Hi,
I am planning to travel from Zambia up to Uganda next year and I was wondering if anyone could help me in regards to public transport from Dar el Salaam to Kampala?
Does anyone know of any bus companies that do the whole journey? Preferably one with a toilet on board (I don't think my bladder can hold out as long as it would need to)
Any idea on how much it would cost? Or where I could find information out about it online?
Thank you very much
Sam
I think Akamba does this trip, but you'll have to break it up into 2 trips. I've done this trip before and it's not the best. Pay a bit extra for the better seats and onboard drinks.
you could either go DAR-mombassa-kampala or dar-nairobi-mombassa or DAR-Mombassa-Eldorate-Kampala. The later gives you more breaks and you don't have to change busses at midnight.
easiest way to figure it out is by talking to the bus company when you book your ticket, they'll help you with deciding what city to transit through.
Hi, Thank you for your reply, I have read that Akamba has stopped running.
Does anyone know of any way to go from Dar to Kampala via public transport? Any other bus companies still running? Is it still possible?
Thanks
It's not likely that you'll be able to plan this until you get there. Bus companies are constantly changing, as are their routes. A lot of companies don't even let you book until a few days before, and you need to go to their offices to do so.
This is a long trip to do all in one shot. Personally, I would go from Dar to Nairobi, and then to Kampala. Unless you're wanting to visit Mombassa specifically.
Stay the night in Nairobi, there are hostels near the streets where the busses stop. If you get off at night, jump in a cab immediately, the bus area is super sketchy, and tourists get robbed there in broad daylight. You can bargain for your fair, start at 50% of whatever they say they'll charge. You can catch a bus the next day.
Alternatively, you could spend the day in nairobi and then catch a night bus. The night bus takes about 12 hours to Kampala, and it's pretty comfortable as far as busses go. The seats recline. I have never been on a bus in Kenya or Uganda with bathrooms. I would suggest taking water because it's dry, but drinking a minimal amount because sometimes busses don't stop at all. Though this one would have to because it crosses the border (and there is a washroom there).
Also, if you're in Nairobi on the weekend, there is a nice outdoor craft market and it's easy to find.
There is no Akamba. Akamba stopped running almost 2 years ago.
The only direct option is Kampala Coach (but it's called Pan Africa Coach in Tz). Their office is across the road from the Ubungo terminal. But DAR to Kampala with no breaks is not for the faint of heart. It's like 12 hours to the Namanga border. Then 2 hours to Nairobi. Then 9 hours to Busia border and another 4 hours to Kampala. That's 27 hours on a bus without factoring in time spent at the border and assuming no delays along the way. But buses do stop for pee (and food) breaks so use them. Bring food and water and maybe a kindle.
As the previous poster said, you do have more options if you took a bus to Nairobi and then another to Kampala, although I do think he's overstating how dangerous the town area is. I've walked around alone at night in town so many times without problems. It's precisely because it's busy that it's safe. Safety in numbers.
Safari njema.