Gorillas & Game Parks: Self-Launched East Africa

Fly into Entebbe and take the local minibus or a shared airport taxi into Kampala (~£6-10, 45-60 min). Stay around Kabalagala or Ntinda where the mid-range guesthouses are. In the afternoon wander the National Theatre craft market and, if you have time, catch a matatu or shared taxi down to the Equator monument at Kayabwe (~£3 return, 1.5 hrs each way) for the classic photo. Buy a Uganda Wildlife Authority gorilla permit online in advance — this is the one thing you can't wing.

🚌Entebbe to Kampala minibus/shared taxi ~£8

🛏Budget guesthouse in Kabalagala or Ntinda, private or twin room (~£20)

• →National Theatre craft market (free)
• →Equator monument at Kayabwe (optional, ~£3 transport)

Take a morning tourist shuttle or shared bus from Kampala to Bushenyi/Ishaka (~£12-15, 6-7 hrs). Budget backpacker shuttles run from Kampala's bush bus parks; guesthouses in Bushenyi and around Kalinzu can arrange pickups. Base yourself near Kalinzu Forest or the Queen Elizabeth NP edge. Afternoon free for a walk and sorting tomorrow's permits.

🚌Shared tourist bus Kampala–Bushenyi ~£14

🛏Guesthouse near Kalinzu/Bushenyi (~£18)

• →Village walk

Morning chimpanzee trek in Kalinzu Forest — book directly with the forest station (~£35-40 for East African residents is much cheaper; foreign non-resident rate is roughly £50-60). Then transfer ~1.5 hrs to Queen Elizabeth NP for the afternoon Kazinga Channel boat cruise (book at the Mweya jetty, ~£25-30), which is the best-value wildlife hour in Uganda: hippos, buffalo, elephants and huge birdlife. Overnight near Mweya or Kasese.

🚌Shared taxi/boda between Kalinzu and QENP ~£8

🛏Budget lodge/guesthouse near Mweya or Kasese (~£20)

• →Kalinzu Forest chimpanzee trek (~£55)
• →Kazinga Channel boat cruise (~£28)
• →Optional: Kasenyi plains game drive in a shared 4x4 (~£60 pp)

Travel by shared taxi and matatu via Kabale to Kisoro at the foot of the Virungas (~£10-12, 5-6 hrs). Kisoro is the backpacker hub for Bwindi's Nkuringo/Rushaga sectors — plenty of cheap guesthouses and hostels. Spend the afternoon acclimatising (Kisoro sits at ~1,900m), sort out your UWA trek briefing for tomorrow and grab an early night.

🚌Shared taxi/matatu Kabale–Kisoro ~£11

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Kisoro (~£15)

• →Kisoro town wander
• →Optional: Lake Mutanda walk (~£5)

The big day. UWA collects you from Kisoro before dawn and drives you to the trailhead for your assigned family group. Trekking can be anything from 45 minutes to several hours each way depending on where the family slept — carry water, snacks, good boots, gloves and a rain jacket. You get one hour with the gorillas, and it's worth every penny. Permit cost is roughly £615 (foreign non-resident) booked directly via the UWA online portal; budget around £40 for shared transport to/from the trailhead.

🚌Shared UWA trailhead transfer ~£30-40

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Kisoro (~£15)

• →Mountain gorilla trekking permit (~£615)
• →Gorilla trek briefing

Recovery day. Morning Batwa cultural visit (~£15) or a Lake Mutanda coffee tour (~£10). If you're keen hikers and want to cross into Rwanda early, the trek to Dian Fossey's grave from Kinigi is ~£75 including guide and park fee. Otherwise take the afternoon shared bus over the Cyanika or Gatuna border to Musanze (Ruhengeri), Rwanda (~£8-10, 2-3 hrs including border formalities).

🚌Shared bus Kisoro–Musanze across the border ~£9

🛏Guesthouse in Musanze (~£20)

• →Batwa cultural visit (~£15) OR coffee tour (~£10)
• →Optional: Dian Fossey grave trek (~£75)

Golden monkey trek in Volcanoes National Park (~£85 with RDB permit — much cheaper than Rwanda's £1,200+ gorilla permits, which is why most budget travellers do gorillas in Uganda instead). Afternoon at a local weaving cooperative and a banana beer brewing visit in a nearby village (~£15 combined, arranged through your guesthouse).

