18-Day East Africa DIY Safari: Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda & Uganda by Local Transport

Land at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Take the official airport taxi or a Bolt/Uber into the city (roughly £12-18, agree the price first in a metered app). Base yourself in a hostel or budget guesthouse in Westlands or Kilimani — Nairobi's backpacker scene is small but well-connected. Spend the afternoon on a self-guided walk: the Nairobi National Museum (£10) or a wander around the Maasai Market for crafts. Sort your Kenyan eTA before you fly (apply online, ~£25) and pick up a local Safaricom SIM (~£2 plus data).

🚌Airport taxi or Bolt from JKIA (~£12-18)

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse, Westlands/Kilimani (~£18-25/night)

• →Nairobi National Museum (self-booked, ~£10)
• →Maasai Market wander
• →Buy Safaricom SIM and data bundle

Book a seat on a shared shuttle/minibus from Nairobi to Sekenani or Talek gate (the local operators run daily departures, ~£20-25, 5-6 hours). If you want to keep costs down further, take a matatu to Narok and change, but the direct shuttle is much less hassle solo. Sleep in a budget tented camp or bandas just outside the reserve. Arrive by mid-afternoon and head straight out for a self-arranged evening game drive with a local guide — park entry for non-residents is around £70 per 24 hours plus vehicle fees, best shared with other travellers at your camp.

🚌Shared minibus shuttle ~£22

🛏Budget tented camp outside Sekenani/Talek gate (~£20-30/night)

• →Shared shuttle Nairobi–Masai Mara
• →Evening game drive in Masai Mara National Reserve (hire local guide + vehicle share, ~£35 pp)

Do a full-day game drive with a local driver-guide booked through your camp or at the gate — seat-in-vehicle rates are around £35-45 per person if you club together with other travellers. Take a picnic lunch (buy supplies in Narok or from your camp the night before — much cheaper than lodge lunches). The Mara is at its best July–October for the migration river crossings; outside that it's still excellent big-cat country.

🚌Vehicle share for game drive (~£40 pp)

🛏Budget tented camp outside the reserve (~£25/night)

• →Full-day game drive, Masai Mara
• →Picnic lunch at a scenic viewpoint

Dawn game drive, then a walk to a nearby Maasai village. Village visits are organised directly with the community or through your camp and usually cost around £15-20 — pay the elders directly rather than through an intermediary. If you're keen, some families offer a homestay night for around £25-35 including dinner; ask at your camp. Otherwise, spend the late afternoon by the campfire and prep for the border crossing tomorrow.

🚌Vehicle share (~£25 pp)

🛏Budget tented camp outside the reserve (~£25/night)

• →Morning game drive
• →Maasai village visit (~£18, paid directly to the community)

This is the trickiest DIY leg and the one that most justifies a bit of planning. Simplest route: shared shuttle or matatu back to Nairobi isn't needed — instead take a local matatu/shared taxi from Talek to Migori or Isibania on the Kenyan side, cross the border on foot (Tanzania e-visa sorted online in advance), then pick up local transport to Tarime and on to Serengeti's Ikoma or Ndabaka gate. Realistically, most solo travellers hire a local driver from Tarime (~£50 shared) or book a cheap 2-day transfer package with a Musoma-based operator. Game viewing en route through the western corridor. Budget for a full day of travel and an afternoon drive if you cross early.

🚌Matatus + shared taxi + driver hire (~£60-80 total)

🛏Budget tented camp or public campsite near Seronera/Ikoma (~£25/night)

• →Cross Kenya–Tanzania border on foot at Isibania/Sirari
• →Game drive en route into Serengeti

Serengeti park fees are steep for independent travellers — roughly £65 park entry plus vehicle and camping fees per 24 hours. The best value approach is to join a seat-in-vehicle game drive from Seronera or Ikoma (~£45-60 pp shared) rather than hire a private car. Pack breakfast and lunch; there are no cheap food options inside the park. Evenings at a public campsite (Nyani, Ngiri or similar, ~£15-20 with your own tent, or a budget tented camp for ~£30) let you hear lions at night.

