While on a self drive safari, a traveler would need a local phone number to call out for help in case of emergency like car rental breakdown, getting lost on the way, theft or any other issue.
The medium of communication is key to a traveler. It makes the traveler get in touch with the person he/she wishes to seek help at a certain period of time. The medium should be effective and convenient to make communication successful between the traveler and the person he/she wishes to contact. Many travelers who take up self-drive safaris in Uganda always wonder how they would make communication in case it is called for. This question comes in queue because Self-drive safaris involve a traveler driving on his own to explore the different tourist attractions so a means of communication is always needed. The advice is always one is to get a local phone number.
How to get a local phone number
One way is to ask from the car rental company to get you a local sim card beforehand.
The other way is- you can get it by yourself. When you arrive in Uganda, you get to the nearest local mobile outlet and then apply for one. The requirement for getting one is always simple.
- Pay a small fee of usd 1$(ugx3000)
- Fill in the required form
- Present an original copy and photocopy of your passport
- And then the sim card is given to you.
The role of a local phone number on a Uganda self drive safari
Get in touch with your beloved ones at home. Once you get connected to a local number, you are able to contact your family and friends at home. The international call rates in Uganda are relatively low. It is a half a dollar per minute. The call is always clear when you call directly and it is always good to know and also tell your family that you are doing fine and having a good time. It always becomes tense for both you and your family while in a foreign country so a little communication within erases the tense.
Easy access to the internet. The local phone number makes a traveler easily access the internet. In this day and age generation where people can hardly live without the internet, having a local phone number is a lifesaver. With the internet, a person does a lot of stuff like business transaction, paying bills back home, communication and it also help the traveler on a Uganda self-drive get the right bearings of the destinations through the Google map GPS. Most of the local mobile operator have 4G network across the country. The traveler is likely to have a safe and fast internet.
Helps in accident rescue. Sometimes accidents happen to travelers while on a self-drive safari but the ugly part of it some of them may not have a reliable means of communication (local phone number). At the occurrence of the accident, they have nowhere to start from to inform the concerned parties about it. However, this kind of confusion and panic can be bypassed by getting a local number to make effective communication so that the concerned parties (the Rental Company or mechanic) can come to your rescue.
It is a way to calling for safety and security. This world is full of bizarre, there is no ultimate safe place. Insecurity issues can arise at any time in any place at a given time. Therefore a local phone number is much needed to get in touch with the security authorities. It is also advisable to get the local emergency number whenever the traveler is setting off for a self drive safari.
For proper organization of the pickup and delivery of the rental car. A traveler needs a reliable and effective means of communication to get in touch with the Uganda car rental provider to make the exact appointment point for the pickup and delivery of the rental car. So a local phone number will be a perfect match for this job.