Kenya to Uganda Overland Safari — Self-Launched Participation Camping

Land at Jomo Kenyatta International and take an Uber or Bolt to a hostel in the Westlands or Kilimani area (~£5-8). Settle in, withdraw Kenyan shillings, and buy a Safaricom SIM with a data bundle at the airport or a local shop (~£2). Spend the afternoon at the Nairobi National Museum or the Giraffe Centre, then eat nyama choma or Indian-Kenyan food in the city. Confirm your Mara transport and, if you haven't already, your Uganda gorilla permit for the mid-trip date.

🚌Airport taxi/Uber ~£6; city matatus/Uber for local hops

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Westlands/Kilimani (~£12-18)

• →Nairobi National Museum (£8)
• →Giraffe Centre (£12)
• →Nairobi street food dinner

Take a shared shuttle or matatu from Nairobi to Narok and onward to the Sekenani/Masai Mara gate area (~5-6 hrs, £12-18), or book a budget 3-day camping safari with a local Mara operator from Nairobi. Check into a budget tented camp or campsite outside the reserve, sort your park entry fees with your camp or guide (Mara conservancy/reserve entry ~£60-80/day for non-residents), and do an afternoon game drive as the light softens.

🚌Shared shuttle/matatu Nairobi-Narok-Masai Mara ~£15

🛏Budget tented camp/campsite near Sekenani Gate (~£18-25)

• →Afternoon game drive in Masai Mara
• →Masai village visit (optional, ~£10-15)

Full-day game drive in a shared 4x4 safari van with a local driver-guide (~£35-50 per person if sharing). This is your best shot at the Big Five — lions, elephants, buffalo, and with luck leopard and rhino — plus zebra, wildebeest and giraffe. Bring packed lunch, water and binoculars. Optional pre-bookable Maasai Mara balloon safari through local operators (~£380-420) if you want the sunrise flight.

🚌Shared 4x4 safari van (included in shared drive cost)

🛏Budget tented camp/campsite near Sekenani Gate (~£18-25)

• →Full-day Masai Mara game drive
• →Optional hot air balloon safari (~£400)

Morning game drive on the way out, then transfer back toward Narok and on to Lake Naivasha (~5 hrs). Naivasha is a relaxed Rift Valley freshwater lake good for boat trips to see hippos and fish eagles, and a walk or cycle among zebra and giraffe at Hell's Gate or Crescent Island. Camp or stay in a lakeside budget lodge.

🚌Shared matatu/shuttle Mara-Naivasha ~£10

🛏Lakeside campsite or budget guesthouse, Naivasha (~£15-22)

• →Lake Naivasha boat trip (£10-15)
• →Crescent Island walking safari (£12)

Short transfer back into Nairobi (~2 hrs, matatu ~£3-5). Re-provision, do laundry, and rest before the long haul into Uganda. Use the afternoon for a proper Kenyan coffee stop or the Nairobi Railway Museum. Book your Nairobi-Kampala (or Nairobi-Jinja) bus for tomorrow.

🚌Matatu Naivasha-Nairobi ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Nairobi (~£12-18)

• →Nairobi cafes and markets
• →Trip planning/resupply

Take an overnight or full-day bus from Nairobi to Kampala with operators such as Modern Coast, Easy Coach or Mash Poa (~13-15 hrs, £25-35). Cross the Kenya-Uganda border at Busia or Malaba — have your Uganda e-visa ready (apply online ahead, ~£40). Arrive Kampala, take a boda-boda or taxi to a hostel in the city centre or Kololo.

🚌Coach Nairobi-Kampala ~£30

🛏Hostel dorm, Kampala (~£8-14)

• →Kenya-Uganda border crossing
• →Kampala evening explore

Take a bus or shared minibus from Kampala to Kabale (~8-9 hrs, £8-12), then a shared taxi or boda down to Lake Bunyonyi, Uganda's beautiful terraced lake. This is a classic base for gorilla tracking — you're now within striking distance of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Stay in a lakeside budget lodge or campsite and swim, canoe, or just acclimatise to the altitude.

