Travelling around Rwanda from one place to another has become easy ever since the
emergency of self-drive car rental services. However, selecting the right vehicle for self drive Rwanda is a task, you have to be keen on.

It is not a walk in the park, you have to be careful and also seek some advice from experienced travellers and the internet to make the right decision. Selecting the right vehicle is fundamental to having a successful self-drive trip in Rwanda. Remember, the rental car is the means of transport that leads you to the various tourist destinations to visit. How can you have an exciting and wonderful tour if you have had a bad day along the way?

Therefore, the 4 tips to select a vehicle for a self-drive in Rwanda are about to list below
are the right call for travellers who wish to take on a self-guided trip to the land of a
thousand hills.

Outline your needs

When planning any trip, there are certain objectives you wish to attain during and after the
experience. it is very important to know the purpose of your trip is it a business tour, a group trip, a dual tour or sole travel? All those kinds of travel ventures call for different vehicles to hire. For instance, a safari van is perfect for a group tour and a Toyota Land Cruiser V8 is great for a business engagement. For couple or sole travel, a Toyota rav4 and land cruiser Prado TX are sufficient for self-drive travel. By defining your needs, you will also know which kind of vehicle suits your budget.

Know the size of the vehicle

The size of the vehicle you wish to travel by during your self-drive Rwanda is very important. Some of you, travellers feel comfortable moving with a big large vehicle on a holiday as you wish to have most of the utilities or items you use in your daily life. In that case, you will look at the size of the vehicle and a spacious car with a big trunk will suit your self drive Rwanda. We would advise you to hire a sport utility vehicle like a land cruiser. The size of the vehicle also comes into play because of the different tastes and preferences of clients. Certain clients enjoy driving compact vehicles while others are

Comfortable with big cars.

Find out the price of the rental vehicle We are all price-sensitive and the price is the main factor why we settle for something and leave out others. Try as much as possible to find out the price of the vehicle you wish to hire for a self-drive Rwanda. Book a vehicle that fits into your travel budget. Don’t be hesitant to request for discount on the rental package. Negotiate with the rental operator until you find the right price to hire a vehicle.

Read and Understand the terms and conditions Before you put pen to paper to reserve a rental vehicle with an operator, first read the terms and conditions of renting a car. Cross every t put a dot on every i and ask in case you have not understood a certain clause because once you violate any clause in the contract, you will have to pay a premium fee.

Know The Insurance Cover of the rental car

Look at the insurance policy of the rental car you are willing to hire. Ensure that the cover is comprehensive consisting of a third party, collision damage and theft.

One of the important aspects that sometimes are forgotten are the Rwanda car pick and drop policy. Check out our article on Rwanda pick up and drop off.

Self-drive car hire in Rwanda might be the new dawn in town but still, chauffeurs run the show. They are so rewarding on so many occasions be it, safari tours, business
conferences, political engagements, sports events, airport transfers, and dinner dating. The
rental cars driven by professional chauffeurs command great comfort and convenience on
any type of travel.

Travellers have stuck to car hire services with the driver due to the professionalism of the
chauffeurs and the appearance of the vehicles as they are clean, good looking and in great
mechanical condition.

These are some of the merits of using car hire services with drivers;

Saves Times:

The most important advantage of hiring a car with a driver is that you are never late be it for business meetings or visiting a tourist destination. One of the traits the drivers must
exercise while on the job is punctuality, they need to lead or drive the client to the
destination in time. Furthermore, they drive directly to the client’s preferred destination
without any stopovers to embark or disembark other passengers which is the case with
public means.

Executive

The vehicles are good looking and you are treated in a very special. It is fulfilling for a driver to open the door for you, carry your luggage, greet you in a hospitable way, and drive you honorably. The treatment makes you feel relevant and special. This is a great feeling; an experience every traveler would wish to get on a travel expedition.

Respect Privacy:

A personal chauffeur is the one whom you can trust. He understands the importance of
business meetings or any travel purposes and respects the client’s concealment. He is reliable and trustworthy meant to keep the business information secure. This is why
luxury travelers prefer to car hire with driver services.