🚌Seat-in-vehicle game drive share (~£55 pp)

🛏Public campsite or budget tented camp (~£25/night)

• →Unlimited game drives across Seronera and the central Serengeti

Drive out of the Serengeti via Naabi Hill gate and on to Karatu or the crater rim. Crater entry is expensive (~£70 per person per 24 hours plus vehicle fee) so plan to descend early the next morning with a shared vehicle. Budget guesthouses in Karatu are far cheaper than rim lodges — around £20-25 a night including breakfast. Book your crater descent as a shared seat-in-vehicle through your guesthouse the evening before.

🚌Shared safari vehicle transfer (~£40 pp)

🛏Budget guesthouse in Karatu or on the crater rim (~£22/night)

• →Drive Serengeti–Ngorongoro via Naabi Hill
• →Sunset at the crater viewpoint

Descend into the Ngorongoro Crater at dawn by shared 4x4 — this is the single best-value wildlife day in Tanzania and almost always delivers rhino, lion and elephant in a few hours. Picnic lunch at the Hippo Pool (bring your own packed food to keep costs down). Afterwards, transfer southwest to Lake Eyasi (about 2 hours on rough roads). A local guide in Eyasi can arrange a Hadzabe community visit independently for around £25-40 — make sure any payment goes to the community.

🚌Shared 4x4 crater descent + transfer to Eyasi (~£40 pp)

🛏Simple guesthouse or camp at Lake Eyasi (~£20/night)

• →Dawn game drive in Ngorongoro Crater (shared 4x4, ~£50 pp)
• →Hadzabe community visit at Lake Eyasi (~£30, arranged locally)

Head back up via Lake Manyara National Park and do an afternoon game drive — it's much cheaper than the big parks (~£40 entry) and famous for tree-climbing lions and flamingos. Alternatively skip the park and take the public bus straight into Arusha for a rest day. Arusha has good backpacker hostels around £12-18 a night. Sort your Kigali flight and Rwanda/Uganda East Africa Tourist Visa today.

🚌Local bus/shared taxi via Mto wa Mbu (~£10)

🛏Backpacker hostel in Arusha (~£15/night)

• →Lake Manyara National Park game drive (~£40 entry + vehicle share)
• →Evening in Arusha

A cheap regional flight from Kilimanjaro (JRO) to Kigali is the sane choice here — the overland alternative is 3 days via Mwanza and Bukoba. Book direct with RwandAir or Kenya Airways; fares hover £110-160 one-way. From Kigali airport, a moto-taxi or Yego/Yego-style ride into town is about £3-4. Spend the afternoon self-guided: the Kigali Genocide Memorial is free (donations welcome) and essential. Guesthouses in Kiyovu or Kimihurura run £20-30 a night.

🚌Kilimanjaro–Kigali flight (~£135); moto-taxi from airport (~£4)

🛏Guesthouse in Kigali (~£25/night)

• →Kigali Genocide Memorial (free, donation)
• →Self-guided walk through Kimironko Market and Nyamirambo

Take a shared minibus or the Volcano Express/Ritco bus from Kigali to Huye (Butare) or Nyamagabe, then a local minibus on to Uwinka at the edge of Nyungwe Forest — total around £8-12 and 5-6 hours. Book the canopy walkway directly with Rwanda Development Board at the Uwinka visitor centre (~£40 for non-residents). The Igishigishigi Trail canopy walkway takes 2-3 hours and is well worth it. Stay in a basic guesthouse in Gisakura or a forest camp around £20-25.

🚌Shared minibus/bus Kigali–Nyamagabe–Uwinka (~£10)

🛏Guesthouse near Gisakura/Nyungwe (~£22/night)

• →Canopy Walkway on Igishigishigi Trail (~£40, book via RDB)
• →Forest trails and birding

Retrace the road to Huye, then take a direct bus up to Musanze (Ruhengeri) — around 6-7 hours total and £10-14. Musanze is the base for Volcanoes National Park. Note that Rwanda's gorilla permits are very expensive (~£1,200) so most budget travellers choose to do gorillas in Uganda instead — but golden monkey tracking in Rwanda is a fraction of that at around £80-100 and a lovely hike. Book your Rwanda permits directly at the RDB tourism office or online.

