How to get from Kampala to Kigali by Bus
Posted: August 10 2023 | Tagged: Uganda, Rwanda, Border Crossings
They say that the best bus from Kampala to Kigali is the Jaguar Bus so that's what I took. Road trip report from August 2023, Uganda to Rwanda by bus.
Normally I would have taken local buses to the border, crossed on foot then taken another bus.
That's my usual modus operandi.
They are more fun in a sadistic kind of way and cheaper too. Not to mention a quicker border-crossing experience. It takes forever for them to process a bus full of people all arriving together. When I travel alone, I am (usually) done and dusted in minutes.
So why this sudden change?
Truth be told, I am tired. The days, months, and years are finally taking their toll. I have been a die-hard backpacker for almost 31 years.
I was also pushed for time.
I had allotted myself 10 weeks to get from Nairobi to Windhoek before catching a flight back to Nairobi for an onward flight to London.
I had already 'adjusted' my plan after I realised that 10 weeks was pushing it.
I have just booked a ticket from Lusaka, Zambia (instead of Windhoek, Namibia) to Nairobi and must be content at seeing Botswana and Namibia in and around the Caprivi Strip. Windhoek would have to wait.
And so, to save myself 4 or 5 days, and lots of uncomfortable kilometres, I opted to travel from Kampala to Kigali with the Jaguar Bus Company, said to be the best of the long-distance buses in Uganda.
In hindsight, it was also a good move as on the roads nearer to the border, there was little traffic/alternative transport to be seen.
That's my usual modus operandi.
They are more fun in a sadistic kind of way and cheaper too. Not to mention a quicker border-crossing experience. It takes forever for them to process a bus full of people all arriving together. When I travel alone, I am (usually) done and dusted in minutes.
So why this sudden change?
Truth be told, I am tired. The days, months, and years are finally taking their toll. I have been a die-hard backpacker for almost 31 years.
I was also pushed for time.
I had allotted myself 10 weeks to get from Nairobi to Windhoek before catching a flight back to Nairobi for an onward flight to London.
I had already 'adjusted' my plan after I realised that 10 weeks was pushing it.
I have just booked a ticket from Lusaka, Zambia (instead of Windhoek, Namibia) to Nairobi and must be content at seeing Botswana and Namibia in and around the Caprivi Strip. Windhoek would have to wait.
And so, to save myself 4 or 5 days, and lots of uncomfortable kilometres, I opted to travel from Kampala to Kigali with the Jaguar Bus Company, said to be the best of the long-distance buses in Uganda.
In hindsight, it was also a good move as on the roads nearer to the border, there was little traffic/alternative transport to be seen.
How much from Kampala to Kigali by bus?
Before I left Kampala to go to Entebbe, I went to the Jaguar Bus Terminal and bought myself a ticket.
As of August 2023, the fare from Kampala to Kigali by bus is 70,000 UGX (20 USD):
As of August 2023, the fare from Kampala to Kigali by bus is 70,000 UGX (20 USD):
Departure time: 8 pm. This was perfect for me. I could hang out in Entebbe before taking a matatu back to Kampala at 4 pm ish.
After enjoying my stay in Entebbe, I took the non-express matatu back to Kampala. It took 2 hours.
As soon as I arrived, I headed back to the Jaguar Bus Terminal and exchanged my voucher for the actual ticket.
After enjoying my stay in Entebbe, I took the non-express matatu back to Kampala. It took 2 hours.
As soon as I arrived, I headed back to the Jaguar Bus Terminal and exchanged my voucher for the actual ticket.
How many hours from Kampala to Kigali by bus?
This is Africa. Forget your schedules and Western ideas. Buses leave pretty much on time but they will arrive when they arrive.
I asked how long the journey would take.
Arrival time in Kigali I was informed, would be sometime the next morning. "It depends on how long the border crossing takes".
I liked their honesty.
What they really meant was it depends how long it takes to fix the bus when it breaks down. 99% of the time, the bus will break down. This Is Africa. Get used to it if you can or go home.
Scroll down a ways to my Kampala to Kigali trip report but I'll tell you now that the bus from Kampala to Kigali took 19 1/2 hours including the 2 hours it took to get across the border and 6 hour delay for the bus to be fixed.
I asked how long the journey would take.
Arrival time in Kigali I was informed, would be sometime the next morning. "It depends on how long the border crossing takes".
I liked their honesty.
What they really meant was it depends how long it takes to fix the bus when it breaks down. 99% of the time, the bus will break down. This Is Africa. Get used to it if you can or go home.
Scroll down a ways to my Kampala to Kigali trip report but I'll tell you now that the bus from Kampala to Kigali took 19 1/2 hours including the 2 hours it took to get across the border and 6 hour delay for the bus to be fixed.
Requirements to travel from Uganda to Rwanda by bus
In preparation for the border crossing, this is what I had:
British don't need a visa to enter Rwanda. Always check with the relevant authorities before you travel.
- 4-night reservation at a hostel in Kigali the Mamba Rwanda Youth Hostel
- Yellow Fever certificate
- Return flight from Lusaka to London via Nairobi
British don't need a visa to enter Rwanda. Always check with the relevant authorities before you travel.
