Travel Planner

Planning to take a safari in Uganda. Here is all the information you need to get started with planning a tour to Uganda.

Before Coming to Uganda

It is important to make adequate preparation and ensure that your relatives, friends or your next of kin get to know exactly which places to tour. Information your close relatives, friends, and so on for easy trekking – let them know when? And where? Details about your safari.

Documents: Make two photocopies of your passport – the identity page, and if relevant, any visas you need. If it gets stolen then a photocopy is often good enough to prove who you are to get an emergency replacement. Leave one copy at home, and take another with you. If you have a driving license takes this also, as it can be considered evidence of identity if your passport goes missing.

Mobile phones: get your phone unlocked – that’s network unlocked – so any SIM card in the world will work in it. Buy a local SIM card when you get there – they are usually pay as you go, and cost about £10. Then SMS your family back home to give them your number there. They can use a cheap international call service to get hold of you if necessary. Get the emergency number for your local embassy or consulate on the phone so you can call your country representatives if necessary.

Passports & Visas: It is essential to ensure you have the right paperwork in place before flying to Africa. Generally all passports need to have a number of blank pages available while visa specifications differ depending on nationality and destination. Note that visa regulations can sometimes change without much warning. We recommend contacting the relevant authorities in good time or simply chat to your African Safari Expert before you go – they’ll have all the answers.

Quick Information

Getting Here

Getting Around

Where to Stay

Accommodation

STAYING  HEALTHY

For  up  to  date  information  on  the  latest  health  and  vaccination  recommendations , please  consult  with a  qualified  health  professional  at least   6 weeks  before  your  intended  departure . Anti-malarial  medication  is  strongly  recommended  for  all  visitors  in  Uganda.

If  you  are  arriving ( or  planning  to  re-enter ) from  a  country  where  yellow  fever  is  endemic, then  you  are  required  to  have  a  yellow  fever  vaccination. This  vaccination  is  also  recommended  if  you  are  traveling  outside  of  urban  areas. It  is  recommended  that  all  international  travellers  ensure  that  their  tetanus, Hepatitis  A, and  polio  vaccines  are  up-to-date. Do  not  drink ( or  brush  your  teeth  with ) the  tap  water.

Immunizations

While it is your choice of which immunizations to take, be aware that a certificate proving yellow fever immunization is required for entry into many sub-Saharan African nations, and may be required if you plan to travel elsewhere from Africa (i.e. home!). Check with your local physician or travel medical clinic at least two months before departure.

First Aid Kit

An African adventure first aid kit needs to be a bit more advanced than a regular one. In addition to all the standard health care items, make sure to bring a course of antibiotics that will help with stomach ailments, extra anti-malarial medication, sterile latex gloves, a sterile syringe and needle, and condoms. Remember that AIDS is spreading throughout Africa like wildfire. Don’t take chances with your health.

MONEY

The  Ugandan  shilling  is  issued  in  denominations  of  1000, 5000, 10000, 20000 and 50000  shillings  for  notes, while  coins  are  issued  in  denominations  of  10, 50, 100, 200, and  500  shillings. The  local  currency  can  be  obtained  at  authorized  facilities  ( such  as  banks  and  foreign  exchange  bureaus ) foreign  currency  can  also  be  changed  at  the  airport  on  arrival. Many  establishments  will only  change  USD  issued  after  the  year  2000.  Be  aware  that  only  paper  currency  will  normally  be  accepted  for  exchange.

In Uganda, credit  card  use  is  usually  restricted  to  major  banks  and  hotels, most  shops  will  not  accept  other  methods  of  payment  other  than  cash.  In most areas, the accepted carsd include Visa, MasterCard, Amex  and  JCB  credit  cards. Travellers  cheques  are  not  widely  accepted  outside  of  Kampala.

Western Union offices are all over the place in Africa. It’s a growth industry. So if you need money in a hurry, you can get someone in your home country to send it to you. They can SMS the details to you on your local phone number, but you’ll need some ID to pick it up, and they may ask you a test question (“What’s your dog called?”, for example).

BAGGAGE  RESTRICTIONS

Maximum  of  15kg/ 33Ibs  of  luggage  per  person  in  soft-sided  bags  are  allowed   for  light  aircraft  flights, including  hand  luggage  and  camera  equipment . It  is  highly  recommended  that  checked  luggage  is  locked. Please  do  not  pack  valuable  items  in  checked  luggage.

SECURITY

Police: If you get into trouble with the police then stay calm. Sadly, a lot of police officers are very poorly paid and only too happy to take a bribe. If you’ve been really criminal then you are certainly in trouble so insist on your right to see your ambassador or consul. If it’s something petty or something you’ve just been accused of for the hell of it, it will almost certainly be easier to pay whatever is needed to have the matter buried. For example, in a lot of African countries homosexuality is illegal. Information such as this is held in country reports that we discussed earlier.