Self-Launched East Africa Gorilla & Safari Experience

Land at Kigali International Airport and take a metered taxi or Yego (Rwanda's ride-hailing app) into town — expect £4-6. Check into a hostel or budget guesthouse in Kiyovu or Remera (£12-18/night). Kigali is compact, clean and safe to walk by day. Pick up a local SIM (MTN/Airtel, ~£2 with data), draw Rwandan francs from an ATM, and stock up on snacks. Evening: casual dinner at a local brochette spot (~£4). If you haven't already, confirm your Volcanoes National Park gorilla and golden monkey permits online in advance — trekking slots sell out months ahead.

🚌Airport taxi/Yego (~£5)

🛏Hostel/guesthouse dorm or private budget room, Kigali (£12-18)

• →Airport transfer to hostel
• →SIM card & cash
• →Kigali evening walk

Morning at the Kigali Genocide Memorial (free entry, donations appreciated; audio guide ~£8). Then walk the lively Nyamirambo neighbourhood — book a Nyamirambo Women's Centre community walk and local lunch directly with the centre (~£18-25), it's the same responsible-tourism partner the big operators use. After lunch take a Volcano Express or Ritco bus from Nyabugogo bus station to Musanze (~2.5 hrs, ~£4-5). Check into a guesthouse in Musanze town (£15-22). Arrange your permit pickup and guide briefing at the park HQ for the next day.

🚌Local bus Kigali–Musanze (~£5)

🛏Budget guesthouse, Musanze (£15-22)

• →Kigali Genocide Memorial
• →Nyamirambo Women's Centre community walk + lunch
• →Bus to Musanze

Early start for the golden monkey trek — book the permit through Rwanda Development Board (RDB) online in advance (~£80). Shared transport to the park gate (~£5-8), ranger-guided trek of 2-4 hours through bamboo forest depending on where the troop is. Afternoon: visit the Karisoke Research Center / Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund campus in Musanze (small entry donation ~£8) to hear about gorilla conservation from researchers. Back to the guesthouse for an early night — tomorrow is the big one.

🚌Shared 4x4 to park gate (~£8)

🛏Budget guesthouse, Musanze (£15-22)

• →Golden monkey trek with permit (~£80)
• →Karisoke Research Center visit (~£8)

The highlight day. Gorilla permit must be booked directly via RDB well in advance — budget ~£1,150 in high season (~£900 in low season); prices change so check the RDB site. Hire a porter at the trailhead (~£12-15, strongly recommended and it supports local families) and tip your guide. Trek 1-6 hours through dense jungle, then one unforgettable hour with a gorilla family. Return for lunch, then do an afternoon village walk around Kinigi (~£10 booking through the community tourism office) to see rural Rwandan daily life. Note: 15+ age restriction, and you'll be turned away (no refund) if visibly ill — an important rule protecting the gorillas.

🚌Shared 4x4 to trailhead (~£8)

🛏Budget guesthouse, Musanze (£15-22)

• →Mountain gorilla trek with permit (~£1,150)
• →Porter hire & tipping (~£18)
• →Community village walk (~£10)

Take a local bus or shared taxi from Musanze to Cyanika border (~1 hr, ~£3), clear Rwandan and Ugandan immigration on foot (have your yellow fever certificate and East Africa Tourist Visa or Ugandan e-visa ready), then pick up a shared taxi or boda into Kabale/Kasese and onward to the Queen Elizabeth NP area. This is a long, bumpy travel day (~7-8 hrs total). Alternatively, pre-book a private cross-border transfer (~£70-90 split between 2-3 travellers). Overnight in a budget lodge or tented camp near the park at Kasese or the northern sector (~£25-35).

🚌Bus + shared taxi across Cyanika border (~£20 total)

🛏Budget lodge/tented camp near Queen Elizabeth NP (£25-35)

• →Border crossing at Cyanika
• →Scenic drive through Uganda's hills

Book the Kalinzu Forest chimpanzee trek directly with the Uganda Wildlife Authority or on arrival at the reserve (~£85-100; morning slots are best). A ranger-guided 2-4 hour walk to find the habituated chimp families. Lunch back at the lodge, then join a shared afternoon game drive in Queen Elizabeth NP (~£25-35 per person in a shared safari van, park entry ~£30 extra). Look for buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion and hyena across the savanna and shrubland.

🚌Shared safari vehicle (~£30)

🛏Budget lodge/tented camp near Queen Elizabeth NP (£25-35)

• →Kalinzu chimpanzee trek (~£90)
• →Queen Elizabeth NP shared game drive + park fee (~£55)

Dawn game drive through the Kasenyi plains (~£25-30 shared) for the best chance of lions and the wider Big Five. Mid-morning, join the public Kazinga Channel boat safari from Mweya jetty (book direct, ~£22-30) — hippos, crocodiles, buffalo and hundreds of birds on the shoreline. Afternoon free to relax or take a short walk to the Mweya peninsula viewpoint. Evening: budget lodge as before.

🚌Shared safari vehicle (~£25)

🛏Budget lodge/tented camp near Queen Elizabeth NP (£25-35)

• →Dawn game drive (~£28)
• →Kazinga Channel boat cruise (~£26)

Long bus day: take a public bus or shared minibus from Kasese/Mbarara to Kampala (~6-7 hrs, ~£8-10), then continue to Entebbe (~1.5 hrs, ~£3) or stay in Kampala if you'd rather. If you can, break the journey at Kayabwe on the Equator — get off, take photos at the equator marker, taste the water-swirl demo, and stop at a community café for lunch. Ask in Kampala about local drum-making workshops or the Ndere Cultural Centre for an evening drumming and dance performance (~£10-15). Overnight in an Entebbe or Kampala hostel (£10-18).

