East Africa represents Africa’s beauty with a wide number of untamed wildlife reserves that attract many tourists all over the world. In Uganda and Rwanda, we find the only world’s last remaining population of the critically endangered mountain gorillas, inhabited in Volcanoes National Park (Rwanda), Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, and Mgahinga National park in Uganda.
Kenya and Tanzania are famous for the wildebeest migration that attracts thousands of Visitors into Masai Mara National Park in Kenya and Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.
A self-drive trip means that you will be in charge of driving your own throughout the entire tour. Some tourists prefer self-drive to the chauffeur safaris simply because you decide everything on your own even in the wild, you decide where to stop for pictures and what time to leave there. This freedom and independence are loved by many tourists.
The best 4×4 car hire options for self-drive in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, and Tanzania are the Toyota Land Cruiser (Prado or Hardtop), 4×4 Toyota Rav4, Toyota Hiace, or super custom for families, and Toyota Hilux Dual Cab. These cars have a great track record and are the most capable and enduring for a 4×4 self-drive in the wild and explore all the hidden treasures of East Africa in a self-guided self-drive adventure.
Here are some of the East African Countries and their hidden treasures that you can experience on a road trip through East Africa:
Tanzania
A self-drive safari through Tanzania offers the chance to discover the stunning sceneries, many animals and cultures of Tanzania on your own. Tanzania is a huge country and can take days to drive from one end to the other so allow plenty of time. Game parks are what Tanzania is most famous are;
ARUSHA NATIONAL PARK
If you are looking for one of the most spectacular national parks in Africa that rewards visitors with memorable experiences then look no further than Arusha National Park. This park covers an area of about 137 square kilometers making it one of the smallest national parks in Tanzania and also a few most and easiest accessible Tanzanian National Wildlife Park.
Arusha National Park is mostly visitors for game drives, walking tours, canoe tours in Momela Lake within the park that make up a series of 7 shallow Lakes.
SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
Best described as an area of endless plains, the Serengeti National Park covers an area of about 14.763 square kilometers making it one of the most extensive protected areas in Tanzania. Serengeti National Park is situated in the north and shares its northern border with the Kenyan Maasai Mara Game Reserve and its southern boundary with the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
The Serengeti is probably the most rewarding game park in Tanzania. However, it’s also a park best enjoyed when you’ve prepared well in advance. The Serengeti National Park is a haven of wildlife and if you are lucky you won’t have to travel far to spot a plethora of games with a large concentration of animals near the area of Seronera which is also home to a number of public campsites.
You can easily get a vehicle from Car Rental Tanzania and get to explore the neighboring parks of Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, and Tarangire National Park.
Uganda
Explore Uganda on your own! A self-drive safari in Uganda is a fantastic way to experience Uganda in freedom and flexibility. Uganda has ten national parks but we shall look at three popular ones that give travelers a whole new experience while on a self-drive safari.
MURCHISON FALLS NATIONAL PARK
Murchison falls national park is Uganda’s largest and most visited national park in Uganda with its famously known strong waterfalls. Murchison Falls National Park at 3840km2 is the largest park in Uganda and is named after the Murchison falls where the mighty river Nile is forced through a narrow gorge of 7m into the ‘Devils Cauldron’ creating an ever-present rainbow.
Samuel Baker the explorer considered the Murchison falls as “the most important object of the entire course of the river” named the waterfall in 1864. The park is only 4 hours away from Kampala the capital and with all the attractions is a perfect destination for an exciting Uganda safari. The habitats range from the forest, savanna, riverine woodland, Borassus palms, and several acacia trees.
BWINDI FOREST AND MGAHINGA NATIONAL PARK
Gorilla trekking is mainly done in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
Bwindi National Park is the habitat of more than half of the world’s population of Mountain Gorillas, actually, there are over 300 mountain gorillas living here.
Gorilla devotees for Uganda tour from different corners of the world to enjoy this marvelous safari in Uganda.
