Gorilla trekking has been and still is the face of Rwanda safaris. But like many jungle activities, they are often found quite a distance away from the capital. In the case of Rwanda, the country is not very big and therefore what would have ended up being a very long distance is minimized by the fact that the country is not very big.
There are several ways to get to Volcanoes National Park, but the most convenient one is self-driving. This gives you an opportunity to travel at your own pace and drive at a speed you are comfortable with. It is common to have a professional driver who, by reason of their character, tends to drive above the speed limit. If you wish to take full control of your driving experience, then a self-drive option is the most recommended.
But in case you intend to self drive in Rwanda, you might be wondering where to begin from. The easiest option is doing a google search using terms such as, “self drive Rwanda” or simply “rent a car in Rwanda”. Google will give you a number of options to begin with.
Once you have identified the service providers, you might need to have the following information ready to ensure that your reservation moves on smoothly.
Confirm Your Travel Dates
The travel dates will help the car rental agency to confirm whether they have cars available for self-drive or not. Making reservations without confirming the actual dates could lead to overbooking
Make Up Your Mind On How Much You Intend To Spend On Transport
It is not enough to simply get in touch with a car rental agency. You must first make up your mind on how much you are willing to spend on transport. This will guide on what type of car to hire. With this, you will look into the hire cost per day. But on top of this, you ought to look into the fuel consumption per mileage. It is possible to get a cheaper car but end up spending a fortune on fuel.
Consider the Trunk capacity of the car
Before you confirm any car rental reservation, consider the seating capacity of the car as well as the trunk space of the car. In case you are traveling in a group of more than 3 people, you do not simply need a car that car seat your desired number of people but also a car that has enough luggage space for all passengers.
Find out about the pick up and drop off policy
Some car rental agencies offer free pick up and drop off in Kigali while other will charge you either for the driver who will deliver the car and the fuel while in other instances you will be charged for both. Therefore before confirming any car rental reservation, you need to ask about the pick up and drop off policy.
Inquire About Extra driver fees
Sometimes there are extra fees for extra drivers while in other instances, you can have as many drivers as possible as long as they all feature on the contract. When hiring a low mileage car, chances are high that you will be charged per mileage and extra driver. Therefore it would be wise to ascertain all this before confirming your car rental reservation.
Driving Time From Kigali To Volcanoes National Park
It takes two and half hours to drive from Kigali to Volcanoes National Park. However though this is the standard time, as a person on a self drive trip, it is wise to give yourself an allowance of an extra hour to make a provision for just in case making a wrong turn. The standard time for someone leaving Kigali to Volcanoes National Park on self drive basis should be three hours and a half.
In conclusion, if you intend to self drive to Volcanoes national park, ensure that you confirm your travel dates, secure a car in Rwanda and then set off early enough to make provision for any unforeseen delays.