All you need to know before hiring a car for self-drive in Tanzania

Gone are days when a tourist needs to hire a tour company to organize for him/her a safari across Tanzania, now there is a growing trend where the tourist just hire a safari vehicle and organize his/her safari and still do the driving part. Self-drive safaris in Tanzania are getting popular and this led to the establishment of many car rental companies in the country. But before you think of hiring a car for self-drive, there are some things you have to keep in mind in order to avoid mistakes and messing up your safari. Some of the things you need to know are the ones listed below.

Age Limite

Hiring a car in Tanzania most especially when going for a self-drive safari, there is a limitation on the age of a person hiring a car for example, at 4×4 Tanzania Ltd the age limit is between 21 – 80 years of age this is because a person below 21 years of age he/she is still young and can’t manage the crazy traffic and bad roads in the national parks in Tanzania and above 80 years the person is weak and can get tired easily yet a safari in Tanzania need a lot of driving, for example from Arusha to Serengeti National Park it’s over 375km the thing which can take something like 8hours of driving, the journey which can be much for a person who is over 80years of age. So the perfect option for people that falls in that age bracket is hiring a car and a driver so that they can just sit back and let the driver do the hard part of the safari.

The best time to go on a self-drive safari?

Land Rover Defender stuck in mud in Tanzania

This is one of the common questions asked by most travelers visiting Tanzania for the first time. The common answer to this question is, at any time of the year you can go on a self-drive safari in Tanzania. The only factor that scares away some tourists is the season of the year for example, from mid-March to May Tanzania receives heavy rainfall and if you traveling in these months you have to make sure you hire a strong 4×4 safari vehicle because roads in the national parks during these months become muddy and impassable and this is when Tanzania receives fewer tourists and its always cheap to travel during these months because service providers cut prices due to fewer tourists. In November and mid-January, there is a shorter period of rain and this is when tourists start coming in large numbers and the dry season which is always the peak season of the year lasts from May to October. So depending on your travel dates, budget, and desires you can decide when to visit Tanzania for a self-drive safari.

How can I rent a car in Tanzania?

Hiring a car in Tanzania has been made easy, whereby just pressing few buttons on your laptop or on your smartphone you can reserve your safari vehicle in Tanzania. All you need to do is going online and search for any car rental companies in the country you will find many of them from which you can choose. But it’s advisable to inquire from many so that you can compare the prices and choose the best deal.

What are the Road Rules in Tanzania?

Before thinking of going for a self-drive safari in Tanzania at least try and make extensive research on the road rules and regulations to avoid mistakes when you are on road in a foreign country. You can also inquire for self-drive tips in Tanzania from the car rental company they can give you the best tips on how to drive in Tanzania.

Crossing the border with a rental car from Tanzania?

Some car rental companies in Tanzania don’t allow clients to cross borders with their car to other countries and others have extra chargers for using their car in another country. But there are some car rental companies that can allow you to use their car in another country like, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and others at no extra cost like the 4×4 Tanzania Ltd you can hire a car in Arusha at their office and drop it in Kampala in Uganda or in Nairobi in Kenya. What you only need is to inform them that you will cross the border and they make for you the papers for border crossing.

What I need to hire a car in Tanzania

Most car rental companies in Tanzania request some documents when hiring a car from them for example some companies need documents like the original national identification card, a valid driving license from the country of origin in case you are a foreigner, and if possible get an international driving license. After having all these documents with you, then you set to go and hire any type of car in any car rental company.

The perfect car to hire for a safari in Tanzania

Choosing a car to hire in Tanzania always depends on the purpose of hire, and season of hire for example when you just want a car for town driving, there is no need to hire a big 4×4 vehicle, a saloon car is perfect for that job and when you going for a self-drive safari the least you can go with is a 4×4 safari vehicle and when you traveling during the rainy season at least you have to make sure that the vehicle you hire has a good working 4WD system.

How do I pay for a car rental in Tanzania?

Most car rental companies only will request you to pay a commitment fee of 100$ online, using pay pal, wire transfer, or any other means which can be convenient for you, and the remaining balance you can pay on the day of picking the car.