self-drive road trip to Serengeti or Maasai Mara is more amazing when traveled in groups of 3 and above than taking a sole trip.
Zanzibar Island
When feel like reconnoitering all bend of Zanzibar Island on a free wheel, the best to making it on a free will. Not like most of tourist destinations in Tanzania, exploring Zanzibar of a self-guided drive may not necessary demands for a stronger 4×4 land cruiser, any vehicle in a perfect mechanical condition makes it possible. The Zanzibar archipelago is a bit a bigger square to wander through and you need to have a mechanically guaranteeing vehicle to drive here.
The Zanzibar Island is known for the beauty that display the traditional of the first settlers and the origin of the Swahili culture. Don’t get locked into the outdoor traveling suggestion, indoors like the Zanzibar is very amazing and worthy considering on a free wheel drive.
The focus points for a self-drive vacation in Zanzibar are wide. The archipelago is made of various islands, but majors for travelers here include the popular stone town, the architectural buildings, and beaches among many. The Island is perfect selections for honeymoon and relaxing after the exhausting safari drives throughout Tanzania and East African region.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
The world’s capital for the rare and endangered mountain gorillas, Bwindi forest is another endemic forest for the gorillas in African and the world. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is located in southwestern Uganda connecting to the Congo borders seated directly in the Albertine Western Rift Valley. The landscape of Bwindi is steep and driving here needs to have a strong 4×4 safari vehicles to reach and back from the park.
This is the center for gorilla trekking, and accommodate all classes of travelers. This makes it constant that there isn’t much reasons why should take a self-drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The park has featured in several global ranking for toping among best global tourist destination. Bwindi is for full day drive to reach the park from Kampala. It’s such a tiresome drive but very rewarding and experiencing for adventure seekers.
Not like other safari destinations or parks mentioned here, Bwindi can be reached with any 4×4 vehicle customized for safari. Right from smallest maiden 4×4 Rav4, to the largest land cruiser extended all are possible on a self-drive. This tropical forest is another perfect destination for your camping driving and can enjoy the experience with the 4×4 rooftop tent camping customized vehicle. There are several campsites which avail space to enable you wake up under sun raise arrays.
Amboseli National Park
One of the prestigious tourist destinations in Kenya and the East African region. A self-drive to Amboseli National Park introduces you to some of the amazing wild catching moments. The park almost has the highest population of elephants and so many various wild species.
Amboseli National Park is located at least in 4 hour drive southeast of Nairobi city, Kenya’s capital. With two distinctive features of highest herds of elephants and perfect view of Mt. Kilimanjaro. This makes the park the 2nd most visited park in Kenya right after Maasai Mara. It’s your next place when thirsty to watch the Big Five and lesser games.
Planning to visit the on a self-guided vacation and wondering about the best time to drive. It’s possible all year around, good enough there is no seasonal patterns of viewing animals. At any time games can be sighted on full swing scale. However, the rainy season comes with challenges of slippery roads, but this lasts for a shorter period of the year mostly from November and December.
Kidepo Valley National Park
Not like other tourist destinations in Uganda, we don’t usually recommend to drive to Kidepo Valley National Park with the small maiden 4×4 Rav 4. Need just a stronger 4×4 land cruiser TX/TZ, V8/V8 and the safari land cruiser. These stronger fleets can possibly challenge the terrain especially during the rainy times. CCN had ranked and named Kidepo to be the world’s remotest national park, and indeed, Kidepo is very remote.
Few unique remaining that insist to the greater natural wonders. The park features amazing landscape vary with gentle and flat plateau, the widest open landscape displaying a wider view. The people of the areas around Kidepo are amazing, have freed from the current trends to globalization. The park has the highest view of zebras, giraffes and elephants, when opting to watch unique animals like dik dik, Jackson’s heartbeats, ostrich and many other species.
Driving to Kidepo Valley National Park doesn’t need a fixed traveling plan. Try using a less hurried plan and the best self-drive here is a round circuit road trip. This road trip starts from Kampala driving eastwards to Jinja, adding Mount Elgon and Sipi waterfalls. It can continue with cultural tours or Pian-Upe –Matheniko-Bokora reserve, reach the park and return with the Gulu and en-route to Murchison and Ziwa rhino sanctuary.
Planning a self-drive to Kidepo Valley National Park can be accompanied with savannah camping organized by UWA. Together with several other adventure activities to undertake including, culture, game drive, mountain climbing and many others.
