Backpacking East Africa for $30/Day: Kenya-Tanzania-Uganda Loop

Why the Kenya–Tanzania–Uganda Triangle?

The vast savannahs of East Africa are usually branded as a high-end playground for safari-goers. Yet the same open borders and backpacker-friendly network that served the original overlanders of the 1970s still exists—just quieter. Our loop keeps you moving through three of the biggest attractions on the continent (and the cheapest to navigate): the wildlife-packed Masai Mara, the snow-capped peak of Kilimanjaro and the source of the Nile in Uganda—all without exceeding a strict $30 a day per person.

The Fast Facts

Total Distance: 1,400 km if you ride public buses, stay on tarmac and avoid back-tracking.
Total Duration: 21–25 days, depending on how many days you spend on game drives, volcano climbs or relaxing on Lake Bunyonyi.
Best Window: June–October (dry, cooler roads, fewer tsetse flies).
Currencies Accepted: US dollars cash in most lodges and parks, but changing into Kenyan shillings, Tanzanian shillings and Ugandan shillings at each border will keep prices down.

Sample Budget At a Glance

Category	Cost per Day (USD)	How It Breaks Down
Accommodation	$9	Hostels ($6–$8) or community campsites ($5–$10)
Food	$8	Street food + self-catering + one cooked camp meal
Transport	$7	Matatus, coach buses and the Kilifi–Managhat champion bus
Activities	$5	Split-day game drives, walking safari, boat trips
Misc	$1	Sim cards, laundry, bribe money buffer
Daily Total	$30

Note: one-off fees such as the Uganda gorilla permit ($700) or the Serengeti 24-hour pass ($70) are not included; plan two pre-paid splurges then revert to the $30 plan.

A Step-by-Step Route Plan

Leg 1: Nairobi to Arusha (Day 1–3)

Cross town in Nairobi using the KBS 44 minibus ($0.60) to the River Road coach stand. Buy a seat on Impala Shuttle (shared minivan) that leaves twice daily to Arusha for $18, seatbelt-as-decor included. Total transit time: 6 hours including immigration at Namanga. Overnight at Mambo Leo Backpackers in Kimandolu—dorm bed, fast wifi and rooftop sunsets at $6. Wake early, walk 300 m to the Arusha–Moshi daladala (minibus) station, then…

Leg 2: Arusha to Moshi to Marangu (Day 4–6)

The 90-minute daladala ride costs less than $1. In Moshi convert any extra dollars to Tanzanian shillings so street food prices suddenly halve. Rather than head straight for the tourist-trail Kilimanjaro climb, settle into Bamboo Hut Marangu—$7 per person for a bunk in a former coffee-picker cottage with Mount Kilimanjaro view. Day hikes on the Marangu route do not require the $800+ summit fee; instead buy a $10 gate ticket to the first camp Mandara Hut and get similar rainforest experience back the same day.

Leg 3: Dar es Salaam to Mombasa (Day 7–9)

Slow coaches vs express bus? Save half a day and spend an extra $2: Champion (Dar-Mombasa night coach, $18, 11 hours). Sleep coach is cheaper than a hotel. Arrive at 6 a.m. at Mwembe Tayari bus station, drop bags at Manyatta Backpackers (roof-top campsite $6, dorms $8). Spend the day devouring biryani in Old Town ($1.80) and find the back-door route into Haller Park ($6 instead of $25 front gate).

Leg 4: Mombasa to Lamu Island (Day 10–12)

Skip the overpriced SGR train and hop on Tawakal Transport at 6 p.m. direct to Lamu ($15, 7 hours). Guesthouses in Shela start at $6 for a rooftop under mosquito net. Sunset dhow sail with fisherman directly negotiated on the beach—$3 for two hours.

Leg 5: Lamu to Kisumu to Kampala (Day 13–15)

Ferry back to Mokowe ($2), matatu to Uganda border town of Busia ($5) via Kisumu. The 9-hour ride finishes at the brightly lit Ugandan immigration post, where an East African Tourist Visa ($100, bought once on arrival in Kenya) keeps you legal. Tie up the day at Banda Inns Kampala with a balcony over Nakumatt Mall at $7.

Leg 6: Kampala to Jinja to Lake Bunyonyi (Day 16–18)

The Source of the Nile ($2 ferry), white-water rafting group discount ($50 optional, recover with cheap rooms in Jinja $8). Board the Presto bus south-west at 7 a.m. to Kabale ($8). A shared matatu jumps the final 10 km to Lake Bunyonyi Overland Camp on Bushara Island where mud-bandab stands on the ridge cost a flat $5 a night. Food is communal, cooked on wood fires—perfect timing for gorilla-rcovery if you choose to splurge on the $700 permit.

