Road notes from East Africa
Permits, park fees, seasons and road conditions for driving yourself through Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda.
Kampala to Fort Portal Drive: Road Guide for Self-Drive Visitors
The Kampala to Fort Portal road is one of Uganda's great scenic drives — 300 km of largely excellent tarmac that passes through the Rift Valley escarpment,…
Uganda Self-Drive in Rainy Season: What You Need to Know
Uganda's rainy seasons — the long rains from March to May and the short rains in October and November — are not the catastrophic driving conditions some…
Queen Elizabeth National Park Game Drive Guide: The Best Circuits
Queen Elizabeth National Park covers 1,978 square kilometres and divides roughly into three distinct zones, each offering a different wildlife experience. The…
Uganda Chimpanzee Trekking by Self-Drive: Kibale, Budongo and Kyambura
Uganda offers chimpanzee trekking at three separate locations, each with a distinct character, different success rates, and different logistics for self-drive…
Uganda's Shoebill Stork: Where to Find It on a Self-Drive Safari
The shoebill is the single most sought-after bird sighting in Uganda for serious birders and a remarkable experience even for non-birders. It is an enormous,…
Driving from Kampala to Queen Elizabeth National Park: Routes and Road Conditions
Queen Elizabeth National Park is 305 km southwest of Kampala — Uganda's most popular self-drive wildlife destination and the most accessible of the country's…
Self-Drive to Lake Mburo National Park: Uganda's Easiest Safari Day Trip
Lake Mburo National Park is the smallest of Uganda's national parks — 370 square kilometres — and the most accessible from Kampala, sitting just 240 km…
Uganda Gorilla Permits: How to Book, What to Expect, and How to Plan Around Them
The gorilla trekking permit is the most important booking you will make for a Uganda safari, and the most common source of planning mistakes. It must be…
Murchison Falls National Park Wildlife Guide: What to See and When
Murchison Falls National Park is Uganda's most biodiverse national park and the country's largest, at 3,893 square kilometres. The Nile River divides it…
Driving from Kampala to Murchison Falls: The Complete Route Guide
Murchison Falls National Park sits 305 km north of Kampala — a distance that sounds manageable until you factor in Uganda's road realities, the Paraa ferry…