Top filming locations in Uganda – Popular places worth your shoot in Uganda
Great Adventure Safaris is a production and film fixer company, will comb all corners of Uganda the Pearl of Africa to make sure that you get the right filming locations for your shoot or production. We have assisted some production companies to locate filming locations in Uganda simply because we have been operating in this country for many years. Are you looking for Uganda filming locations to shoot wildlife Documentaries, what about people and culture in Uganda? We are ready to jump on, and we will arrange everything for you after research and location scouting.
Mountain Gorilla Filming in Uganda
Filming Mountain Gorillas is possible as long as you have the required paperwork and all the necessary permissions. Great Adventure Safaris can assist you in processing filming permits and contract from Uganda Wildlife Authority a body in charge of all National Parks in Uganda. Read more about filming in Bwindi impenetrable National park
There are logistical requirements involved if you want to film Mountain Gorillas. You will be required to pay USD4000 to film the Mountain Gorillas for one hour per day. On top of this, you are required to pay for Gorilla permits per person for a specific date. This means that if you have a crew composed of about five people, you will be required to pay for five Gorilla permits on top of the USD4000.
This money is paid to the Uganda Wildlife Authority who will in turn process a memorandum of understanding between Uganda Wildlife Authority and the filming company to authorize Mountain Gorilla filming. Once all the costs have been compiled, they will add a 5% to cater for environmental impacts on the forest.
Great Adventure Safaris have been processing filming permits and contracts on behalf of our clients and all we require from you is to tell us how many days, the exact dates of filming, and the number of people on the crew, and we will go ahead and process a contract to allow you film gorillas. This contract can take from five to two weeks so there is a need to plan to give this process ample time.
Mountain Gorillas are located in Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In Uganda Mountain Gorillas are in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga Gorilla National Parks while in Rwanda, they are found in Volcanoes National Park and the Democratic Republic of Congo are found in Virunga National Park.
Chimpanzee Filming in Uganda
Filming Chimpanzee in Uganda is the second popular shooting after Mountain Gorillas. At Great Adventure Safaris, we do offer guidance, logistical support, and advice on how to go about it. Habituated Chimpanzees are found in Kibale Forest National Park in western Uganda, Budongo Eco-Forest in North-Western Uganda, Karinzu Eco-Tourism Site, Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park plus Ngamba Island which is located 23kilometres inside Lake Victoria and can be reached by boat excursion. Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary is home to orphaned chimpanzees that have been rescued from animal traffickers and cannot return to their natural habitats. Chimpanzee research projects are in Kibale Forest National Park at Kanyawara Station under Makerere University and the other is in Budongo Forest.
Filming Chimpanzees in Kibale Forest National Park requires USD1000 per day for a film crew of not more than five people plus a Chimpanzee permit per person of USD200 per day. This excludes monitoring fees and USD1000 refundable fees which will be returned to you after presenting a copy of the DVD to the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
For Chimpanzee filming at Budongo Forest, you will need a filming permit from Uganda National Forestry Authority allowing you to film the Chimpanzees in Budongo Eco-Forest. Great Film Fixers do organize filming permits and contracts for Budongo Eco-Forest, Kalinzu Eco-Tourism Site, Kibale Forest National Park, and Kyambura Gorge plus any other place in Uganda and we do contact research centers if you need any help.
Banded Mongoose Filming in Uganda
Filming banded mongoose in Uganda is very possible. Researchers from the University of Exeter habituated banded mongoose in the northern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park known as Mweya Peninsular and are available for observation, research, and film. Mongoose filming in Queen Elizabeth National Park requires permission from researchers who have daily access to multiple habituated groups. Mongoose filming requires a fee of USD300 per day paid to researchers and before any filming takes place, one must get approval from Uganda Wildlife Authority.
A memorandum of understanding, referred to as Uganda Wildlife Authority filming contract or Uganda Wildlife Authority filming permit must be thought and Great Adventure Safaris helps you to organize this as long as you provide us with all the details as requested by Uganda Wildlife Authority. Uganda Wildlife Authority prefers writing an official letter directed to the Executive Director informing him of who you are, why you want to film banded mongoose in Uganda, when and how this will benefit the conservation of wildlife and tourism promotion at large. The charges will depend on the number of crew members, days you will spend filming banded mongoose in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Contact Great Adventure Safaris for details on how to process and acquire a contract to film banded mongoose in Uganda.
Banded mongooses (Mungos mungo) are small (ca.1.5Kg) diurnal mammals belonging to the Family Herpestidae. They live in mixed-sex groups which average around 20 individuals, but groups may sometimes grow to more than 70 individuals. Each group contains multiple breeding males and females, plus sub-adults and offspring. Groups sleep together in a single communal den, changing between den sites every 3-5 days. They emerge at sunrise and forage as a group in the morning and afternoon before returning to the den at sunset.
Unusually, there is no reproductive suppression of subordinate females in this species, and most females breed in each breeding attempt. In around most breeding attempts all pregnant females give birth on the same day. This level of birth synchrony is unique among mammals. Puppies are kept underground for 3-4 weeks before emerging from the den to join the group on foraging trips. During this period offspring are guarded at the den by one or more ‘babysitters’, usually males. After they start to travel with the group pups are guarded by adult escorts, again usually males. Each escort forms an exclusive bond with a single pup, guarding it against predators and teaching it to find and handle food.
Filming In Uganda National Parks
Great Adventure Safaris organizes wildlife filming in all Uganda National Parks on behalf of film crews that do contact us. We do this through logistical support and organization on behalf of our clients. We give advice depending on the requirements of our clients who are the film crews. Uganda boasts of ten National Parks each with different eco-systems and being Ugandans and professional at that, you will find our knowledge about wildlife very helpful.
Requirements for filming wildlife in Uganda
All National Parks in Uganda is under the Uganda Wildlife Authority that is in charge of protecting and conserving wildlife in and out of National Park. If you are interested in carrying out filming in Uganda National Parks then a filming contract will be required. Please do contact Great Adventure Safaris for information on how to process a filming contract with Uganda Wildlife Authority.
Uganda Wildlife Authority charges filming fees for filming in Uganda National Parks depending on how many members are in the crew and for how long they will be filming in given National Parks. The longer the filming, the less the fee and on top of that, the crew has to pay for vehicle and park entry fees, monitoring fees, and a refundable fee that will be given back after providing a copy of a DVD to Uganda Wildlife Authority.
Aerial Filming in Uganda
Uganda accepts Aerial filming and you too can film in any area of your interest. Great Adventure Safaris have had many film companies carrying out aerial filming in National Parks and forest of Uganda and we have worked with them on produced successful shoots.
We welcome film crews with their helicopters to come and do Aerial filming in Uganda but should you have no helicopter, please do not worry as our work is to fix all that you need. We have a good working relationship with fly Uganda and Aero link Uganda plus other aviation companies to get you any plane that you may need to conduct your Aerial shoot in Uganda. Most pilots at Tropic Air are well conversant with most points in Uganda and you will be excited working with them.
Great Adventure Safaris further helps you with securing flying permission from Civil Aviation Authority for your Aerial Filming in Uganda. Whether you are to film in National Parks or any other place, Civil Aviation Authority must permit you to do so. For more information about obtaining clearance for Aerial filming in Uganda, do contact Great Adventure Safaris and we will be there at your best.
If you have your kit fixed in your helicopter, you might not need to pay for kit clearing fees but if you are to film in any National Park, you will be required to pay for the filming contract and landing fees on top of that, and we can help you find the top filming locations in Uganda and all the required permits and permissions.