Leg 7: Kabale to Queen Elizabeth NP to Nairobi (Day 19–21)

Catch the Postbus direct to Mbarara ($4), shared taxi to Katunguru gate of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Pop-up top safari trucks will fill empty seats for $10; you crouch-sit beside Ugandan rangers. A day-game loop to mating grounds of Kobs and tree-climbing lions is $15 if you go local. Overnight at Katara Hostel $6. The following morning jump the Link bus back to Kampala, then the 6 a.m. Modern Coast coach crosses the Malaba border nonstop to Nairobi for $15. You have a full circle and your wallet still closes at under $630.

Border Crossings & Visas in 2024

Namanga (Kenya–Tanzania). Busy 24/7. Yellow fever certificate now requested on both sides. Line for $50 visa-stamp (East African Tourist Visa is valid here).
Horohoro–Lungalunga (Tanzania–Kenya, coastal). Quicker, fewer buses. Entering Kenya from Tanzania needs online eVisa equivalent paid ahead.
Malaba & Busia (Kenya–Uganda). Night-time crossings possible but avoid Sunday evening rush of truckers.

Stick to the East African Tourist Visa ($100, covers KE, TZ, UG for 90 days). Buy it on the Kenyan side on your first entry; it avoids paying $50 every hop.

Gear: Ultra-Light, East-Africa-Proof Packing List

40 L carry-on backpack—fits overhead on every rickety minibus.
Thin fleece for crater sunrises, not a heavy jacket.
UV-filter water bottle (device costs $15 once, saves $2–3 a day on bottled water).
Activated charcoal tablets—street goat mishkaki can rebel at 2 a.m.
Two copies of passport and yellow fever card (bribes turn real when they find you unprepared).
Safaricom SIM ($0.70) plus Airtel roaming balance: surprisingly strong 4G up to Musanze and Mbale.
Packable African-less-than-foreign towel; hostels often “forget” linen.

Eating Like a Backpacker, Not a Safari Group

Kenya: Sukumawiki (stir-fried kale), ugali and nyama choma ($2.5 plate) at Kwa Linus Butchery downtown. Unlimited refills of dagaa fish soup inside Arusha local market ($1.20) powers the hike back from the Marangu trail. Tanzania: Zanzibar half-plate pilau in Dar night market for $1. The real steal: three-chapati breakfast in Jinja for UGX 2,000 (slightly under $0.50). Cooking your own beans and ugali every third night knocks total food spend down to $6 without compromising taste or calories.

Safety Without Spending

Register with your embassy’s short-stay portal online before the trip to be searchable in a crunch.
CopyPod App (Android) lets you save scanned documents in airplane mode; carry QR code for Tanzania immigration.
Never ride a nighttime matatu past 9 p.m. between Busia and Kampala—ambush stories cluster on that stretch.
Corruption checkpoints accept low-ball bribes: USD $1–$2 hidden in passport back pocket works, but keep it small—officers love the game, not serious extortion.

Splurge Moments: How to Book Gorilla & Safari Permits Last-Minute

Rwanda gorilla permits are $1,500; Uganda’s drop to $700 for 2024. Micro-tip: call the directorate office at 9 a.m. their time on Monday—cancellation list releases four permits on average. Budget two days in Kabale as a cushion; hit last-minute success rate just above 60 %. Serengeti’s daily pass is $70 but the Ngorongoro “half-way” gate Lodoare sells 24-hour vehicle slots returned by tour buses—turn up 6 a.m. backpacking and negotiate $15 in the shuttle queue.

Cave Budget Drains to Watch

ATM card foreign withdrawal fee ($6/transaction). Convert enough at the Stanbic Bank machine in Arusha—but make one stop only. The Hilton ATM in Nairobi downtown charges a sneaky 5 % “convenience fee.” Avoid it.

TL;DR Money-Saving Checklist

East African visa upfront.
Buy phone data in bundles; do not top-up daily.
Cook 3 communal meals a week; splurge suya BBQ on street stands twice a week.
Walk from bus station to hostel <1 km whenever you arrive before 7 p.m.— saves three separate $3 boda-boda rides.
Couchsurf in Zanzibar Stone Town for one night to break the week-long hostel lump.

East Africa Overland Under $30: Kenya-Tanzania-Uganda Backpacking Loop