Expedition Concierge
Whether you have questions regarding primate permits, seasonal migration routes, or wish to begin planning a private group journey, our specialists are at your service.
Send an Inquiry
Fill in your details below and a journey director will reach out within 24 hours.
Get in Touch Directly
Regional Presence
Kigali, Rwanda
Operations & Primate Permit Coordination
Kampala, Uganda
Savannah Safaris & Bush Charters
Frequently asked questions.
Quick answers for planning your journey.
Mountain gorilla permits in Rwanda ($1,500) and Uganda ($800) are strictly capped each day by national wildlife services to safeguard primate welfare and prevent habitat degradation. Only 8 permits are issued per habituated gorilla family daily. For peak dry season months (June through September and December through February), permits frequently sell out 6 to 12 months ahead. Veltrava secures and registers official permits directly with the Rwanda Development Board and Uganda Wildlife Authority immediately upon itinerary confirmation.
Volcanoes National Park permits also include an invitation to private conservation briefings and the Ellen DeGeneres Gorilla Campus on the eve of your trek.
Multi-country journeys are Veltrava’s signature specialty. We coordinate the unified East Africa Tourist Visa (covering Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya simultaneously), private tarmac transfers, and direct regional air charters. For example, you can trek gorillas in Volcanoes National Park in the morning, board a private Cessna Caravan charter at Kigali International Airport, and land directly on an exclusive bush airstrip in the Maasai Mara or Serengeti by mid-afternoon—bypassing crowded international hubs.
Our ground concierge teams handle all customs clearance, luggage transfers, and health declarations while you relax in private VIP lounges.
Flights between remote bush strips (e.g., Serengeti, Mara, and Bwindi) operate on specialized bush aircraft such as the Cessna Grand Caravan 208B, where cargo pods require soft-sided duffel bags without rigid frames or hard outer shells. The weight allowance is 15kg (33 lbs) per guest inclusive of hand luggage. Because every luxury tented camp and eco-lodge in our portfolio provides complimentary daily laundry service, packing light is comfortable, practical, and recommended.
Complimentary secure lockable storage is available at our Kigali and Nairobi hubs for hard-shell luggage and city attire during your bush chapters.
We work exclusively with boutique eco-lodges, private luxury tented camps, and intimate heritage properties that maintain exemplary conservation standards and architectural integrity. Guests enjoy heated private plunge pools overlooking volcanic ridgelines, crackling stone hearths in high-altitude forests, sommelier-curated wine cellars, organic farm-to-table cuisine prepared by executive chefs, and discrete, intuitive personal butler service.
We audit every partner property quarterly for environmental acoustics, solar power reliability, and community revenue sharing.
Mountain gorilla trekking is exceptional year-round in the mist-veiled Virunga Volcanoes, with slightly firmer footpaths from June to September and December to February. The Great Migration herds traverse the Mara River between July and October, and gather on the short-grass plains of the Southern Serengeti for the synchronized calving season between January and March. We customize your bespoke itinerary to seamlessly align both wildlife spectacles in one journey.
February in the Southern Serengeti offers unprecedented predator action, with over 8,000 wildebeest calves born daily amid resident lion and cheetah prides.
National park regulations enforce a strict minimum age requirement of 15 years for mountain gorilla and chimpanzee trekking to safeguard both primate health and young travelers. However, for savannah safaris and coastal chapters in Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda, we arrange private 4x4 safari vehicles, exclusive-use family safari villas, child-certified naturalist guides, and junior ranger bushcraft and tracking programs.
For families with travelers under 15, we provide dedicated lodge childcare and guided cultural workshops while older family members complete primate treks.
Every Veltrava traveler is automatically enrolled in comprehensive 24/7 emergency medical evacuation coverage through AMREF Flying Doctors, providing rapid air ambulance transport to top-tier international tertiary hospitals in Nairobi or Kigali. Our private expedition 4x4 vehicles are equipped with real-time satellite trackers, emergency trauma first-aid kits, and direct high-frequency radio links to national park headquarters.
Prior to departure, our medical liaison provides detailed advisory briefings on altitude acclimatization, yellow fever requirements, and malaria prophylaxis.
Conservation is central to Veltrava. 10% of every national park permit fee is directly allocated by national park authorities to local community projects—funding health clinics, schools, and clean water infrastructure around park boundaries. Veltrava enforces a strict zero-single-use-plastic mandate across all expeditions, supports community ranger cooperatives, and guarantees fair, industry-leading wages and pensions for all native trackers and guides.
Upon request, your itinerary can include visits to local tea and honey cooperatives, women's weaving artisan centers, or indigenous tree nurseries.