14 Days Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park, Victoria Falls and Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda or Uganda
The Ultimate Southern & East Africa Safari Itinerary
A complete day-by-day guide to combining Botswana’s wildest wetlands, the thundering spectacle of Victoria Falls, and once-in-a-lifetime mountain gorilla encounters
Few journeys on Earth pack as much raw wilderness, thundering water, and heart-stopping wildlife encounters into two weeks as this 14-day route through Southern and East Africa. Beginning in the flooded grasslands of Botswana’s Okavango Delta, rolling through the elephant kingdom of Chobe National Park, pausing at the roar of Victoria Falls, and ending face-to-face with mountain gorillas in the misty volcanoes of Rwanda or Uganda, this itinerary is built for travelers who want the very best of the African continent without compromise.
This guide breaks the trip down day by day, covers logistics between each destination, and compares the two gorilla trekking countries so you can decide which suits your budget, timeline, and travel style. Whether you are a first-time safari traveler or a seasoned Africa hand ticking off a bucket-list combination, this itinerary delivers big cats, bigger elephants, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, and the rarest great ape encounter on the planet.
Trip Snapshot
| Days | Destination | Country | Highlights |
| 1 – 4 | Okavango Delta | Botswana | Mokoro canoe safaris, walking safaris, big game by water |
| 5 – 6 | Chobe National Park | Botswana | World’s largest elephant population, Chobe River cruise |
| 7 – 8 | Victoria Falls | Zambia / Zimbabwe | The world’s largest sheet of falling water, adrenaline activities |
| 9 – 13 | Volcanoes NP or Bwindi | Rwanda or Uganda | Mountain gorilla trekking, golden monkeys, culture |
| 14 | Departure | Kigali or Entebbe | Fly home or extend your trip |
Best Time to Travel
The dry season from June to October is the sweet spot for this entire route. Water levels in the Okavango Delta peak between June and August, making mokoro and boat safaris spectacular, while game concentrates around permanent water in Chobe. Victoria Falls is at its most thunderous just after the rains (March to May) but the mist can obscure views, whereas July to January offers clearer photography with lower water volumes. Gorilla trekking runs year-round in both Rwanda and Uganda, though the drier months of June to September and December to February make for easier hiking through the forest.
Days 1-4: Okavango Delta, Botswana
The journey begins in Maun, Botswana’s safari gateway town, from where a light aircraft transfer whisks you over the delta’s braided channels and islands to a private safari camp deep in the wetlands. The Okavango Delta is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the only major deltas in the world that never reaches the sea, instead spilling into the Kalahari sands and creating a permanent oasis for wildlife.
Day 1: Arrival in Maun & Flight into the Delta
Arrive at Maun Airport and connect via light aircraft charter to your chosen safari camp in the Okavango Delta. The scenic flight itself is a highlight, offering aerial views of elephants, hippo pools, and the delta’s intricate waterways. Settle into camp, enjoy a welcome lunch, and head out on a late-afternoon game drive or mokoro (traditional dugout canoe) excursion before dinner under the stars.
Day 2: Mokoro Safaris & Island Walks
Spend the morning gliding silently through papyrus-lined channels aboard a mokoro, poled by an experienced local guide. This is the quintessential Okavango experience, bringing you eye-level with frogs, kingfishers, and grazing lechwe. In the afternoon, disembark on a delta island for a guided walking safari, tracking game on foot with an armed guide, followed by sundowners on a floodplain.
Day 3: Full-Day Game Drives
Today is dedicated to game drives through the delta’s mosaic of floodplains, palm islands, and mopane woodland. The Okavango supports healthy populations of lion, leopard, cheetah, African wild dog, and huge herds of buffalo and elephant, alongside prolific birdlife including fish eagles and saddle-billed storks. A picnic brunch in the bush and an evening drive round out the day.
Day 4: Delta Departure & Transfer to Chobe
Enjoy one final sunrise activity before transferring by light aircraft to Kasane, gateway to Chobe National Park. Depending on flight schedules, you may arrive in time for an afternoon activity, or simply settle into your riverside lodge for the evening.
Days 5-6: Chobe National Park, Botswana
Chobe is famed for having the largest concentration of elephants in Africa, with herds numbering in the tens of thousands congregating along the Chobe River, particularly during the dry season. This compact but wildlife-dense park delivers some of the continent’s best elephant photography.
