Kabale
Kabale’s about 420 km (260 mi), by road, southwest of Kampala, Uganda’s capital and the largest city and lies 2,000 m (6,600 ft) above sea level. Horizon and Gateway buses have buses to and from Kampala takes around 8 hours. Buses to and from Fort Portal take around 8 hours. Buses to and from Mbarara take around 3 hours. Kasese 7 hours. Kisoro 2 hours. Kabale to Kigali Rwanda is 104.3 km.
From Kampala to Kabale the road is straight forward and you can use public means but from Kabale to Lake Bunyonyi, you must either take a Taxi which may drop you at the shores from where you may be required to take a boat depending on where you will stay.
Kisoro
From Kampala, the road via Masaka to Mbarara is well surfaced (apart from verge damage) and reasonably wide so 100 km/h can be maintained. Light traffic once you leave the traffic mayhem and fumes of the capital, means you’re likely to take just less than 5 hours for this part of the journey. However, just after leaving Mbarara the road surface disintegrates and is badly potholed reducing speeds to 10-25 km/h for about 20 km until just before Ntungamo where road works were completed in Feb 2014. Once you leave Kabale the road narrows considerably but the tarmac surface is brand new and the billiard table smooth but very winding and scenic.
The Postbus, operated reliably and punctually by Uganda Post, departs M-Sa at 07:00 from the central Kampala post office in Kampala Road and arrives 10 hours later in Kisoro for USh30,000 one way. It seats 67 and you are guaranteed a seat if you book in advance (enter the post office as if you were buying stamps, take the first exit to the outside courtyard on your left, go round the corner of the building you just left, take the first door on your right, go down the corridor and enter Room 2 on your right. You can also get a ticket on the day of departure or from the conductor anywhere en route if you flag the bus down – it’s huge and bright red).
1 Baby Coaches, ☏ +256 772 422 451. Returning to Kampala, you may want to take the night bus for USh25,000 which leaves Kisoro at 19:15 and is scheduled to arrive in the capital at 06:00. Contrary to what you might expect from their name, they operate full-size, 67 seat Isuzu buses, typically screening Nigerian TV soap-operas to keep you entertained. Apart from the middle of the back row (excessively bumpy) and seat number 6 (aisle seat in row of 3 immediately behind the driver) legroom is very restricted for what may be 10 hours plus.
2 Gateway Bus Service, ☏ +256 703 555 075. Travels the same route as the Postbus between Kisoro and Kampala. Two-night bus services to Kampala for USh20,000: the first leaves Kisoro at 17:00 and is scheduled to arrive in the capital at 04:00; the second service leaves Kisoro at 20:00 and is scheduled to arrive in the capital at 07:00. Operate full size, 67 seat Isuzu buses and a big advantage for some is that they do not screen Nigerian TV soap-operas or allow smoking and have 2-3 toilet stops on the way. Limited legroom and cleanliness.
From Bunagana, DRC, climb the rutted apology for a “road” that is alternately gloopy with mud or whipped into a duststorm until you see the barriers of the Ugandan border post. Here bodo-bodos will be waiting. There are also sometimes large buses, but their schedules are sporadic and whimsical. Tarmac is then smooth and peaceful until you arrive in Kisoro 14 km later. Fuel is available on the left, 6 km after the border.
The Regal Sunbird (Nectarinia regia), frequently seen in the middle section of the road from Busanza to Kisoro.
From Busengo, DRC the road is lightly trafficked to the Ugandan border barrier and consequently is not as rutted as some more heavily used roads in the DRC. Gradients are as steep as 1 in 5 and typically the road does not allow two trucks to pass. Travelers need to be aware that the border crossing Busengo/Busanza is only legal if you cross using a passport from either the DRC or one of the countries of the East African Community (ie Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania or Uganda). Travelers bearing passports from other countries may physically be able to cross into Uganda here, but the officials at 3 Busanza Uganda Police Post should turn you back to the DRC. If you have a really good story, the immigration officer may allow you to continue to the crossing point at Bunagana 38 km further and obtain the necessary entry stamps and visa there, but that would be an act of exceptional kindness. In the hamlet of Busanza, they were not connected to the electric grid in June 2014 but the high tension cables have already been installed and they are expecting connection in the next 3 months.
Once you’ve crossed the (completely non-marked) border the road widens so two trucks can pass, the dirt surface is less rutted and gradients diminish to about 1 in 7. In May-June 2014 this was assessed as an all-weather road. Watch out for stray mud bricks/blocks in the road, though, because many mud quarries and brickworks are on this road. From the border, it’s about 27 km until you hit the tarmac, but the road is good enough to cruise at 25-35 km/h on a motorcycle.
From Ruhengeri, Rwanda, the road has been good for a while now and once you’re through the quick and relaxed Ugandan immigration the tarmac gets even smoother and the carriageway is about 10m wide with gradual bends. As of June 2014, there were no painted lines or reflectors on this new tarmac so you might want to drive this stretch during daylight – especially as the scenery is so attractive.
By plane
Kisoro Aerodrome. Just over 2 km to the east of the township, Kisoro airstrip’s single paved runway, measuring 1,300 m (4,300 ft) long and 40m wide straddles the main road, with a diversionary route in place when aircraft take off and land. There are plans to expand its length to 1,800 m (5,900 ft). Charters and semi-charters arrive and take off at least once daily to and from Entebbe so you may be able to bargain your way to a good deal. For more certainty, contact AeroLink who flies Cessna Grand Caravans (which seats 10 passengers and has two pilots) on a semi-scheduled timetable.
To Kigali (KGL IATA), the capital of Rwanda with daily direct flights on Brussels Airline from Brussels or Turkish Airlines from Istanbul. KLM also flies to Kigali directly from Amsterdam. RwandAir also has flights from Dubai (often via Mombasa) using its new Boeing 737-800 and separately from Johannesburg using the same aircraft. From Kigali, it is only about 3 hours on good roads to Kisoro – much shorter than from Entebbe