9 Gas Saving Tips For a Self Drive Safari In Africa

There are a number of things to put in consideration in order to save fuel on your self drive safari in Africa. It is well known that regular car maintenance and servicing will help you save a great deal on fuel but it is not in your control.  It is the car hire company will be in charge of ensuring that the car is well maintained.

Assuming you have hired a car from a reputable self drive car hire company that regularly services its vehicles like 4x4uganda, then the following will be some of the things to put in consideration to save a great deal of fuel during your self drive safari in Africa:

Proper Tire Inflation

Whenever you hire a vehicle, it is recommended that take charge of a few issues on your car such as inflation. Many at times, people put inflation in consideration in regard to avoiding punctures more so on off road trip. For this reason, they often inflate the tires between 25 psi and 30 psi to reduce on the likelihood of punctures during their off-road trip.

However, when it is comes to fuel consumption, inflation also plays a big role. Considering inflation between 30 psi and 40 psi is recommended. It helps your car to more easily hence reducing on the required strength in regard to acceleration.

Fuel Your Car Early in Morning

It has been proven over and over again; colder fuel has a higher density than warm fuel. To better benefit in fueling your car, it is recommended you fuel your car very early in the morning when the fuel still has a higher density compared to fueling in the afternoon.

Engage a Cruise Button While on a Highway

It is not common to find a safari car with a cruise button in Africa. It is for the same reasons that you should first inquiry about the availability of a car with a cruise button. A cruise button will help you drive at constant speed which will also help you save a great deal on fuel.

Avoid car idling 

Whenever you are driving in the capital cities, its recommended to keep the engine off. This is because sometimes you might remain in the same place for over 5 minutes without moving yet keeping the car in idling.

However, it should be noted that idling is recommended for a diesel issue. It is a bad practice among some safari cars to keep turning the diesel engine on and off.

Accelerate Steadily

Accelerating steadily helps the car to pick up momentum slowly without burning a lot of fuel. Accelerating speedily will burn a lot of fuel compared to accelerating steadily.

Therefore, anyone that considers saving gas during their self drive adventure, they should take extra attention on how they accelerate.

Maintain an 80km/hr speed on a highway

It is very common to find people driving above 100 kilometers per hour on a high but this is already in violation of most of the terms and conditions of most of the car hire companies. The 80kms/hr does not only put you on safe side when driving but also helps you to save fuel.

Consider a Diesel Engine against a Gasoline Engine

When it comes to Engine performance, a gasoline engine is far better than the diesel engine. But when it comes to being economical, the diesel engine is the best choice. There are several land cruisers that have diesel engine options.

However, whenever you hire a safari car with a diesel engine, make sure it has a turbo timer. If it does not have a turbo time, then you should at least give it a full minute in idling mode after a long drive.

Fuel from Recommended Locations

You should never be influenced by the rates when fueling your car, rather focus on the location of the fuel station. It is recommended that you fuel your car on gas stations located on hills.

Most of the gas stations located in valleys are likely to be affected by water during the rainy seasons since the fuel is stored underground. To avoid all the trouble that comes with fuel mixed with some portions of water, fuel your car from gas stations located on hills.

Whenever you use poor fuel in a car, the engine will struggle to process it which will not only increase the fuel consumption of the car but also the car performance.

Check Service Validity

It is public knowledge, whenever a car is poorly serviced, it will consume a lot of fuel. Though you cannot check everything in regard to service, serviced car have stickers showing their next servicing date and the mileage available for a given tenure.

Climbing Mountain Nyiragongo In DR. Congo

Planing a safari to Congo? A hike at mountain Nyiragongo should not me missed. Mount Nyiragongo is an active stratovolcano with an elevation of 3,470m in the Virunga Mountains associated with the Albertine Rift. It’s located inside Virunga National park, in the DR. Congo, about 20km north of the town of Goma and Lake Kivu and just west of the border with Rwanda. The main crater is about two kilometers wide and usually contains a lava lake. The crater has two distinct cooled Lava beeches with in the crater walls, one at about 3,175m and a lower one at about 2,975m. Nyiragongo’s lava lake has at times been the most huge known lava lake in recent history. The depth of the lava lake varies considerably. The maximum elevation of the lava lake was also recorded at about 3,250m.