Day 5: Chobe River Cruise & Game Drive
Start with a sunrise game drive through Chobe’s riverfront, where elephant, buffalo, giraffe, and puku graze along the floodplain. In the late afternoon, board a private boat for a Chobe River cruise, drifting alongside pods of hippo, basking crocodiles, and elephant herds that wade into the river to drink and bathe, all set against a golden African sunset.
Day 6: Morning Safari & Transfer to Victoria Falls
Take a final early-morning game drive before transferring by road (roughly 1.5 to 2 hours) across the border to Victoria Falls, either on the Zambian side (Livingstone) or the Zimbabwean side (Victoria Falls town). Both border towns offer excellent lodges and immediate access to the falls.
Days 7-8: Victoria Falls
Known locally as Mosi-oa-Tunya, ‘The Smoke that Thunders,’ Victoria Falls is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World and the largest sheet of falling water on the planet, spanning nearly two kilometers and plunging over 100 meters into the Batoka Gorge.
Day 7: Guided Tour of the Falls
Spend the morning exploring the walking trails along the rim of the falls, with viewpoints delivering different perspectives of the cascading water, permanent rainbows, and dense spray forest. In the afternoon, choose from an extensive activity menu: a helicopter ‘Flight of Angels’ for an aerial view, white-water rafting on the Zambezi, a sunset river cruise, or a visit to a local cultural village.
Day 8: Free Day & Onward Flight
Use the morning for optional adrenaline activities such as bungee jumping off the Victoria Falls Bridge, the Gorge Swing, or, seasonally, swimming in Devil’s Pool at the very edge of the falls. In the afternoon, transfer to the airport for your onward flight to Kigali, Rwanda, or Entebbe, Uganda, to begin the gorilla trekking phase of your journey.
Days 9-13: Gorilla Trekking – Choose Rwanda or Uganda
The final leg of this itinerary is the encounter most travelers describe as life-changing: tracking mountain gorillas through misty montane forest. Both Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park and Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park offer world-class trekking, but they differ in cost, access, and overall experience. Choose the option below that best fits your trip.
Option A: Rwanda – Volcanoes National Park
Rwanda offers the most convenient gorilla trekking experience in Africa, with Volcanoes National Park only a two-to-three-hour drive from Kigali International Airport, excellent road infrastructure, and a range of luxury lodges around Musanze.
Day 9: Arrive Kigali & Transfer to Musanze
Land at Kigali International Airport, optionally take a short city tour including the Kigali Genocide Memorial, then drive approximately two to three hours north to Musanze, the base town for Volcanoes National Park, arriving in time for dinner.
Day 10: Mountain Gorilla Trekking
After an early briefing at park headquarters, set out with an experienced guide and trackers into the bamboo and montane forest of the Virunga volcanoes. Trekking times vary from 30 minutes to several hours depending on where the gorilla families are located that day. Once found, visitors spend a strictly limited one hour observing the gorillas at close range, an unforgettable and deeply moving experience.
Day 11: Golden Monkey Trekking or Second Gorilla Permit
Spend a second day in the park tracking the playful, acrobatic golden monkeys found only in the Virunga Massif, or, for those wanting a second gorilla encounter, arrange an additional trekking permit. Alternatively, visit the Dian Fossey Tomb via a moderate hike, or explore Musanze Caves.
Day 12: Lake Kivu or Kigali Leisure Day
Relax with a scenic drive to the shores of Lake Kivu for a lakeside lunch and boat cruise, or head back toward Kigali for cultural visits, craft markets, and the Nyamirambo Women’s Center walking tour.
Day 13: Kigali City & Preparation for Departure
A leisure day in Kigali, one of Africa’s cleanest and safest capitals, with time for last-minute shopping at Kimironko Market, a coffee tour, or simply relaxing before your evening or next-day flight.
Option B: Uganda – Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Uganda offers a more affordable gorilla permit and the chance to combine trekking with the savannah landscapes of Queen Elizabeth National Park, though it requires a longer overland transfer or a domestic flight from Entebbe.
Day 9: Arrive Entebbe & Fly or Drive to Bwindi
Land at Entebbe International Airport and either take a scenic domestic flight (around 1.5 hours) directly to an airstrip near Bwindi, or begin an overland drive of roughly eight to nine hours, often broken up with a stop at Queen Elizabeth National Park for a short game drive.
