Kenya to Rwanda: The Maasai Mara, Gorillas & Chimps — Self-Launched

Land at JKIA (allow time for your eTA and mandatory health insurance already sorted before flying). Take an airport taxi or the cheap Airport Bus to the city centre and check into a hostel or budget hotel around Kilimani or Westlands (£12–20 dorm/private). Spend the afternoon acclimatising: walk to the Nairobi National Museum or just sort a local SIM (Safaricom, ~£2) and M-Pesa mobile money. Eat at a local nyama choma or mama's kitchen for £5–7.

🚌Airport taxi ~£15–18 shared; Airport Bus ~£2

🛏Hostel/budget hotel, Nairobi (dorm or twin ~£15)

• →Settle in and SIM/M-Pesa setup
• →Optional Nairobi National Museum (~£8)

Take a matatu or shared shuttle from Nairobi's Country Bus/River Road to Nakuru town (3–3.5 hrs, ~£6–8), then a boda-boda or shared taxi to Nakuru town centre and a guesthouse (£15–25). Book a late-afternoon safari drive into Lake Nakuru NP directly with a local operator or the lodge (shared 4x4, ~£40–50 per person) — the park's flamingo-lined lake and rhino population make it one of Kenya's easiest Big Five wins. Dinner at a local eatery, £6.

🚌Shared matatu/shuttle Nairobi–Nakuru ~£7

🛏Guesthouse/hostel, Nakuru (~£20)

• →Lake Nakuru NP afternoon safari drive (~£45)

Head in early on a second self-booked game drive (or a shared vehicle through the guesthouse; ~£45) while the light is best, then lunch back in town (£5). The afternoon is free — walk down to the lake viewpoint, visit the small Nakuru markets, or simply rest ahead of the longer journey tomorrow. Optional extra afternoon drive can be arranged for ~£40. Dinner included at your guesthouse or a local café, £6.

🚌Local boda-boda/taxi ~£3

🛏Guesthouse/hostel, Nakuru (~£20)

• →Morning safari drive in Lake Nakuru NP (~£45)

Travel Nakuru–Narok by matatu (~2 hrs, £4) then Narok–Sekenani gate by shared matatu (~2 hrs, £4). Check into a budget safari camp or tented camp at the gate (£20–30). In the afternoon take a Maasai village visit arranged through your camp or a community guide (~£15–20, often negotiable) and a short game drive on the conservancy side of the reserve (~£40 shared). Dinner at camp, £7.

🚌Shared matatus Nakuru–Narok–Sekenani ~£8

🛏Budget safari camp/tented camp, Maasai Mara gate (~£25)

• →Maasai village visit (~£18)
• →Afternoon conservancy game drive (~£40)

Book a full-day shared 4x4 game drive inside the reserve through your camp (~£60–80 per person including park fee, or £100 if going solo and unable to share). Take a packed lunch from the camp. If you want the splurge, a hot-air balloon safari is bookable direct (~£380–420) but is a big extra on a budget trip. Return to the tented camp for the night, listening to the plains.

🚌Shared 4x4 safari vehicle

🛏Budget safari camp/tented camp (~£25)

• →Full-day Maasai Mara game drive (~£70)
• →Optional balloon safari direct (~£400 extra, not included in total)

Morning exit matatu/game-drive transfer back toward Narok, then a matatu to Nairobi (~£8 total, 5–6 hrs). Have lunch at a community café or the Amani ya Juu craft centre in Nairobi — a women-led initiative supported by tourism, a good self-launched stand-in for the operator's community lunch. Check into your Nairobi hostel (£15) and join other travellers for an optional group dinner (£8).

🚌Shared matatus Mara–Nairobi ~£9

🛏Hostel/budget hotel, Nairobi (~£15)

• →Amani ya Juu community lunch (~£6)

Two options: a cheap direct flight (Nairobi–Entebbe, one-way from ~£90–130 booked in advance on Jambojet/Kenya Airways), or the overnight bus from Nairobi to Kampala (~£25–35, 13–14 hrs). Flying buys you an afternoon in Kampala; the bus saves ~£70 at the cost of a night's sleep. From Entebbe take a shared taxi or the airport bus to Kampala (£3–5). Drop into a hostel in the Kololo/Ntinda area (£10–15 dorm). Explore the city on foot — Kampala's markets and café scene are cheap and lively.