🚌Public bus Kasese–Kampala–Entebbe (~£12)

🛏Hostel, Entebbe/Kampala (£10-18)

• →Equator crossing at Kayabwe (free)
• →Drum workshop or cultural performance (~£12)
• →AidChild-style community café lunch

Morning/afternoon flight Entebbe–Nairobi with Kenya Airways or similar (~£110-160 one way booked ahead; the original tour bundles this flight). Land at JKIA, take the airport shuttle or an Uber/Bolt to a hostel in Westlands, Kilimani or Nairobi CBD (£10-18). Nairobi is not a city to wander at night — take taxis after dark. Afternoon: visit the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust elephant orphanage (book online, ~£15) or the Giraffe Centre (~£12). Evening: dinner at a local nyama choma spot (~£5).

🚌Flight Entebbe–Nairobi (~£135) + airport taxi (~£8)

🛏Hostel/guesthouse, Nairobi (£10-18)

• →Flight to Nairobi
• →Sheldrick elephant orphanage or Giraffe Centre (~£15)

Take a matatu or Easy Coach/Guardian bus from Nairobi to Nakuru town (~3 hrs, ~£5), then a shared taxi or boda to the park gate (~£4). If a self-drive or shared safari is easier, many Nakuru operators run day-trip vehicles you can join (~£30-40 pp). Park entry for non-residents is ~£45 and must be paid at the gate (book park fees in advance on the KWS e-citizen portal). Afternoon game drive from the lodge, looking for the park's white rhinos. Overnight in a budget lodge or bandas just outside or inside the park (£25-35).

🚌Bus Nairobi–Nakuru + local transfer (~£10)

🛏Budget lodge/bandas, Lake Nakuru (£25-35)

• →Lake Nakuru NP entry (~£45)
• →Afternoon game drive

Morning and afternoon game drives in the shared safari vehicle looking for tree-climbing lions, buffalo, impala and rhino, plus the lake's phenomenal birdlife (flamingo numbers vary with water levels — check locally). Spend the middle of the day walking the fenced fence-free baboon cliff viewpoint and the viewing points along the shore. Evenings are cold in June–September, so pack a fleece. Second night at the same lodge.

🚌Shared safari vehicle (~£20)

🛏Budget lodge/bandas, Lake Nakuru (£25-35)

• →Morning & afternoon game drives
• →Baboon Cliff viewpoint walk

Morning talk on anti-poaching and wildlife conservation with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) at the park — arrange via your lodge or the KWS office; community-run conservation talks are usually free or by donation. Then travel south to Naivasha (~2 hrs by matatu, ~£4). Book a boat trip on Lake Naivasha directly with a local boatman at the jetty (~£18-22) to see hippos, fish eagles and ibis, then land at Crescent Island sanctuary for a guided walk among wildebeest, zebra and giraffe (~£8-10). Overnight in a Naivasha camp/hostel (£15-25).

🚌Matatu Nakuru–Naivasha (~£4)

🛏Camp or budget guesthouse, Naivasha (£15-25)

• →KWS conservation talk (donation)
• →Lake Naivasha boat trip (~£20)
• →Crescent Island guided walk (~£9)

Travel Naivasha–Narok–Masai Mara: a matatu to Narok (~£3) then a shared van into the Mara (~£8-10), or join a pre-booked shared safari vehicle to share costs (~£45-60 pp return). Non-resident reserve entry is ~£80/day, payable at the gate on e-citizen — this is the priciest part of the Kenya leg. Afternoon game drive with a local guide. Overnight in a budget tented camp in the Talek or Sekenani area (£30-40 with simple meals).

🚌Shared vehicle to Masai Mara (~£55 return split)

🛏Budget tented camp, Masai Mara (£30-40)

• →Masai Mara entry (~£80)
• →Afternoon game drive

Sunrise-to-sunset game drives looking for lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant and (July–October) the Great Migration wildebeest crossings at the Mara River. Join other travellers at the camp to share a safari vehicle and split costs (~£30-40 pp for the day's driving plus park fee). Optionally add a Maasai village visit organised fairly by your camp (~£20-25) and ask about the Maasai's own community-run wildlife conservancies beyond the reserve, which are cheaper and often quieter.

🚌Shared safari vehicle (~£35)

🛏Budget tented camp, Masai Mara (£30-40)

• →Full-day game drives
• →Maasai village visit (~£22)
• →Park fee (~£80)

Morning game drive if time allows, then travel back to Narok and Nairobi by shared vehicle and bus (~6 hrs, ~£12-15). Afternoon free in Nairobi: optional visit to the Nairobi National Museum (~£8) or Karen Blixen Museum (~£10). Final group-style dinner — treat yourself at a local restaurant in Kilimani (~£10). Overnight in a Nairobi hostel (£10-18).

🚌Shared vehicle + bus Mara–Nairobi (~£14)

🛏Hostel, Nairobi (£10-18)

• →Return travel to Nairobi
• →Optional Nairobi National Museum (~£8)

Final morning for shopping for crafts or a coffee at one of Nairobi's roasteries, then pack up. Transfer to JKIA by Uber/Bolt or the airport shuttle (~£8). Double-check your East Africa Tourist Visa dates (valid 90 days across Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda) and keep your yellow fever certificate handy. Safe onward travels.

🚌Airport transfer (~£8)

🛏None (departure day)

• →Last-minute shopping
• →Airport transfer