Self Drive Uganda
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2011)
- Member Of:
- Association of Uganda Tour Operators
- Tour Types:
- Self-drive camping tours (Budget)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $40 to $500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
US
Email Kevin | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Two different negative experiences: (1) vehicle and driver did not show up and (2) we missed flight
I would NOT RECOMMEND Self Drive Uganda based on two separate experiences that were both costly and unpleasant.
(1) Upon arrival, there was no driver or vehicle to pick me up. This occurred despite extensive conversation and confirmation with the company beforehand. This put me in a pickle for my gorilla trek the following morning, which I could not reschedule. I ended up hiring a taxi driver for $200+. Self Drive Uganda eventually sent a driver, charging me for the tank of gas to come meet me. They never provided an apology or acknowledgement of their error.
(2) About one year later, I returned for another gorilla trek. The drive was quoted at 5-6 hours long, which was consistent with Google Maps and my previous experience. Despite having packed lunches and my family saying “we are fine,” our driver suggested that we stop for a “quick lunch” while he allegedly patched the spare tire. He stated that he would be “back in 20 minutes” given that we had “plenty of time before our flight.” He returned 1hr 20min later. We proceeded to hit rush hour traffic at the border crossing and then again in downtown Kigali. From start to finish, it took us 10 hours (9:15am to 7:15pm) to get to the airport, in comparison to the 5-6 hours quoted. We missed our flight by 30mins, which caused us to forfeit $700+ in previously booked flights, and then we had to purchase new tickets at $1,275. I am suspicious that our driver went and saw his wife and child as our lunch break also happened to be in the town where he lived. Once again, there was no apology or acknowledgement offered by management. Instead, management berated me over email for allegedly shorting them $15 in payment (which was their mistake). For context, the $15 “issue” was literally 1% of the added (and unnecessary) financial setback that Self Drive Uganda caused me. It was a mistake to stop for lunch, we were lied to, and the driver grossly underestimated how long the drive back could take at this time of day, knowing that we had a flight to catch.
I gave two stars because (1) the trip went well otherwise, (2) the vehicles were reliable, and (3) the driver was polite.
I deducted three stars because (1) no driver or vehicle there at pickup, (2) driver’s poor decision-making cost us $1300 in missed flight expenses plus new hotel expenses, and (3) a consistent unwillingness to provide an apology for company errors, that to me are both inexcusable.