🚌Flight Nairobi–Entebbe ~£110 OR overnight bus ~£30; airport transfer ~£4

🛏Hostel, Kampala (~£13)

• →Free time exploring Kampala
• →Optional Uganda Museum (~£3)

Take a Link Bus or regional coach from Kampala to Fort Portal (~5–6 hrs, £6–8). Check into a budget guest farm or eco-lodge at the edge of Kibale National Park (£12–18); these little farms are where you'll hear monkeys and birds at dusk. Afternoon walk in the tea plantations and a local dinner, £6.

🚌Link Bus Kampala–Fort Portal ~£7

🛏Guest farm/eco-lodge near Kibale (~£15)

• →Tea plantation walk
• →Village stroll

Pre-book your chimp permit directly with the Uganda Wildlife Authority (currently ~£130/$170 per person) — either online or through your guest farm well in advance, as daily slots are limited. The morning trek is a 3–5 hour rainforest walk with a ranger guide, usually rewarded with excellent chimp encounters. In the afternoon, join a Bigodi Community walk (£15) through the swamp forest, and have a traditional lunch in the Bigodi community (£5).

🚌Boda-boda/shared taxi to park gate ~£3

🛏Guest farm/eco-lodge near Kibale (~£15)

• →Chimp trekking permit (~£130)
• →Bigodi swamp walk (~£15)
• →Bigodi community lunch (~£5)

Take a shared taxi or bus from Fort Portal south toward Kasese/QENP (~3–4 hrs, £6), stopping at the equator crossing for the obligatory photo. Check into a budget lodge or bandas at the park edge (£15–20). In the afternoon book a shared game drive into the park (~£40 per person including park fee) — expect elephants, buffalo, warthogs and several primate species.

🚌Shared taxi Fort Portal–QENP ~£6

🛏Budget lodge/bandas, QENP (~£18)

• →Equator crossing stop
• →Afternoon game drive (~£40)

Early morning game drive in the park with a shared vehicle (~£40). Lunch at the lodge. In the afternoon take the Kazinga Channel boat cruise — book direct at the park jetty (~£28) — for one of East Africa's best hippo and bird spectacles. Evening at the lodge, £6 dinner.

🚌Park vehicle + boda-boda ~£4

🛏Budget lodge/bandas, QENP (~£18)

• →Morning game drive (~£40)
• →Kazinga Channel boat cruise (~£28)

Take a shared taxi/bus south through Ishasha and Kabale toward Buhoma or Rushaga at the edge of Bwindi (~5–6 hrs, £8–10). The scenery — volcanic peaks, terraced hills and forest — is the reward. Check into a budget community camp or guesthouse at the park gate (£15–20) and use the afternoon to sort out gorilla-trek logistics with your lodge: gear, porter hire (~£15) and an early breakfast. Dinner at the lodge, £7.

🚌Shared taxi/bus ~£9

🛏Community camp/guesthouse, Bwindi gate (~£17)

• →Scenic drive south
• →Gorilla trek logistics briefing

The big day. Your gorilla permit must be pre-booked weeks ahead through the Uganda Wildlife Authority or a registered agent (~£560/$700, higher in peak season). Trekking is 2–8 hours in steep, muddy forest with trackers and rangers; hire a porter (£15) — the money goes to local families and your legs will thank you. One hour with the gorillas is the reward. Afternoon recovery at the lodge; dinner £7.

🚌Short transfer to trailhead ~£3

🛏Community camp/guesthouse, Bwindi gate (~£17)

• →Gorilla trekking permit (~£560)
• →Porter hire (~£15)

Cross into Rwanda via the Cyanika or Gatuna border (shared taxi from Bwindi/Kisoro ~£8–10, then a bus/taxi to Kigali ~£8), roughly 5–6 hours total. Drop bags at a Kigali hostel (£15) and visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial (free entry, ~£5 donation for audio guide) — the itinerary's closing moment and a deeply moving one. Finish with a lunch at Nyamirambo Women's Centre (£6), a community-run project. Book onward flights no earlier than 18:00.

🚌Shared taxi/bus Bwindi–Kigali ~£18

🛏Hostel, Kigali (~£15)

• →Kigali Genocide Memorial (donation ~£5)
• →Nyamirambo Women's Centre lunch (~£6)