Traveling to a new country may be quite challenging for you to plan your trip, there’s a lot of accommodation facilities, many routes and more so many tourist destinations that you may not well discover on your own. Hiring a local guide will save you a lot of time and energy in planning your Ugandan safari with an experienced guide. Here are some of the reasons why you need the services of a local tour guide on your safari to Uganda.

Quick Planner 

No one can ease your trip planning like a local tour guide, the general inquiry, and the organization of your trip is left to your hired guide. Your only role as a traveler is to let the guide know where you want to go, what you want to do and they will easily craft an itinerary for you and make the necessary bookings for accommodation, and routes to take and you’re covered.

Time-saving

We are aware it’s fun to browse the internet, see for yourself what’s on offer, plan your trip but would take you a lot of time to have everything planned. There are so many safari camps, and lodges in Uganda, and several tourist attractions that will require the services of an expert to plan your trip to see most of the major tourist attractions in Uganda. The guide will help make your payments, book your lodging, and some activities like a chimp, and gorilla tracking that need booking and have permits.

Less confusing

Too many consultations and reading on the internet would help you get information but will leave you confused about the geography, the roads, the right spots for wild viewing, different stopovers. A local guide is always well versed in the major routes, safari activities, and accommodation facilities that you can use. Hiring a local guide will save you from the confusion as he will plan your safari, and you find everything well set for you to explore.

Save money

Most people wrongly think that by booking through a travel agent they are paying more yet this is just not true. Occasionally, you might be able to get a cheaper deal with a direct booking, but this is not true. Camps and lodges sometimes offer tour operators, and travel agents a commission for selling their product. The camp or lodge cannot afford to offer a discount to you as a traveler because they would then be undermining their agents who are the ones that bring in over 80% of their bookings. An Africa Travel Specialist might just be able to save you money by passing on any special offers they have from these lodges. 

Relaxation 

Another big reason why you should consider hiring a Ugandan tour guide is the comfort that comes with the sense of leaving all the steering during the long-distance road trips to your driver. After long hours on a flight, you will need to relax, just sit back, relax, and let him take you to where you want to go allowing you to chat, work, enjoy the scenery or simply take a nap.

Expert advice

The expertise and knowledge of a reputable travel specialist on the general tourism industry, camps, and lodges, best times of the year, best places for families, honeymooners or small groups, and more are definitively worth it. You may never discover some of the hidden treasures of Uganda’s tourism unless there’s a local safari guide to make it clear to you.

Avoid mistakes

Everything comes back to how you know about where you are going? It is so easy to make errors since you don’t know that you cannot get off all the activities or that your child cannot do particular activities because he/she is not old enough for them.

Use their connections

Local safari guides have a lot of local contacts. Not just camps, and lodges, they have a lot of connections to ensure that you make your next transfer, hold on to some extra luggage if need be. These are local experts, and guides who can take you around to ensure everything goes as planned.

Details

A local guide not only helps plan the best safari itinerary with details about the dates, times, distances, flights, transfers, dietary needs, medical issues, how much cash to carry with you, and also makes the arrangements that ensure it all hangs together as it was planned.

Security 

It’s in human nature to feel safe in a new environment when with a companion or any other person who has been around for a while, and that’s what a tour guide brings to the table. You do not have to worry about being hustled by fraudsters or thieves as he/ she is your bodyguard through the holiday.

CONCLUSION: If you plan on visiting Uganda this season, and still have second thoughts whether to do a self-drive in Uganda or guided tour, the above reasons should help you make the right decision