The volcano partly overlaps with two older volcanoes, Baratu and Shaheru and is also surrounded by hundreds of small volcanic cinder cones from Flank eruptions. The lava emitted in eruptions at Nyiragongo is often unusually fluid. Nyiragongo ‘s lavas are made of Melilite nephelinite  which is an alkali rich type of volcanic rock whose unusual chemical composition might be a factor in the unusual fluidity of the lavas there. Its lavas flows might race downhill at up to 100km/h. This is because of the extremely low silica content, but the Hawaiian volcanoes are broad, shallow sloped shield volcanoes in contrast to the steep sided cone of Nyiragongo, and the Silica content is high enough to slow the flow to a walking pace.

About Nyiragongo Eruptions:

There have been about 34 eruptions that have taken place around the Nyiragongo volcanic mountains and these include; the 1977 eruption, this happened when the crater walls of the volcano fractured which led to the draining of the lava lake within an hour. This led to the flooding of the lava down on the edges of the volcano and on the higher slopes which resulted into killing over seventy (70) people in the nearby villages. This 1977 eruption that took place tried to raise awareness about the dangers of this volcano and it also created a fresh small volcano called murara which is a few kilometers away from nyamuragira.

The second eruption took place in 2002 and this happened after several processes of Fumarolic and seismic activities which happened on this volcano. There was a fissure that was released in the southern flank and was about 13km spreading from about 2800m to 1550m of elevation hence reaching the town of Goma which is the capital along the northern shores of Lake Kivu. The lava greatly streamed towards the city of Goma  and about 400000 people had been vacated from the city to the border of Rwanda in Gisenyi town. Lava run and covered Goma airport raising threat that it might release larger amounts of Carbondioxide as well as Methane. This 2002 eruption killed over 147 people and the city of Goma collapsed due to the fact that the building was falling apart leaving over 120000 people without homes. Many more buildings in the city of Goma continued to fall due to the massive earthquake that continued to happen for close to 3 months following the eruptions.

There is also the ongoing threats of mountain Nyiragongo includes the Carbon dioxide that killed many children up to the recent times. In places where gas was released from underground and dispersed in the wind had many deadly effects to the lives of the people. just recently on the 8th of march 2016, the Goma observatory discovered yet another vent which opened at the northeastern side of the crater; there is a possibility of this bringing yet another eruption in goma town.

About the Nyiragongo Hike- 3 days

Transfer to Gisenyi; upon your arrival, you are picked from the airport by your travel guide and taken to Gisenyi Rwanda. On this day, you have a number of optional activities ranging from enjoying a Kigali city tour and visiting the Iby’ iwacu cultural village, enjoying a boat ride on the Lake Kivu or even visiting the Volcanoes National Park. You will also have your dinner and spend a night in Rwanda.

The second day is for hiking Nyiragongo Mountain; you will get up early in the morning and enjoy your early morning breakfast after which you are to head out. You will cross the border and then head to the Virunga National Park at the Kibati Ranger post where you will be briefed on the dos and don’ts of the hike. The Meals, sticks and rain gear will be provided to you but you can as well carry your own. Porters will also be available for those who would like help in carrying their luggage. While at the top, get to enjoy the breath taking view of the lava and the active volcano. You will then spend a night inside the mountain huts at the volcano top.

The last day is for descending the Nyiragongo Mountain; Have an early morning breakfast and thereafter descend from Volcanoes Mountain while enjoying the views of Lake Kivu, the Virunga national Park and the city of Goma, later on, you will be transferred back to Kigali, Rwanda to either catch your departure flight or enjoy another day’s stay in the land of thousand hills.

10 Reasons You Should Self Drive In Uganda

It is obvious that even anyone that would attempt a city walking tour would at one point require wheels in form of motorcycles, taxis or buses. But as time goes on, more people are deviating from such means of transport during their trips in Uganda.

