Time: 10 hours
Cost: 35,000 Shillings
There are three options for people looking to travel between Arusha and Mwanza by bus – north through Kenya and back down (which means getting a Kenyan visa and overnighting in Nairobi), straight through the Serengeti (which means taking on a bad road in a bad bus at high speeds and having to pay park entry fees without being likely to see anything), or south via Shinyanza.
The recommended route at the time was through Kenya due to the terrible quality of the roads on the other routes. I ignored this advice and opted to go south through Shinyanza. It was one of the most terrifying bus journeys of my life but, when I did the trip in July 2010, there were new roads being constructed alongside the crappy road we were on. I don’t know how long it takes to make a road but I would guess that these are done by down which would drastically improve the trip. That won’t help with the crazy drivers but it’s a start.
It’s recommended that you buy your ticket at least a day in advance or more to be able to secure a good seat. Sit near the front, if possible. I was in the second last row and I got flung around like a rag doll. You can get your ticket the central bus station which might not be where you were dropped off if you arrived from Dar Es Salaam by bus. Prepare to be accosted by ticket sellers. They’re harmless but I was being swarmed so I walked away, stared at them all and told them I wasn’t going to go buy my ticket unless they backed off. They looked a little bemused but gave me the space I needed to buy my own ticket.
Whatever you do, don’t drink too much water before you get on this bus. They don’t stop for toilet breaks very often. I thought I was going to pee my pants at one point before they finally stopped. It was a traumatic bus experience all round, actually. If you want to read more about in check out this post on my blog: Rwanda by Bus = Possible Not My Best Idea.
