Popular self-drive safari routes and Destinations in Uganda

Uganda has a number of interesting routes to follow during yourself drive vacation. Most of these are well paved and ready to go with any car type you have rented. However, others can be challenging to drive for instance routes to Kidepo National park may be cautious with some vehicle types such as Toyota Rav4s and Safari vans unless you rent them with a driver. The destination list is also broad from National parks to towns and cities  among others.

The most common popular routes in Uganda include the following;

Kampala – Bwindi Route via Mbarara

This mainly goes to Bwindi National Park for Gorilla trekking and other safari activities in the park including nature walks, cultural visits and birding. You can plan overnight stays in Lake Mburo National park for a short wildlife encounter to see giraffes, zebras and different species of antelopes among others. In case you are planning to trek mountain Gorillas, you can thereafter relax from Lake Bunyonyi, a lava dammed lake with one of the most beautiful scenic views in the country.

Kampala – Kasese Route via Fort Portal

This route takes you to Queen Elizabeth National park for a number of safari activities including game viewing during game drives and boat launches, birding and chimpanzee watching in Kyambura Gorge. You can plan stopovers in Mubende for lunch and overnight stays in Fort portal or Kibale National park where you can track chimpanzees as well. This route can join the Kampala – Bwindi route through Mbarara and you can choose to reverse follow the route to Kampala or continue to Bwindi Forest.

Kampala – Masindi route

This route goes to Murchison falls National Park through Masindi with a brief stopover or overnight stay at the Zziwa Rhino sanctuary. Here you can witness the strongest falls in the world, the Murchison as well as amazing wildlife. You can continue with this route via Gulu till the far North East in Kidepo National Park or choose to continue south west to Kasese and reverse or continue the Kasese route.

Kampala – Mbale – Moroto Kotido

This is the most challenging and complicated route and sometimes comes with restrictions to vehicle types allowed on self-drive. Many car rental agencies do not allow Toyota Rav4s to maneuver this route via Jinja, Mbale, Kapchorwa, Moroto to Kotido and the Kidepo National park.

If you choose to drive it in one day (the most risky choice to ever choose), expect to be behind the wheels for more than 12 hours with favorable road conditions. The biggest part of the route is murrum and roads can go from bad to worse during rainy seasons. The slippery nature of the soils in the regions of Moroto and remoteness of the areas from services including accommodation and mechanics are also key points to note.

The best way to drive this route stress free on self-drive would be at least renting a Land cruiser Prado or bigger vehicle as well as plan at least 1 overnight stays in between. You can stay in Kapchorwa where you can visit the Sipi falls or choose to go hike the Elgon Mountain. You can as well plan to stay in Moroto where you can also choose to visit the local people or take a game drive in Pian Upe game reserve.

On reaching Kidepo National park, it is recommended to plan returning to Kampala through Kitgum and Gulu towards Murchison Falls National park where you can catch up the Kampala Masindi route.

Therefore, using these route options, you can plan;

  • An all round trip of Entebbe/ Kampala – Moroto – Kotido – Gulu – Masindi – Fort Portal – Kasese – Mbarara – Bwindi/ Lake Mburo – Kampala.
  • The Western Circuit route from Entebbe/ Kampala, Masindi/ Mubende – Fort Portal – Kasese – Mbarara – Bwindi/ L. Mburo – Kampala
  • The Eastern circuit from Entebbe/ Kampala via Jinja, Mbale, Kapchorwa – Masindi – Kampala or Kapchorwa – Moroto -Kotido – Masindi – Kampala
  • You can also plan a dropoff in Kigali by taking a one way Uganda – Rwanda rental by choosing to drive from Entebbe/ Kampala – towards Mbarara using any route of your choice to Kabale (Bwindi areas) – Kisoro – Kigali.