This is not to imply that they are not safe at all; but because of the following reasons, many people are opting for self drive trips in Uganda and across Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda. Below are some reasons why you too should consider a self drive trip in Uganda;

Privacy

Did you know that Uganda Self drive trips give you an opportunity of privacy even when you are away from home? If you are the kind who often finds it uncomfortable to hang around strangers for a long time, self drive trips grant you enough space for your privacy

Whenever you hire a car, you are free to drive the way you want without any fear of what the people around you might think since you will not have any strangers. For the same reason, several people have considered hiring a car for a self catered trip in Uganda.

Comfortable For Family Trips

Family trips can be a hustle more so when your family has to walk along with several other people in a group tour. To give your children enough freedom during their holiday, a car hire for self drive in Uganda is recommended.

Family self drive car hires will give your children space to behave the very way they behave in your home country. No one will be made uncomfortable since it will be a family trip in a kind of family car with Mum or Dad doing what he has always done.

More Secure Compared To Public Means

Driving in shifts is not a common practice in Uganda. When you consider public means of transport, you are opting for a driver who you cannot be sure whether they are fresh or not. It should be noted that most of the public transport accidents are caused by tired drivers or over speeding to beat time.

To be on a secure side, it is recommended you hire the car personally, and driver yourself. At least by doing so, you are in more control of your life than putting it in the hands of stranger whose sobriety cannot easily be traced.

Saves Time

Hiring a car for a self drive holiday or trip in Uganda saves you a lot of time. Traffic jam is often unpredictable more so in the capital Kampala. With that at the back of your mind, you can easily plan putting in consideration the amount of time you might spend stuck in traffic.

The common public taxis are fond of waiting for hours till they get full. If you are to use these for your trip, then you are likely to be delayed which is never the case with self drive car hires.

Freedom To Go Wherever You Want

It is not true that every trip requires an itinerary. Sometimes the best of road trips is merely an open road trip. With a self drive car, it is very possible to drive even without an itinerary as long as your final destination is known.

Travel At Your Own Pace

The best family trips are those which you can adjust at any time. When you go for holiday you do not need any pressure. On certain days, you are free to readjust your itinerary without fear of being penalized by the tour operator

It’s Affordable

The main items of any trip are transport, meals and accommodation. By hiring a car for self drive, you save the extra money a tour operator would have charged you as his mark-up.

Awesome Photography Opportunities

There are opportunities for self drive photography trips where you can hire a car with a professional photographer. Instead of trying to capture every moment by yourself, you can hire a professional photographer who can capture every special moment of your trip.

However; besides hiring a professional photographer on your trip, you also have the liberty to stop at any time during your trip to capture any moment of your choice without first asking for alternations in your planned itinerary.

Feel At Home

Whenever you hire a car for self drive, you will often appear as a foreign resident to the strangers. This will give you high bargaining power when you try purchasing things in the different places since you will be expected to be informed about the prices as a foreign resident.

Diversity

Uganda is full of diversity that you should leave room for. It might be tricky to tap into this diversity of what the Pearl of Africa has to offer by hiring a car in Uganda without any limitations.

Rwanda’s Epic Holidays beyond Gorillas

Rwanda is a renowned destination for luxury safaris in Africa. Situated in Central Africa, this tiny country is a great addition to a safari in East Africa given its closeness to the famous destinations such as Serengeti of Tanzania, Masai Mara National Park, of Kenya as well as the Kilimanjaro Mountains. Nature Adventure Africa has come up with the 10 Days Luxury Safari in East Africa that enables you see the mountain gorillas and explore the classic destinations for game viewing in East Africa. Beyond the gorillas, there is a lot to see in Rwanda itself! We bring to you some of the biggest highlights that will make you fall in love with Rwanda;

Situated in western Rwanda, Lake Kivu covers the Rwanda – Democratic Republic of Congo border consisting of beautiful beaches, great tropical weather, and beautiful scenery. Lake Kivu offers the perfect place for rest and recuperation, especially after your gorilla safaris and chimpanzee safaris as well as game drives in Rwanda’s top Parks; Volcanoes, Nyungwe Forest and Akagera National Parks, respectively.

