Booking a safari to Mount Elgon national park
Booking a safari to Mount Elgon national park: It’s always difficult to book a safari to any destination especially if it’s your first time traveling there. Booking a safari to Mountain Elgon national park can be very challenging for first-time traveling the fact that there are so many factors to consider. For travelers who are intending to visit Mount Elgon national park this article is here to help you on how booking can be done.
Booking a safari to Mount Elgon national park using a local tour operator
When looking for a local tour operator for your safari in Mountain Elgon national park, you need to be extra careful. You need to search online for the best tour companies that are well-established and are members of recognized associations in Uganda. You can go ahead and read the reviews on different travel websites to confirm that the companies you are choosing are good.
We advise tourists to choose about 3 tour companies and send them an inquiry with your budget about a safari to Mountain Elgon national park. The best tour companies will reply on time and will have a fair price. From their replies and suggestions, you can choose which tour company to go with.
Africa Adventure Vacations is one of the best tour companies to work with if you are planning to visit Mount Elgon national park. The company is a member of the association of Uganda tour operators licensed to work in different countries of East Africa. The company has a team of workers who will make sure that you have a memorable safari while in Mountain Elgon national park.
A tour leader will need the following information to book a safari to Mount Elgon national park
Travel dates
When booking a safari to Mount Elgon national park you need to provide the dates you would like to travel to your tour operator. The dates help in pricing for example in the low season the lodge prices will be lower and in the dry season, the prices will be higher. The dates also matter because they help the tour operator to know for how long you would want to be on a safari.
Well, they say Mount Elgon national park can be visited all year round but there are months that are better than others. The dry months of the year which occur from June to September and December to February are the best time one should visit Mount Elgon national park. This is because they will find the park with little or no rainfall and plenty of sunshine which is good weather for most safari activities.
There are travelers, especially budget travelers who want discounted tour packages those should visit Mount Elgon national park during the rainy season. March to May and October to November is when budget travelers need to try out Mount Elgon national park for different activities and benefit from discounted tour packages.
Tourists should however know that during this period, the plenty of rainfall makes the hiking/walking trails muddy and slippery, vegetation is tall with unclear views of wildlife and the roads leading to the park are impassable. After knowing what the park is like during the dry season and the rainy seasons, tourists can now choose the travel dates for the Mount Elgon national park safari.
Number of people traveling
The number of people traveling helps the tour operator when calculating how much money is needed for a safari. In case you are traveling more than one, you will need to let the tour operator know in advance before making the travel budget. Tourists should know that the more the number of people on a safari the lesser the money paid per person. Solo travelers who find traveling alone expensive can ask the local tour operator to join them in a group if possible so that costs are shared.
Mode of transport to be used.
Tourists should know that Mount Elgon national park is accessed using only road transport. The national park is about 240 km away from Kampala/Entebbe which is a 5 to 6 hours drive. From Entebbe. Tourists will drive through Kampala, Mukono, Uganda and Mbale where the national park is located.
Activities to do while in Mount Elgon national park
There are so many activities that are organized in Mount Elgon national park and the number of activities you will do does really matter. There is hiking, bird watching, nature walks, rock climbing, and mountain biking in Mount Elgon national park so you will have to specify the activities you are interested in. Each activity you choose to do while in the park comes at an added cost.
Getting a quote
After providing the above information, the tour operator will calculate how much money you need for the safari and will send you a quotation based on your itinerary. Tourists should read the itinerary and make sure everything is concluded before looking at the total. If the total is fair then you can book and if it’s expensive you have a chance to bargain.
After seeing the cost of the safari fits your budget, tourists can now book their safari with the tour operator. Different conditions are put in place when booking a safari where some operators need a deposit and there are cancellation policies provided by the local operator. Each tour operator has their own way of payment and you can choose what is best for you.
Tourists who have been planning to visit Mount Elgon national park hope this article has helped you to know how booking a safari is done. Booking a safari to Mount Elgon national park needs to be done about 3 to 4 months in advance to enable the tour operator to organize the best for you and it also helps the tourists to prepare for their safari accordingly.