Mountain Gorilla tours/tracking are done in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, where the word “Bwindi” means “darkness” and taking a hike to this magnificent forest will certainly unveil to you the reason why the forest was named so.
Mgahinga Gorilla NP is the smallest park in Uganda covering an area of 33.7km2. It is located in the southwestern tip of Uganda in the Kisoro district.
The park adjoins Rwanda’s Volcano national park and the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga national parks and is part of the Virunga conservation area. The park takes its name from “Gahinga” the local word for piles of volcanic stones cleared from farmlands.
Other Ugandan parks that are worth exploring include Kidepo Valley National Park, Semuliki National Park, Pian Upe Game Reserve, Kibale Forest National Park, and the Rwenzori Mountains National Park.
Kenya
Kenya is an extraordinary country for a self-drive safari and wildlife viewing boasting over 50 National Parks and Reserves. Self-drive Kenya allows you to explore Kenya on a self-drive at your own pace.
MASAAI MARA NATIONAL PARK
Maasai Mara national park is a large game reserve in Narok Country Kenya, adjoining with the Serengeti National park in the Mara region in Tanzania. It was named in honor of the Maasai people and their description of the area when looked at from afar.
Mara is a word that means Maa in the Masai language for the spotted which is an apt description for the circles of trees, Savannah, scrub, and the cloud shadows that mark the area.
There are large numbers of the migrating wildebeest, there are also the topis, zebras, and the Thomson’s gazelle that migrate into and then occupy the Mara reserve, from the Serengeti Plains to the south and Loita plains within the pastoral ranches to the northeast from July to October or later.
The reserve is also a fraction of the Greater Mara Ecosystem, which includes the following group of ranches: Koiyaki, Lemek, Olkinyei, Siana, Maji Moto, Naikara, Ol Derkesi, Kerinkani, Oloirien, and Kimintet.
NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK
Nairobi NP is situated just 7 miles from the center of Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi National Park is a pretty special phenomenon. Where else can you view critically endangered rhinos against a backdrop of downtown skyscrapers, or spot giraffes from your window seat as you land at the city’s international airport?
Despite its proximity to the city and its relatively small size, it boasts a large and varied wildlife population and is one of Kenya’s most successful rhinoceros sanctuaries, with over 400 bird species more than 100 mammal species with a spectacular wildebeest and zebra migration. Other attractions in the park are the Elephant orphanage, Giraffe Center, and Bomas of Kenya.
Other national parks to explore in Kenya are Tsavo East &West National Park, Amboseli National Park, Lake Nakuru National Park, and Hell’s Gate National Park in Kenya.
Rwanda
Exploring Rwanda is the most gorgeous thing if you want to have the best of a self-drive safari in Rwanda. Here are the best places to explore in Rwanda;
VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK
The Volcanoes National Park is a national park in northwestern Rwanda. It covers 160 km2 (62 sq mi) of rainforest and encompasses five of the eight volcanoes in the Virunga Mountains, namely Karisimbi, Bisoke, Muhabura, Gahinga, and Sabyinyo.
It borders Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda. It is home to the mountain gorilla and the golden monkey and was the base for the primatologist Dian Fossey.
Gorilla trekking is a must-do activity while on a safari in Rwanda. You can easily drive to the Rwandan Volcanoes and have a meet-up with the great apes in their natural home.
You can plan a self-drive that combines the Volcanoes National Park with game drives in Akagera National Park and the wild chimpanzees in Nyungwe Forest.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the above parks are the most thought-after parks for travelers on East Africa Self-Drive. However, many other parks can be included in your travel itinerary such as Kidepo Valley National Park, Pian Upe Game Reserve in Uganda, Lake Manyara National Park, Ngorongoro National Park, Katavi National Park, Ruaha National Park in Tanzania.
Due to the reliability of car hire providers, you can easily plan a self-drive in East Africa than it was in the past when it was discouraged in most safari guides and travel books.