Self Driving Uganda – Why You Need a Local Phone Number

While on a Self Drive in Uganda, it is vital to have a local phone number that you can simply purchase in the shops or service centres in major towns around the country. There is a wide range of networks to choose from that is MTN, Airtel, Orange, Vodafone, Uganda Telephone, and most recently Smart Telecom. There is wide network range coverage for MTN, Airtel and Uganda Telecom although most people have a preference of Airtel for easy communication followed by MTN. Most importantly is even when you cross the border to Rwanda, the same sim cards will work there although if you require to communicate easily with the local Rwanda people, a Rwanda sim card would be the best option. Purchasing a local sim card should not cost you more than 5,000 Uganda shillings.

A local phone number has far much more advantages as opposed to your international number while on a self drive in Uganda safari. Most of the roads in the country are not really that tarmac especially if you get off the usual highways and it is very easy to communicate with a local phone number to ask any body or your car rental agency for say help with regards to directions with much ease because they can always call you back to find out where you are or how best to get from point A to point B.

Because of the nature of the roads very often it is easy to get a mechanical problem with your rental car of which it is no guarantee but just in case it happens to you, it is very easy and efficient to communicate using your local phone number to your car rental company and they can easily walk you through what to do and how best to go about your issue than having an international number which can take a lot of money to communicate and with less airtime. It is very easy to communicate to a mechanic nearby and also with your rental company for a quick fix of the problem which actually might not be that big a problem.

Not only is it easy to communicate with your car rental agency but also with some other suppliers with in the country at a much more cost effective rate. Remember no body wants to spend much more while on holiday so a local phone number is an automatic saving scheme especially on calls within the country. There are cheaper cell phones in the country too that you can buy at about 30,000 Uganda shillings to serve the purpose while on your holiday. Most notable brands for cheaper cell phones include; Techno and Itel. For instance it is very cheap to book a boat trip in Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth or Lake Mburo National Parks using your local phone number or liaise with a Ranger in case you are going for a Gorilla Trek in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda.

There are very many things that can move smoothly with easy communication and easy communication is a very important aspect for a success of your safari holiday. When there is an international number involved, your local rental company may not easily communicate the changes in say weather at different areas on your safari trail because of the expense involved in communication. Also some times lodges require phone numbers for the guests before they get to the lodge so as to prepare in advance what you would wish to have, say if you need dinner at the lodge or not, it is easy for the lodge to call you using your local phone number as opposed to an international number some time of which the staff at the different lodges may not have the knowledge of how to dial. Unless you are going to have a guided tour, then your safari guide will have a local phone number to easily communicate but for a self drive safari, I would urge you to endeavor and get a local phone number upon arrival either at the airport or any major town in the country. You can as well talk to your local safari operator to purchase the sim card for your and upon arrival you get it as the car is handed over to you. By so doing, I guarantee you will have a wonderful experience on your safari.