Uganda by 4×4: The Road Trip That Exceeded Ania & Daniel’s Expectations

Trip overview

Ania & Daniel returned from Uganda still trying to take in everything they had experienced. Travelling across the country in a Suzuki Jimny 4×4, they found extraordinary wildlife, changing landscapes and a closeness to everyday life that they had not expected.

The two-week trip was a collaboration with Uganda Nomads, a Travel Base concept. The package supplied the rental car, accommodation, route, roadbook and some activities, while leaving them free to explore independently. An app provided daily guidance, suggested stops and contact with the team and other travellers.

They chose the lodge option rather than a rooftop tent. With the tent removed, their Jimny had a roof hatch—one of their favourite features when looking for wildlife on safari.

Elephants were among the highlights of their Uganda road trip. · Photo by Taylor Lee on Unsplash

Route & itinerary

After arriving and spending their first night at an accommodation, they collected the Jimny and began the road trip.

• Kampala and a community-based eco-village: They drove through the capital, then stopped for a hands-on coffee experience and a traditional meal cooked over a fire.
• Jinja: Kayaking on the Nile, exploring the town and walking through its market made this an engaging first stop.
• Murchison Falls National Park: They combined self-drive safaris with a boat trip towards the waterfall.
• Hoima and Kibale: A meal and a walk in Hoima broke up the journey to their chimpanzee-tracking base.
• Queen Elizabeth National Park: They explored by car, spotted lions in trees and took a boat trip on the Kazinga Channel.
• Gorilla tracking: Their next stop brought a guided rainforest trek and an hour with a gorilla family. The park’s name is not mentioned in the video.
• Lake Bunyonyi: A lakeside stay offered time to slow down after the wildlife encounters.
• Lake Mburo National Park: They finished with another park visit and a separately booked horse safari before returning the car in Kampala.

The Rwenzori Mountains were not part of their route. They explain that adding this hiking region would require extra time.

Highlights

The Nile made Uganda feel real. Kayaking near Jinja, with monkeys nearby and colourful birds around them, gave Ania & Daniel their first strong sense of having arrived. Later, the boat trip towards Murchison Falls became as much a wildlife excursion as a waterfall visit, with hippos, crocodiles and bathing elephants along the way.

Kibale’s chimpanzees exceeded their expectations. After roughly 30–45 minutes of walking, they reached the animals and spent an hour watching them. Guides kept visitors from getting too close and helped everyone find a view.

Queen Elizabeth delivered memorable safari moments. They saw tree-climbing lions in the northern part of the park, not only in the sector they had read about. Sunrise drives and a wildlife-filled boat trip on the Kazinga Channel were further highlights.

The gorilla encounter was the emotional peak. Their group reached the family after about two hours, including a wait while trackers located the animals. A youngster arrived on a vine that broke, a silverback sat in the vegetation, and a tiny baby clung on nearby. Despite their earlier nerves, they describe the hour with the family as remarkably peaceful.

At Lake Mburo, riding past zebras and wild pigs on a horse safari provided a very different final wildlife experience.

Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale was one of their biggest highlights. · Photo by Dmitrii Zhodzishskii on Unsplash

Practical tips

• Book tracking permits early: They arranged permits in February for their June trip, when the remaining gorilla availability for their travel period was already limited. Check the assigned gorilla sector, too: theirs required a 45-minute drive from the lodge.
• Prepare for different trekking conditions: They found chimpanzee tracking relatively level, while the gorilla trek involved dense vegetation, mud and mountainous terrain. They brought gaiters and gardening gloves for the latter and followed the guides’ instructions.
• Consider the dry seasons: They recommend June–September or December–February for better driving and trekking conditions, while noting that rain remains possible.
• Expect left-hand traffic and mixed roads: Asphalt alternated with gravel, potholes and village roads. Kampala was much busier than most of their route. They used four-wheel drive only a few times, but it proved useful when they became stuck.
• Do not rely on Google Maps alone: They compared it with the operator’s route and downloaded Maps.me for offline park tracks. Their own detour beside Lake Bunyonyi was narrow and required four-wheel drive in places; they would not have wanted to attempt it in wet conditions.
• Watch park-entry timings: They explain that national-park permits run for 24 hours from entry, making arrival time worth planning.
• Stay connected: Their MTN SIM worked well, including at some lodges where other travellers’ Airtel service did not. Lodge Wi-Fi was generally limited to communal areas.
• Carry cash and a card: Some parks required card payments, while fuel, street food and tips could require cash. Some lodges added a card surcharge.

