Tips For a memorable Family Camping Experience In Uganda
Experiencing the ‘Pearl of Africa‘, Uganda, for the first time is something every adventurous family should do. Exploring unique places like the source of the world’s second longest river an touring the outstanding cultural places can be quite a memorable experience. But what a more exciting one awaits you with your family outside the permanent structured accommodations (hotels and lodges) during a family vacation in Uganda’s top safari parks. A family camping experience in Uganda is a great opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors of the country’s wilderness.
Most of the country’s national parks landscape such Queen Elizabeth, Murchison Falls, Lake Mburo, Kidepo Valley among others are associated with flat, valleys, rugged & mountain landscapes to can give your family the perfect holiday memory that will last them a lifetime.
Planning your trip
Bringing your whole family to Uganda for a holiday trip can be quite tricky especially when you’re working under a budget. This means looking for various means to shave off the expenses. From airline tickets to where to visit, how to go, which activities to do, where to stay, how to stay etc, you need to plan the trip in advance to make sure you stay within the budget.
The early planning will also help you find a good campsite and will give you some time to book or reserve camp accommodations if needed. Your best resort when it comes to planning is by asking for tips and advice from those who have tried such experience or contact a reliable travel agency that you find on the internet in case you do not know anyone who has done it before.
Selecting a campsite
Uganda offers a number of travel agencies that you can trust with making your travel arrangements within the country smooth with ease. These can be contacted online and all arrangements and agreements ca be reached online through mail or phone call conversations with the company’s professional travel advisor. This travel assistant can advise you on a number of things depending on how you would like your travel itinerary, booking for you a Car Rental Service, dining, paying for safari park fees as well as booking for you the best camping gear at a fair price, probably between $5 – $10 per day. Flying with your camping gear may be a bit more expensive.
In seasons such as from June to October and December to March, some campsites in Uganda especially the more popular do require advance bookings so that you are not limited to the camping state in the site, though it rarely happens.
Probably the best way to come about selecting a campsite is to decide on what you would like to see or do. For instance, if you would like to see or track mountain gorillas, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park or Mgahinga National park would be a good spot for you. If it is other wildlife such as lions, elephants, buffaloes, antelopes among others, Lake Mburo, Queen Elizabeth and Murchison would be the best.
After you determine where to go, it would be not the best time to finalize the best time to actually fly to Uganda and enjoy a holiday of camping. Since this is a family trip, it would be best to arrive at a family consensus so the experience becomes more worthwhile and memorable. You don’t want any bickering happening during your vacation so before you set out make sure everyone is happy with the selected place.
Budget Reminders
If camping is part of your travel agenda, you must pack the essentials on your luggage beforehand. This way, when you arrive at the campsite, you no longer need to buy things like toothbrush, scissors, can opener, sun block creams and other things that are easy to carry and are also essential during camping.
Must find items in your Camping gear
Whether you carried your camping gear or booked it with an agency. There are some items that shouldn’t miss on your gear and these might include;
– A tent to serve as your protection against the heat, rain and any occurrences that the weather may bring. Remember it isn’t that easy to predict Uganda’s whether. Not only just check for your tents but also make sure the stakes are with you to make sure that you will be able to make it stand strong during your stay.
– A sleeping bag to give you a comfortable and good rest whenever you are trying to get one. Here you can also carry a headrest, probably an inflatable pillows or you can improvise with folded towels or shirts for this purpose.
– Cooking gas to use for boiling your food, fold-able tables & chairs, cutlery, eating and laundry utensils, a cooler box to preserve your perishable eatables among others.
NOTE:
Some visitors now opt for a small electrical refrigerator that can be powered by the vehicle they are going to use itself though this might come at an additional cost of not more than $6 per day.
You already have your camping gear? It’s time to set out for your vacation. A family camping experience in Uganda is something that you can tell stories of to your grandchildren. It is definitely a great and unique experience. It is a good vacation trip and it is certain, with proper planning, your whole family will enjoy.