Day 10: Mountain Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to roughly half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas across several habituated family groups. After a briefing at your designated sector, trek through dense, ancient rainforest, sometimes steep and muddy, to spend a magical hour with a gorilla family in their natural habitat.
Day 11: Batwa Cultural Experience or Second Trek
Choose between a second day of gorilla trekking, a visit to a habituated gorilla family for an extended four-hour gorilla habituation experience, or a Batwa cultural trail learning about the indigenous forest-dwelling Batwa people and their traditional way of life before displacement from the forest.
Day 12: Queen Elizabeth National Park Game Drive
Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park for a game drive across open savannah dotted with acacia, home to tree-climbing lions in the Ishasha sector, elephants, buffalo, and hippo-filled channels connecting Lake Edward and Lake George. An optional boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel offers superb wildlife viewing.
Day 13: Transfer to Entebbe
Return to Entebbe by road or domestic flight, with time for a visit to the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre or a relaxed afternoon on the shores of Lake Victoria before your final night.
Day 14: Departure
Transfer to Kigali International Airport or Entebbe International Airport for your international flight home, bringing to a close a 14-day journey through some of Africa’s most iconic and untouched wilderness.
Rwanda vs Uganda for Gorilla Trekking: Quick Comparison
| Factor | Rwanda (Volcanoes NP) | Uganda (Bwindi) |
| Gorilla permit cost | Higher (premium pricing) | More affordable |
| Access from capital | 2-3 hour drive from Kigali | 8-9 hour drive or short flight from Entebbe |
| Terrain | Volcanic slopes, moderate | Dense rainforest, can be steep and muddy |
| Add-on wildlife | Golden monkeys, volcanoes | Savannah game (Queen Elizabeth NP), tree-climbing lions |
| Infrastructure | More luxury lodges, paved roads | More budget and mid-range options |
Practical Travel Tips
Visas & Entry Requirements
- Botswana: Many nationalities receive visa-free entry for short stays; check current requirements before travel.
- Zambia and Zimbabwe: A KAZA UniVisa is available for travelers visiting both countries around Victoria Falls, valid for multiple entries between the two.
- Rwanda: Most nationalities can obtain a visa on arrival or via the online East Africa Tourist Visa.
- Uganda: An East Africa Tourist Visa covers Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda and can be applied for online in advance.
Gorilla Permits
Gorilla trekking permits are strictly limited and should be booked several months in advance, especially for travel during peak season (June to September and December to February). Permits sell out quickly, so securing your date early is essential to locking in this itinerary.
What to Pack
- Neutral-colored, lightweight safari clothing (khaki, olive, brown)
- A warm layer and rain jacket for early mornings and forest trekking
- Sturdy, broken-in hiking boots for gorilla trekking
- Gardening-style gloves for gripping vegetation on steep forest trails
- Binoculars, a good zoom camera lens, and spare batteries
- Broad-spectrum sunscreen, insect repellent, and personal medications
- A soft-sided duffel bag, required for light aircraft transfers in the delta
Getting Around
This itinerary relies on a mix of light aircraft charters (Okavango Delta to Chobe/Kasane), road transfers (Chobe to Victoria Falls), and international or regional flights (Victoria Falls to Kigali or Entebbe). Booking through a specialist Africa tour operator ensures these connections are seamlessly coordinated, particularly given the remote airstrips involved in the delta and gorilla trekking regions.
Health & Safety
- Malaria prophylaxis is recommended for Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, and Uganda.
- Yellow fever vaccination certificates may be required depending on your routing and country of origin.
- Gorilla trekking has a minimum age requirement of 15 years and requires a reasonable level of fitness.
- Travel insurance covering medical evacuation is strongly advised given the remote locations visited.
Final Thoughts
This 14-day itinerary threads together four of Africa’s most extraordinary destinations into a single, logistically sound journey: the water-world wilderness of the Okavango Delta, the elephant-thronged banks of Chobe, the raw power of Victoria Falls, and the profound, humbling experience of sitting quietly beside a wild mountain gorilla family. Whether you choose to end your trip in Rwanda’s volcanoes or Uganda’s ancient rainforest, this route delivers the very best of Southern and East Africa in a single, unforgettable adventure.