🚌Local moto-taxi to Kinigi park HQ ~£6

🛏Guesthouse in Musanze (~£20)

• →Golden monkey trek (~£85)
• →Basket weaving cooperative (~£8)
• →Banana beer making demo (~£7)

Shared bus or minibus down to Kigali (~£5-6, 2-2.5 hrs). Kigali is clean, walkable in the centre and has excellent cheap guesthouses around Nyamirambo and Remera. Afternoon in Nyamirambo for street food, or the Kimironko market.

🚌Shared bus Musanze–Kigali ~£6

🛏Guesthouse in Nyamirambo or Remera (~£22)

• →Kimironko market
• →Nyamirambo neighbourhood walk

Spend the morning at the Kigali Genocide Memorial — free entry, audio guide ~£5, and a donation is expected. It's harrowing and essential. Afternoon: craft cooperatives in Kimihurura, or the Inema Arts Centre. Book tonight's bus or plan a flight for tomorrow — there's no direct overland route worth doing at speed between Kigali and Tanzania's Serengeti, so most independent travellers fly Kigali to Kilimanjaro/Arusha (~£120-160 one way on RwandAir or Kenya Airways via Nairobi, or use the cheaper Kigali–Mwanza bus if you have a spare day).

🚌Local bus/moto-taxi ~£3

🛏Guesthouse in Kigali (~£22)

• →Kigali Genocide Memorial (free, £5 audio guide)
• →Inema Arts Centre (free)

Fly Kigali to Kilimanjaro (~£120-160) and take a shared shuttle to Arusha (~£8). Alternatively, the scenic and cheap route is the Kigali–Mwanza bus (12+ hrs, ~£18) to camp on Lake Victoria's shore and then a bus down to Arusha (~£14, 8 hrs) — this mirrors the tour's Lake Victoria/Bunda stop and saves money if you have a day to spare. Either way you end up in Arusha, the safari hub, where you can join a small-group budget safari.

🚌Kigali–Kilimanjaro flight ~£140 + shuttle to Arusha ~£8 (or Mwanza bus route ~£32 total)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Arusha (~£18)

• →Lake Victoria shoreline stop (if overlanding)

Arusha is packed with operators running 3-4 day join-in camping safaris into the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater for roughly £350-450 pp sharing a 4x4 with 4-6 others (park fees are the bulk of it: Serengeti alone is ~£55 pp/day in high season plus crater service fee ~£230 per vehicle). Reputable mid-budget names include Meru Slopes, Tanzania Specialist and Sunny Safaris — book a day ahead directly, or pre-book via GetYourGuide. Rest, laundry and prep.

🚌Local transport ~£3

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Arusha (~£18)

• →Safari booking and briefing
• →Arusha market and Maasai market

Early departure from Arusha, driving through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and down onto the Serengeti plains. Full afternoon game drive: lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe and, if the migration is in range, huge herds. Camp or basic tented camp inside or on the edge of the park — you hear lions at night. Balloon safari is possible if booked ahead (~£450 pp, and worth skipping on a budget).

🚌Shared 4x4 safari vehicle (included)

🛏Public campsite or basic tented camp in Serengeti (included in safari price)

• →Serengeti game drives
• →Optional: hot air balloon safari (~£450)

Morning game drive out of the Serengeti and up onto the crater rim, with a stop at Olduvai Gorge museum if the group wants (~£10). Afternoon at the rim viewpoint. The crater floor on a clear day is one of the most spectacular wildlife arenas on earth.

🚌Shared 4x4 safari vehicle (included)

🛏Crater rim campsite or basic lodge (included in safari price)

• →Serengeti morning drive
• →Olduvai Gorge museum (optional, ~£10)
• →Ngorongoro Crater rim viewpoint

Descend into the 600m-deep crater at dawn for 4-5 hours among black rhino, lion, flamingo and thousands of wildebeest, then climb out for a Maasai village visit (~£15) on the drive back to Arusha. Finish with a celebratory dinner in Arusha — nyama choma and a cold Kilimanjaro beer for the group barbecue finale. Most budget safaris include an airport drop to Kilimanjaro the next morning.

🚌Shared 4x4 back to Arusha (included), airport shuttle ~£10

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Arusha (~£18) or onward flight

• →Ngorongoro Crater floor game drive
• →Maasai village visit (~£15)
• →Farewell dinner in Arusha (~£12)