Gorilla Filming In Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of
Congo
With the required paper work tourists it's very possible to
film mountain gorillas in the three countries. Each national
park with gorillas in those three countries has its own
filming permits or documentation. The following organization
are responsible for processing permits in their respective
countries;
Uganda wildlife Authority
for Uganda,
Rwanda Development Board
for Rwanda and
Virunga National Park
for
Democratic Republic of Congo. Filming mountain gorillas is allowed in all three countries
because it's one way of promoting tourism and global awareness
to the worlds and raising resources for conservation of these
endangered species. The filming crew does not mix with other
travelers except for park guides
Gorilla in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
Let's design a birding, gorilla trekking, chimpanzee
trekking and wildlife viewing safari specifically for
you
Mountain Gorilla filming in Uganda- Bwindi Impenetrable
National Park and Mgahinga National Park
The first step to be done when you want gorilla filming is to
apply for a media card from
Uganda Media Centre
before every member of the film crew must have this card. The
Uganda Media Centre
requires knowing the tourist names, address, nationality,
passport and the purpose of the visit as well as how many days
they will stay in the country. The approval from the Uganda
media might take 3-5 days. When a tourist receives the
approval form, they write a letter to
Uganda Wildlife Authority
with details about the filming company, purpose of the filming
and park they are going to film at.
In Uganda a charge
equivalent to 40% of the activity fee plus 10% monitoring fee.
For tourist that with intention to film in
Bwindi Impenetrable forest national park
will pay for a gorilla permit ($700 per person to film for one
hour), 40% of the permit fee and 10% group fee as monitoring
fees. The gorilla habituation filming permit of four hours
costs $1500 per person. After payment to
Uganda wildlife authority, a memorandum of understanding to approve filming is signed
between the tourist filming and
Uganda wildlife authority. Upon compilation of costs a 5% charge will be applied on
the total fee to cater for impacts to the environment in the
forest. Book in advance at least 4 months before the actual
filming day for better planning.
On arrival in Uganda, the
gorilla filming crew have to show their equipment at the
airport for clearance. The filming tourists that intend to use
a drone need another approval from
Uganda people's defense
forces and the aviation authority.
Black Back Gorilla in Rwanda
Let's design a birding, gorilla trekking, chimpanzee
trekking and wildlife viewing safari specifically for
you
Mountain Gorilla Filming In Rwanda - The Volcanoes National
Park
Volcanoes National park
is the only place in
Rwanda where gorillas are
found with 10 habituated groups. The
Rwanda development board
is the body responsible for approving of gorilla filming tours
in the country. Filming gorillas in Rwanda costs about $5000
not including gorilla permits. Rwanda gorillas permit costs
$1500 per person.
Rwanda development board
requires you to pay an additional fee of $2000 which is
refunded later if you share a copy of your film/documentary.
Tourists need to book your permit and clear filming equipment
in advance
Gorilla hanging in a tree
Let's design a birding, gorilla trekking, chimpanzee
trekking and wildlife viewing safari specifically for
you
Gorilla filming in Democratic Republic of Congo - Virunga and
Kahuzi Biega national park
Kahuzi Biega National park
where you find eastern lowland gorillas and
Virunga National Park
is where gorillas can be filmed. Gorilla filming can be best
done in
Democratic Republic of Congo
because the parks receive fewer visitors which enable them to
enjoy the undisturbed wilderness in privacy though it is very
expensive in
Democratic Republic of Congo
than in Uganda and
Rwanda
since the country doesn't have an established system for
allowing gorilla filming. Tourists who want to film apply at
the national parks and wait for response. Unauthorized filming
without military or government approval can result into
confiscation of equipment and arrest. The eastern side of
Democratic Republic of Congo
has civil unrest every other time for the last decades and
tourists should expect heavy deployments and many armed
rangers.
Let's design a birding, gorilla trekking, chimpanzee
trekking and wildlife viewing safari specifically for
you
Requirements for a filming trip
-
Long Sleeved shirts and pants, Hiking boots and stockings,
Rain coat and gloves
- Walking sticks and porters
- Video Cameras and lighting
- Extra rechargeable batteries
- Insect repellents
- Backpack for snacks and water
- Sunglasses
Eastern Lowland Gorilla Kahuzi Biega National Park
Let's design a birding, gorilla trekking, chimpanzee
trekking and wildlife viewing safari specifically for
you
Photographing Gorillas
A tourist planning to do photography for gorillas is advised
to carry two cameras as the gorillas are always on the move
and there no likely change to change lenses. Tourists ought to
move carefully and slowly when photographing gorillas. Flash
photography is not allowed in the forest as it scares and
frightens the gorillas.
In
Bwindi Impenetrable forest national park
and Mgahinga National Park, there is no price set up for
photographing gorillas. A tourist is expected to use the one
hour encounter with the gorillas to take some good snaps. For
those who would like a longer time experience with the
gorillas should book the gorilla habituation experience which
lasts about four hours and this gives more time to capture
nice pictures.
Photographers are advised to follow the gorilla trekking
guidelines and rules issues by the park rangers like keeping a
distance of 7 meters from the gorillas, avoiding direct eye
contact and not standing taller than the gorillas when near
them. Best time to photograph the gorillas is the dry season
of June to September and December to February.
Gorilla in Uganda - Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
National Park
Let's design a birding, gorilla trekking, chimpanzee
trekking and wildlife viewing safari specifically for
you
What Camera equipment to take to the forest
- SLR Camera
- Lenses 24-70mm and 70-200M
- Rechargeable batteries
-
Waterproof camera bag as it's the tropical rainforests and
it can rain any time.
- Raincoat, hiking boots, long sleeved clothes
- Insect repellants
Let's design a birding, gorilla trekking, chimpanzee
trekking and wildlife viewing safari specifically for
you