🚌Bus Kampala-Kabale ~£10; shared taxi to Bunyonyi ~£2

🛏Lake Bunyonyi budget lodge or campsite (~£10-18)

• →Lake Bunyonyi canoe trip (~£8)
• →Village walk

The centrepiece. With a pre-booked Uganda Wildlife Authority gorilla permit (~£600-700 for foreign non-residents; book months ahead via UWA or a licensed local operator), head at dawn to the Bwindi/Ishasha sector for a briefing, then trek with UWA guides and trackers into the rainforest to spend up to one hour with a habituated mountain gorilla family. Physical grading 4 — steep, muddy, high-altitude terrain; hire a porter (~£10) and carry water. Return to Bunyonyi or stay near the park.

🚌Shared transport to trailhead and back ~£10

🛏Budget lodge near Bwindi/Bunyonyi (~£12-20)

• →Gorilla trekking with UWA permit (£600-700, pre-booked)

Recover from the gorilla trek. Optional golden monkey tracking in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park (~£70-100 permit), a Batwa cultural experience, or a restful lake day. Alternatively visit Lake Mutanda for canoeing with volcano views. This is a good buffer day if you want insurance against trekking delays.

🚌Shared taxi/boda hops ~£6

🛏Budget lodge Bunyonyi/Kisoro (~£12-20)

• →Optional golden monkey tracking (~£80)
• →Batwa cultural experience (~£15)
• →Lake Mutanda canoeing

Travel from the Bwindi/Kabale area to the Queen Elizabeth National Park region (~5-6 hrs by bus and shared taxi via Mbarara or Ishaka). Base near Kalinzu Forest Reserve, which sits on the edge of QENP. Afternoon at leisure or a short crater-lakes drive; watch for elephants, kob and buffalo.

🚌Bus/shared taxi Kabale-QENP region ~£10

🛏Campsite or budget guesthouse near Kalinzu (~£12-18)

• →Crater lakes drive
• →Campsite sundowners

Join a guided chimpanzee tracking walk in Kalinzu Forest Reserve (~£50-70, book on arrival or via the reserve office) — the same forest G Adventures uses. Small groups, early morning is best for finding the chimps before they move high. Afternoon Kazinga Channel boat cruise in Queen Elizabeth NP (shared, ~£25-30) is famous for hippos, buffalo and incredible birdlife.

🚌Shared local transport to trailhead/boat ~£8

🛏Campsite or budget guesthouse near Kalinzu (~£12-18)

• →Chimpanzee tracking, Kalinzu (~£60)
• →Kazinga Channel boat cruise (~£28)

A long travel day: bus from the QENP region back through Kampala/Mbarara to Jinja (~9-10 hrs total, £12-18). Jinja is the adventure capital of Uganda, sitting at the source of the Nile where it leaves Lake Victoria. Check into a backpacker hostel or campsite, and unwind by the river.

🚌Bus QENP-Kampala-Jinja ~£15

🛏Backpacker hostel/campsite, Jinja (~£10-18)

• →Nile riverside evening
• →Hostel social night

The optional Jinja River Rafting day (approximate cost £110-130 booked locally, comparable to the operator's $140 optional) launches from here and runs Grade 5 rapids on the White Nile — one of the world's best rafting days. Not a rafter? Try kayaking, a Nile boat cruise to the Source of the Nile monument, quad biking, or bungee jumping over the river.

🚌Local boda/shuttle to activity base ~£5

🛏Backpacker hostel/campsite, Jinja (~£10-18)

• →White Nile rafting (~£120, optional)
• →Source of the Nile boat trip (~£10)
• →Optional kayaking/bungee

A slower day: browse Jinja's markets, then transfer to Kampala (~2 hrs, £3-5). Explore the Kasubi Tombs, the National Museum, or the craft markets at the National Theatre, and eat a last Ugandan role (rolex) on the street. Book your onward flight or bus home for tomorrow evening or later.

🚌Jinja-Kampala bus ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm, Kampala (~£8-14)

• →Kasubi Tombs (£6)
• →Craft markets and street food

Two options: fly Entebbe-Kampala direct home (many carriers), or retrace the overland route with a bus from Kampala to Nairobi (~13-15 hrs) to close the loop as the original tour does. If you're flying from Nairobi, the operator's own guidance is to depart no earlier than 21:00 — same discipline applies to any long overland return. End of the self-launched adventure.

🚌Bus Kampala-Nairobi ~£30, or Entebbe flight

🛏None (travel day) or budget hotel if overnighting in Nairobi (~£15)

• →Departure travel day