For German passport holders, they describe applying online for a visa and bringing a printed approval letter. They also mention an official yellow-fever vaccination requirement and say malaria prophylaxis is generally recommended. Their personal decision not to take prophylaxis is explicitly not presented as a recommendation.

They felt comfortable walking around towns and stopping in villages, but this was their experience rather than a guarantee of safety. Their rental contact warned against holding a phone outside the car in Kampala. At lodges near wildlife, they learned to take staff escorts after dark seriously.

Uganda’s driving days mixed paved roads, gravel tracks and village scenery. · Photo by b40deep on Unsplash

Where they stayed

No accommodation names are mentioned in the video. Their lodge package included a mix of guesthouse-style stays, lodges and tented accommodation rather than one uniform level of luxury.

• Jinja: Their accommodation was surrounded by greenery, monkeys and a lively natural soundtrack.
• Murchison Falls stop: They stayed in a tented lodge with a pool. Staff alerted them when an elephant appeared nearby and explained how much distance to keep.
• Kibale: A welcoming lodge about five minutes from the park entrance served garden-grown avocados and papayas at breakfast. A staff member introduced them to the family story behind the property.
• Queen Elizabeth stop: Their accommodation was beside the park. A hippo appeared nearby at night, and staff escorted guests between their rooms and the dining area in darkness.
• Gorilla-tracking stop: Both their room and the restaurant looked out towards the rainforest. The lodge supplied packed lunches for the trek.
• Lake Bunyonyi: A large lodge with lake views gave them space to unwind.
• Lake Mburo stop: Their rustic accommodation had wooden communal areas overlooking the park, while their tent included an outdoor shower and toilet.

Where they ate

Ania & Daniel ate mostly at their lodges, partly because they were also working during the trip. Lunch and dinner generally followed a starter, main course and dessert format, with the option to order fewer courses. They consistently enjoyed the food.

They also shared a traditional meal cooked over a fire at the community-based eco-village and stopped at an app-recommended restaurant in Hoima. Neither venue is named in the video.

Among the foods they discuss are rolex, a chapati rolled around an omelette, and vegetarian curries, which they ate frequently. They also enjoyed matoke, a mashed banana dish, although they found it less often on lodge menus than they had expected.

The operator’s food suggestions were useful on driving days: they felt they might otherwise have passed some stops without noticing them.

Costs

The transcript does not provide a complete package price or trip total. Several spending totals were shown on screen rather than spoken, so they cannot be reconstructed here.

• Chimpanzee tracking: US$250 per person.
• Gorilla tracking: The creators quote 800 per person but switch between dollars and euros in the narration, leaving the currency inconsistent.
• Lodge meals: Usually US$10–15 per person, sometimes more. Breakfast was included in their lodge package; lunch and dinner were not.
• Cheaper food examples: They mention a €6 main course in a national park and rolex costing roughly €1–1.50, depending on the filling.
• Card payments: Some lodges added a 1–2% surcharge.
• Cash withdrawals: They report paying about €2 per withdrawal at the bank they used.

The Murchison Falls and Kazinga Channel boat trips were included in their package. Chimpanzee tracking, gorilla tracking and their independently arranged horse safari were additional activities. They do not state the horse-safari price.

They estimate they could have saved around €100 each by choosing simpler lunches outside the lodges. Flights were excluded from their cost breakdown.

Our takeaway

For Ania & Daniel, Uganda was much more than a journey to see gorillas. The town walks, community coffee experience, wildlife-filled waterways and changing scenery between stops all contributed to a trip that exceeded their expectations.

The combination of a prearranged route and independent driving suited them especially well. They valued having accommodation and support in place while retaining the freedom to stop, explore and add an activity such as the final horse safari.

Their enthusiasm comes through most clearly in the wildlife encounters: an elephant beside the lodge, chimpanzees overhead and a peaceful hour with a gorilla family. Together, those moments made the entire journey feel like one long highlight.