Uganda is a fascinating country that we highly recommend visiting (see our Uganda itinerary for more information), but Uganda’s public transport network is not something which can be relied upon and the rules of the road are rather seen as guidelines, so driving yourself is not recommended. One of the first masterpieces of driving I witnessed was a chap on a motorbike driving into oncoming traffic on a dual carriageway which had a central reservation. Not sure what happened to him!

Private transfers can be organised extremely cheaply and are by far the best way to get around Uganda. Many of the tour providers will pick you up at your hotel in Kampala and Jinja and transfer you in 4x4s to the main National Parks, so that is all easily dealt with. We were picked up from our accommodation in a Toyota Land Cruiser which had been modified with a fold out canopy mounted to the roof designed to shade you from the sun while sitting on the roof watching the wildlife on safari. Brilliant.

The one thorn in your side which is unavoidable is the road infrastructure. Very few of the roads are properly metalled and the road surface is at time almost bone breaking. You won’t be catching much sleep on your transfer to one of the National Parks.

Outside of Kampala (where the traffic is awful) cars on the road might not be the kind of traffic causing hold ups. The roads are used by farmers to transport their livestock around and we got stuck behind this herd of cattle for a while.

If you’re a not a particularly risk averse traveller, the best way to get around inside Jinja itself is by Boda Boda, a motorbike with a driver who will chauffeur you from place to place for prices of less than 50 pence. This is by far the best ride hailing service I have ever used, with no need for an app, very short waiting times and prices that Uber would never even dream of competing with. There is always a Boda loitering at a street corner near you and all you need to do is whistle and one will arrive within the minute. Yes, no helmets are provided and you are sharing a bike with the driver (which can take some getting used to) so don’t get one unless you feel comfortable. Also there is no need to double up on a Boda, fitting two of you plus a driver is not worth the extra risk of dropping off the back of the bike vs spending an extra few shillings on another one. Most Bodas will require a brief period of haggling over price, but you will soon get a feel for how they price for the length of the journey.