Where is the Jaguar Bus Company in Kampala located?
Kampala to Kigali trip report
The Jaguar Bus Company was said to be the best in Uganda. My Jaguar bus from Kampala to Kigali was an old Chinese Yutong bus. My seat was broken. The seat reclined at every bump. The promised WiFi didn't work.
My neighbour was listening to this cell phone, as were 3 or 4 others around me.
This is on top of the bus's own sound system. This Is Africa. It promised to be a long night.
These little annoyances were, it turned out, the least of my worries.
After midnight we stopped. There was a problem. This is Africa. There is always a fucking problem. Especially with buses.
The bus will most likely break down. It's almost a given. Arrival in Kigali would be when it arrived. Everything depends on how long it takes to get the bus fixed.
The gears weren't working so well so they tried to fix it. Two guys on a motorbike arrived with gas tanks and started welding both in the cab and underneath the bus.
They were unsuccessful. This wasted 2 hours.
A replacement cable was requested from Kampala, 4 hours away. And there we waited, until almost 6 am. TIA.
But at least the new cable was installed sharpish. And at 6.30 am we set off again.
And starting the engine had the effect of resetting the internet modem.
Welcome to Africa.
My neighbour was listening to this cell phone, as were 3 or 4 others around me.
This is on top of the bus's own sound system. This Is Africa. It promised to be a long night.
These little annoyances were, it turned out, the least of my worries.
After midnight we stopped. There was a problem. This is Africa. There is always a fucking problem. Especially with buses.
The bus will most likely break down. It's almost a given. Arrival in Kigali would be when it arrived. Everything depends on how long it takes to get the bus fixed.
The gears weren't working so well so they tried to fix it. Two guys on a motorbike arrived with gas tanks and started welding both in the cab and underneath the bus.
They were unsuccessful. This wasted 2 hours.
A replacement cable was requested from Kampala, 4 hours away. And there we waited, until almost 6 am. TIA.
But at least the new cable was installed sharpish. And at 6.30 am we set off again.
And starting the engine had the effect of resetting the internet modem.
Welcome to Africa.
Arrival at the Uganda/Rwanda Border
Arrived at the Katuna/ Gatuna Border Post at noon.
They have a 'one-stop' border crossing, just like in Busia. There is no 'no-man's-land' to walk across. The immigration office has both Ugandan and Rwandan immigration, side by side.
First, you get your luggage scanned and searched.
They have a 'one-stop' border crossing, just like in Busia. There is no 'no-man's-land' to walk across. The immigration office has both Ugandan and Rwandan immigration, side by side.
First, you get your luggage scanned and searched.
Can you take Plastic Bags to Rwanda?
Plastic Bags in Rwanda have been banned since 2008.
The message on the website is clear:
"Please refrain from bringing plastic bags to Rwanda. Banned by law since 2008, any plastic bags in your luggage will be confiscated at the airport or other point of entry".
So in preparation, I ditched all my plastic bags in Entebbe.
With my GRAMS28 126 Passport Wallet at the Uganda Rwanda border:
"Please refrain from bringing plastic bags to Rwanda. Banned by law since 2008, any plastic bags in your luggage will be confiscated at the airport or other point of entry".
So in preparation, I ditched all my plastic bags in Entebbe.
With my GRAMS28 126 Passport Wallet at the Uganda Rwanda border:
Do you need a visa for Rwanda?
Chances are that you do but Rwanda still issues visas on arrival and is also covered under the East Africa Tourist Visa. I hadn't bothered with that myself. The EATV costs 100 USD. I got my Kenya eVisa and Uganda eVisa separately at 50 USD each. Visa fees for Rwanda are waived for the members of the Commonwealth of Nations and Francophone countries.
Uganda Visa with exit stamp:
I was expecting a full-page sticker because Rwanda is not VISA FREE, we need a visa but the fee is waived, which is not the same thing but it's just a stamp.
I was the only Westerner travelling on the bus, so I couldn't ask anyone, regarding the VOA for non-exempt nationalities.
The only 'document' I needed to provide was the hostel reservation on my phone. Lots of boring questions. But it's part of the procedure.
Welcome to Rwanda, my 102nd UN Member State, 109th in the grand scheme of things.
So Kampala to the border was 16 hours including the 6-hour delay. 10 hours then.
The border crossing took 2 hours (lots of time spent fannying around by everyone).
Then it was another 90 minutes to Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.
This Is Africa! Remember that.
When asking "when will the bus arrive", the answer will be, (it will arrive) when it arrives. Think about it.
The only 'document' I needed to provide was the hostel reservation on my phone. Lots of boring questions. But it's part of the procedure.
Welcome to Rwanda, my 102nd UN Member State, 109th in the grand scheme of things.
So Kampala to the border was 16 hours including the 6-hour delay. 10 hours then.
The border crossing took 2 hours (lots of time spent fannying around by everyone).
Then it was another 90 minutes to Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.
This Is Africa! Remember that.
When asking "when will the bus arrive", the answer will be, (it will arrive) when it arrives. Think about it.