Among the most popular activities to wallow in while at the Lake include; sunbathing, swimming, and water sports like Kayaking, wind surfing & canoeing. Lake Kivu can be visited as part of your Rwanda safari itinerary and time spent at the Lake is never regrettable. The Lake is a magnificent inland sea enclosed by steep, green terraced hills and beautiful Islands.

The Lake can easily be accessed from Kigali or in any of the country’s three major Parks, namely; Volcanoes Park (after trekking mountain gorillas or golden monkeys), Akagera Park (after game drives), and Nyungwe Park (after chimpanzee safaris). Lake Kivu is strategically situated on the tourism circuit making it an ideal stopover while you explore Rwanda’s adventurous areas including national parks, genocide memorial sites, among others.

Lake Kivu covers most of the western border of Rwanda with major tourist areas being Gisenyi, Kibuye, and Cyangugu, which lie along the lake shores.

Rubavu – previously known as Gisenyi – is a large town on the northern edge of Lake Kivu, which is an hour’s drive from the famous Volcanoes National Park – Mountain Gorilla refuge, and an ideal place to relax after gorilla trekking. Once, a colonial beach resort of note, Rubavu’s waterfront is lined with fading old mansions, hotels and trendy bars on the lakeshore, ideal for sundowner cocktails.

Karongi, half way along the lake, is a popular beach resort with hillsides covered in pines and eucalyptus serve as a backdrop to the sparkling lake. At dawn and dusk, the sound of local fisherman singing carries across the water as they paddle in unison.

From Rubavu in the north, the Congo Nile Trail extends 227 kilometers of breathtaking landscapes all the way to Rusizi in the south of Lake Kivu. The trail gently curves back and forth as it weaves through hills and mountains beside the lake with eucalyptus trees lining the road and every inch of the hills seemingly terraced with bananas.

For adventurous travelers, an exciting way to explore Rwanda is a kayaking tour on Lake Kivu, or mountain biking or hiking one of the 6 off-the-beaten path stages of the spectacular Congo Nile Trail. Visiting the beautiful and deep Lake Kivu is an exciting experience and of course so memorable. After your gorilla safaris and chimpanzee safaris it is therefore a great decision to go visit the beautiful Lake Kivu which offers several amazing activities to engage in.

The Return of Black Rhinos to Rwanda

Since 10 years that the Black Rhinos were last spotted in Rwanda, they have finally returned to the Akagera National Park in unforgettable relocation effort. The Eastern Black Rhinos were last seen within this Savannah National Park in 2007 before they became extinct but now their population has increased to 20 Black rhinos after they were translocated (airlifted) from South Africa in May 2017. This is good news for all tourists who desire to go on Rwanda safaris to see all the Big Five animals (Elephants, Rhinos, Buffaloes, Lions and Leopards) while on a safari in Rwanda. There are less than 5000 black Rhinos remaining across their range in the Wild of which only 1000 of them are Eastern black Rhinos hence meaning they are critically endangered species. Therefore the reintroduction of the Rhinos in Rwanda is an urgent, valuable and progressive opportunity for their conservation.

The translocation efforts are the work of African National Parks-a non-profit Conservation Organization that manages National Parks around the African Continent in conjunction with support from the Rwanda Development Board and funding from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, and extra support from the People’s Postcode Lottery as well as the Dutch Government. The Eastern black Rhinos are sub-species of the Rhinoceros and are in critical danger of extinction. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) report in the 1970s, over 50 Black Rhinos loved in the Savannah habitat of Akagera National Park. After several years of struggling to combat Rhino poaching in Rwanda, a commitment was made to the President of Rwanda-Paul Kagame to support the re-introduction of Rhinos into the country because it was guaranteed that Rwanda cannot protect them and interestingly it was finally achieved.