🚌Shared bus Nyungwe–Huye–Musanze (~£12)

🛏Budget guesthouse in Musanze (~£22/night)

• →Travel day; explore Musanze town
• →Arrange golden monkey permit (~£85) with RDB

Early morning golden monkey tracking in Volcanoes National Park (~£85 permit, 2-4 hours). Afterwards, take a shared minibus to Cyanika border post (about 1 hour, £3) and cross into Uganda on foot — you'll need the Uganda side of your East Africa Tourist Visa or an independent Uganda e-visa (~£38). From the border, shared taxis run to Kisoro and on to Bwindi/Buhoma (roughly £6-10 total). Budget community campsites and guesthouses around Buhoma cost £15-25 a night.

🚌Shared minibus to Cyanika (~£3) + shared taxi Kisoro–Buhoma (~£8)

🛏Community campsite or guesthouse at Buhoma, Bwindi (~£20/night)

• →Golden monkey trekking, Volcanoes NP (~£85)
• →Cross Cyanika border on foot into Uganda

The highlight of the whole trip. Uganda gorilla permits are USD 800 for non-residents (~£640) and must be booked months ahead through the Uganda Wildlife Authority or a licensed local operator — this is the one cost you genuinely cannot DIY away. Treks from Buhoma take 2-8 hours depending on the family's location; porters (£10-15) are worth it. Spend the afternoon recovering and, if you have energy, visit a Batwa community project (~£20, paid directly).

🚌Short transfers to trailhead (~£5)

🛏Community campsite or guesthouse at Buhoma (~£20/night)

• →Mountain gorilla trekking, Bwindi (~£640 permit)
• →Batwa community visit (~£20)

Take a shared taxi or bus from Bwindi/Buhoma to Kabale, then a bus onward to Kihihi or Ishasha (roughly £8-12 and most of the day). The Ishasha sector is famous for tree-climbing lions — park entry is USD 40 (~£32) plus vehicle fees. The Kazinga Channel boat cruise is booked directly at the Mweya jetty for around USD 30-35 (~£25-28) and runs a couple of hours — an excellent, cheap way to see hippo, buffalo and elephants. Stay in Mweya-area budget bandas or a basic camp (~£20-25).

🚌Shared taxis/bus Bwindi–Kabale–Kihihi (~£12)

🛏Budget bandas near Mweya (~£22/night)

• →Ishasha sector game drive (tree-climbing lions)
• →Kazinga Channel boat cruise (~£28, paid at the jetty)

Dawn game drive in the Kasenyi plains (~USD 30 vehicle share, plus park entry already covered). Then head north: a shared taxi or bus from Kasese or Fort Portal toward Kibale, roughly £10-14 and 4-5 hours. Base yourself in Fort Portal or at a community camp near Bigodi for £15-22 a night. Book your chimpanzee permit directly with the Uganda Wildlife Authority — USD 200 (~£160) for the Kibale habituation-free trek, far cheaper than gorillas.

🚌Vehicle share (~£25) + shared bus/taxi to Kibale (~£12)

🛏Community camp or guesthouse near Bigodi/Fort Portal (~£18/night)

• →Kasenyi plains morning game drive
• →Travel to Kibale

Morning chimp trekking in Kibale — one of the best places in the world for it, with habituated troops of over 100 chimps (~£160 permit, book direct with UWA online). In the afternoon, walk the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary boardwalk, a community-run project at about £8-10 — great for monkeys, birds and turaco. Fort Portal's crater lakes are a nice extra if you have the energy. Finish with a cold Nile Special and swap photos with other trekkers.

🚌Local transfers to trailhead (~£6)

🛏Community camp or guesthouse near Bigodi/Fort Portal (~£18/night)

• →Chimpanzee trekking, Kibale (~£160 permit)
• →Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary community walk (~£9)

Take a bus from Fort Portal to Kampala (Link Bus or similar, ~£10-12, 5-6 hours), then a shared taxi or the airport express shuttle to Entebbe (~£4-6, 1 hour). Allow a comfortable margin before an evening flight — Kampala traffic is brutal. If you have extra time, the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre in Entebbe (~£8) is a relaxed way to finish. Standard airport departure tax is included in your ticket.

🚌Fort Portal–Kampala bus (~£11) + shuttle to Entebbe (~£5)

🛏Departure day — or a budget guesthouse near Entebbe if flying next morning (~£20)

• →Bus to Kampala, transfer to Entebbe airport
• →Optional Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (~£8)