Easy Trip:

Self-drive Rwanda can sometimes be stressful especially when the journey contains a long distance to cover. It worries you most when you are foreign to the routes and gets worse when you are traveling with your family which might include infants that are vulnerable and fearful. In the case of guided tours, the driver will take over the navigation and other formalities and these are experts who know Rwanda inside out and have been in the game for a long time. They can solve any issue while on the road swiftly without any inconvenience.

Local Knowledge and Support:

The drivers used for chauffeur car hire services are more like tour guides. These are well
vast with information about the different places and tourist destinations, hotels, national
parks, restaurants, and other tourist amenities.

Travel in Style:

Imagine how graceful it is to arrive at any of your travel ventures in a car driven by a
chauffeur. Such honorable arrival aids in forging the first impression that at times brings
respect and trust from the business partner or any other party, you are meeting. This is also a way of getting the bragging rights that every human being cherishes especially at social events.

Quick service:

Booking car hire with a driver in Rwanda is fast and simple. You just have to get on the
internet, and search for a good car rental company with a great reputation and has been
established for quite some time. Click on their services make an inquiry or make a
WhatsApp chat or call. Make sure the car agency notes down all your requirements from
the pickup time, date, and location. Once the driver picks you up to start your trip,
forget about your worries and enjoy the serene comfortable ride.

Book earlier,

the recommended period is not less than two months before your travelling
to Rwanda.

Book straight through a rental company’s website.

The amount saved by booking through a third-party website like kayak and booking.com is not worth the hassle it will create if anything goes wrong while travelling, such as rescheduling, delayed, or cancelled flights.

Pre-pay when you can to save money,

but make sure your travel programme is well planned and confirmed. No one expects to be cancelled or rescheduled, however, things happen when travelling. Pre-paying makes it very difficult if not impossible to rearrange your rental.

Book appropriately,

if you have 4 people large in stature, don’t hire a compact vehicle like
Rav4, you are subjected to getting a Toyota land cruiser Prado TX, land cruiser V8/VX/GX.
The aforementioned vehicle will offer enough space and comfort to travel conveniently on
your Rwanda self-drive trip.

If you plan on upgrading to a better vehicle, reserve a full-size car.

The upgrade would be notably less than if you reserved a compact. For instance, if you think of upgrading from a Landcruiser Prado TX to a Landcruiser V8, it will be around 10$ per day compared to 20$ per day if you had booked a compact vehicle like a Toyota Rav4.

What to expect at the pick up of the Vehicle?

Be patient

As you get out of the airport terminal, you will have to be calm. The car rental personnel will be waiting for you with an airport sign printed in your name. Since there is always a crowd gathered around the waiting area, you will have to look around until you see
the driver with your airport sign. Patience is also exercised when signing the car rental contract, read it properly and ask in case you have a query. Inspect the car and let the car rental staff explain every detail about the rental car and contract.

Questions:

The car rental personnel or driver will ask you some questions like your itinerary and the time you intend to drop off the car. He will further solicit a few documents
like a driver’s license and passport.

Rental Process:

The rental operators normally ask for a small fee of the total amount of the entire rental to be deposited to confirm your reservation. The deposit fee varies from company to company. Your visa card or credit card must be ready and available.

Most rental companies accept electronic transfers. The driver delivering the car to the airport might come with the electronic payment machines or take you to their offices to make the transaction. Before you set off for your journey, you must wait till the transaction is reflected on the account of the rental company as a way of confirming your payment of the rental services. You never know the operator might deny and hence make a double payment.

Inspect the vehicle for all the damages and scratches on the vehicle before you set off.
Make an effort to take pictures to act as records.

Know if the rental vehicle is insured. Look at the insurance certificate sticker on the vehicle
to see if it is valid. The insurance must be comprehensive covering collision damage, third
party and theft.

Get familiar with the car. Let the car rental staff inform you about the different features of the car and how they work. In case you change your mind, you can hire a car with a driver in Kigali