A self-drive holiday is a journey whereby one hires a car and drives it themselves rather than hiring a professional driver. Rwanda is one of the perfect self-drive destinations that one can enjoy since they are able to explore the country’s many beautiful sights and probably national parks, game viewing enjoys adventures among others. Doing Rwanda self-drive is better for the people who enjoy the drive themselves, want privacy, lots of flexibility and want to travel to Rwanda on a budget basis.
Are you planning on hitting the road on self-drive? Having a ride on your own makes you enjoy and have a smooth trip all through since you will be in full control behind the wheel. However, having a self-drive trip in a foreign country is a bit challenging.
Below are some of the self-drive tips that will help you reach the unforgettable road trip that you are looking for in Rwanda.
Make sure the car is in a fine condition
Any good self-drive trip whether in Rwanda or around Africa needs a reliable and the right choice of the car to make sure that you enjoy all through. Do a quick inspection about the fluid levels, air filters, brake pads, wiper blades, lights, steering wheels, tires among others. It is always better to have a mechanic nearby in case you have any doubts about the vehicle that you have chosen for the road trip and let him find out what is not in a good condition other than finding out yourself when you go to unfamiliar areas, miles from any kind of help. Reliable mechanics are found in major towns.
Communicate
Keep in touch with the network of friends and family by communicating to them while you are on the road. Make sure that someone outside there knows about your road trip like your destination and planned dates so that they can check in if they do not hear from you again. Don’t forget to bring a Bluetooth headset with you since it is unsafe to receive or answer calls while your hands are on the steering wheel or maybe you can opt to use your phone’s voice assistant exclusively.
Pack emergency kits
Did you know that an emergency kit can save your road trip and perhaps even your life? Before you go, pack a kit of crucial emergencies like road flares, hand warmers, torches, jumper cables, warm clothes, phone chargers, rain gear and if possible, pack a fire extinguisher too. Keep the emergency kit in a waterproof bag and once it is there, you will have it when you need it the most, do not get disappointed once you complete the road trip without using any of the things that you had packed because prevention is better than cure an in any case you are already a victor.
Adjust the position
Make conscious effort to sit upright because slouching can make you drowsy. People often sit too far away from the steering wheel which is not good and safe. Actually, the legs should be bent so that you can exert strong pressure on the brake pedal in case of anything, allow your elbows to be slightly bent so that you can use all your strength to turn the wheel if necessary. Failing to adjust the posture can to some extent lead to traffic accidents hence making your self-drive trip a night mere.
Follow the rules and regulations while on the road.
If you stay within your boundaries of the law, I assure you that things will go easier on your self-drive trip. By driving while maintaining the speed limit, not running in red lights and generally obeying traffic laws, is rest assured that you will get all the fun of the road without the hassle and danger of the tickets issued by the traffic police.
the tip also applies to one of the most common broken laws of wearing the seat belt, this might sound cliché but trust me seatbelts really do save a lot of lives and you never know when an accident will occur ahead, once you put on your seat belt, it is pretty easy to forget that it is even there, this is a world renowned by a number of safety measures. Taking the appropriate safety precautions serious will make your self-drive trip even more fun while helping to ensure that everyone gets home safe and sound without any legal troubles.
Don’t drink and drive
In case you go out for drinks at night, make sure you pick a designated driver to get you back to your destination, or maybe you can park the car and ask the hotel driver to pick you up from the place where you will be enjoying from. There is nothing good about driving while you are drunk, or driving while drinking alcohol, it is definitely a bad idea that you should not even think about doing because you we really want you safe and sound without any legal destructions.
Either way don’t get on the road before you recover claiming that you just have a hung over because history has it that hangover is not a better idea either, getting onto the road when you are fully sober and alert is the only way to do it safely. Being caught while drunk, it might result into unplanned things like affecting your wallet or maybe imprisonment.
Parking lanes.
Make sure that you endeavor parking in the safe places while in Kigali and elsewhere in the outskirts of the city itself. You should always remember to pay for your parking tickets issued to you according to the time that you have parked and if unpaid, you might end up paying a heavy fine.
Have extra cash around you.
We very well know that you have planned for the self-drive journey in Rwanda and that you have maintained a minimum balance in your pockets, but here we are advising you to keep some extra cash around you in order to cater for what you have not planned. Don’t lean by your shopping card because they might not apply in some parts of Rwanda since some of the major supermarkets are found in urban centers while others in the scarce locations. Keep the extra money not only for shopping the surplus but also paying expenses like parking fees and fuel costs.