According to the African Parks report, there were over 50 Black Rhinos in the Rwandan National Parks in the 1970s but due to poaching, most of them were decimated (destroyed) from the population with the last sighting being in 2007. Peter Fearnhead-the CEO of African Parks stated that “Rhinos are generally one of the most eminent symbols of Africa but are gravely threatened and are on the decrease in most places across the African Continent due to the tremendously profitable and illegal Rhino Horn trade. Therefore, the return of these Rhinos to the country is a proof to Rwanda’s exceptional commitment to the Conservation and is another big step in the restoration of Akagera National Park’s natural biodiversity.

Akagera National Park is an important Savannah habitat and has always been managed by the African Parks and the Rwandan Development Board from 2010. At the time management was changed, law enforcement within the National Park was improved to reduce poaching in the Park. The main aim was to restore the Park to its former glory-“Big five destination”. Due to this, over 7 lions were introduced to Akagera National Park and their population has more than doubled. To conserve and improve the safety of the translocated Rhinos, a Rhino tracking and protection unit, and a canine anti-poaching unit among others were introduced.

The conservation efforts are not for one party but are integral to supporting the endangered wildlife species as well as support Rwanda’s overall Tourism Industry, which mostly depends on people from around the World with an interest in the country’s remarkable wildlife species. Interestingly, the rhino project was listed on the Top 10 new travel listings of 2017 by the lonely Planet.

In conclusion, with the re-introduction of the black Rhinos in Akagera National Park of Rwanda, tourists can now fulfill their dreams of encountering the big five animals (elephants, buffaloes, rhinos, lions and leopards) while on  safari in the country.

9 Things to Be Aware of When Planning Self Drive in Uganda

Planning to do some thing different in Africa? Go Self Drive Uganda and enjoy the pearl of Africa at your own pace! Nothing is very impressing and enjoyable like driving a car by your own in the streets of Uganda both up countries and city centre. He pride and confidence in you, Drive and stopping at your own pace really gives you courage to overtake though it’s not always advisable to do so according to the Uganda traffic rules however you can do so if necessary.

Privacy: Preferring it private and only exhale fresh air that comes in either from the window seals of the hired car or from the air conditioned system with the rented car from any of the Car rental agencies. This is something most car rental agencies like Auto Rental Agencies have mastered, they have most acquired Air conditioned vehicles for your ease and drive.

Reckless Drivers and chauffeurs. Something avoidable are the accidents that  may  be caused  by reckless drivers who are either drunk or un-experienced on the road especially the long drives through the bumpy  will  not be guaranteed unless the car is a DMCs that will call  for  care full reading of the tips  to be given by your trusted rental car in Uganda.

Take your time and search the internet: While in Uganda,  There are so many car rental agencies to choose from in regards your self drive safari but the question lies on which legit company will provide the best and considerably affordable car. Beware of very catchy offers from some car rental agencies that may come up with extra costs on arrival like taxes and other services. Take your time

Carefulness: Self-drive agencies won’t be blamed by some one’s negligence and ignorance without careful considerations of the tips that should always be at customers’ fingertip which include;

Petrol palavers. It seems to be an obvious advice but normally forgotten by many  so it’s  the clients  responsibility to make sure the petrol or the diesel palavers are full tanks in order  to avoid  un necessary stoppages to places  distant refueling places

Pick the right ride .To feel the comfort and flexibility of the vehicle it’s always advised to choose the car that you are always familiar too. It might be an automated car or a manual car depending on your choice among the types of cars available at the site.

Keep stocked up. Most clients like to self-drive on high ways heading to up countries and disliking in the city due to traffic jam. The further they self- drive the are more likely  not to find shops that  really have their best choice so its advised to stock enough food staffs from the  urban centers and other first aid kits just for emergency.

Mobile roamers. Since most clients are normally Foreign Non-residents, it’s advised to buy sim packs that have network in most areas of Uganda especially rural areas so as to keep communication with the rental agencies’ office in cases of emergency.

Lastly stay on the right track. Always makes sure that are you are provided with the compass directions and maps showing the main and feeder roads to where you are heading. If you are stuck on the road always keep on the main surfaced government roads and you can call back the rental car agency if necessary so as to enjoy your self-drive safari.