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HOW TO GET TO KAMPALA BY BUS

From Nairobi to Kampala

It is possible to travel from Nairobi to Kampala by bus, but the roads both in Kenya and in Uganda are NOT very good. The two largest commercial carriers are Scandinavian and Akamba.

The Scandinavian Bus Service operates one bus daily, departing Nairobi from River Road at approximately 10pm. The journey one way is 12+ hours.
The cost is approximately 4000 KShs roundtrip. The bus then departs from Kampala daily at 13.00, with reporting at 1215. The Kampala station is on Lumumba Avenue, near the French Embassy. A local taxi from the depot to a town hotel would be about 4 – 5 USD each way. The Nairobi telephone contact for the Scandinavia Bus Company is +254 (0) 72 27 44 320. Scandinavia also travels from Dar and Arusha.

The Akamba Bus Company also operates this service 2 x daily. They have 2 different grades of bus, Royale and Executive. One bus departs early morning and the other bus departs late evening. The journey one way is 12+ hours. The cost is approximately 3000 – 4500 KShs roundtrip. The buses depart Kampala at 0700 and 1500, with check-in 1 hour earlier. The Nairobi Akamba station is located at Lagos Road. The Kampala Station is located on DeWinton Road near the Toyota dealership. A local taxi from the depot to town hotels is about 4 – 5 USD each way. The telephone contact for the Nairobi office is +254 (0) 20 25 35 35.
Service is also available from Mombasa, Naivasha, Nakuru, Busia and Malaba.

From Dar Es Salaam to Kampala

It is possible to travel from Dar Es Salaam to Kampala by bus, but again the roads in Tanzania, Kenya and in Uganda are NOT very good. The two largest commercial carriers are Scandinavian and Akamba.

The Scandinavian Bus Service operates one bus daily, departing Dar Es Salaam from Kamata Avenue near Nyere Road at approximately 0600 am. The journey one way is 26+ hours. The cost is approximately 140000 TzShs roundtrip. The bus then departs from Kampala daily at 1300, with reporting at 1215, arriving evening of the next day back in Dar. The Kampala station is on Lumumba Avenue, near the French Embassy. A local taxi from the depot to a town hotel would be about 4 – 5 USD each way. The Dar Es Salaam telephone contact for the Scandinavia Bus Company is +255 22 21 84 833. This bus does not stop and let people get out for refreshments, etc, because there is a toilet on the bus. Scandinavia also travels from Mwanza and Arusha.

The Akamba Bus Company also operates this service. They offer only Executive service from Dar. The bus departs early morning from Dar 06.30. The journey one way is 26+ hours. The cost is approximately 140000 TzShs roundtrip. The buses depart Kampala at 1500, with check-in 1 hour earlier. The Dar Akamba station is located in City Center. The Kampala Station is located on De Winton Road near the Toyota dealership. A local taxi from the depot to town hotels is about 4 – 5 USD each way. The telephone contact for the Dar office is not available from the Akamba office in Kampala.
Service is also available from Moshi, Arusha and Nairobi.

From Kigali to Kampala

It is possible to travel from Kigali to Kampala by bus, and the roads in Rwanda and Uganda are fairly good. The largest commercial carrier is Regional.

The Regional Coach Services LTD operates one bus daily, departing Kigali from Nyabugogo Bus Park at approximately 0600 am. The journey one way is 8+ hours. The cost is approximately $50 USD roundtrip. The bus then departs from Kampala daily at 0930, with reporting at 0830, arriving evening. The Kampala station is on Luwum Street in downtown. A local taxi from the depot to a town hotel would be about 4 – 5 USD each way. The Kigali telephone contact for the Regional Bus Company is +250 (0) 575 963.