Filming Wildlife In Kenya
Kenya is one of the countries in Africa that have an abundance of wildlife, from the big five to the small mammals. The diversity and big populations are something to look out for, with its stable climate, and hospitable people, the country is truly a place to visit and film. Below are some of the best places to film wildlife.
TSAVO
Tsavo National Park was set up in the year of 1948. It is the largest National Park in Kenya. The Park is partitioned into the east and western sectors. These two sectors of the park are intersected by the Nairobi to Mombasa railway and road. The park is popular for its big populations of wildlife. The park has large elephants, lions, buffaloes, hippos cheetahs, leopards, lesser kudu, zebras, porcupine , hyrax, wild dogs, mongoose and crocodiles. When filming in this park, you will see the Yatta plateau which is one of the longest larva flows, mzima springs, Ngulia Rhino sanctuary, Lugard falls and caves which are all found in the park.
MERU
Located in the East Northeastern part of Kenya in the District of Meru in the Eastern province. The park is a savannah National Park. This park is a part of the protected areas along the Tana River. These protected areas include; Bisanadi reserve, Mwingi National Reserve, Rahole national reserve and Kora National Park. The Tana River that flows through the park provides several streams of water for the wildlife. Some of the animals to look out for include elephants, eland, grevy’s zebra, common waterbuck, buffalos, gerenuk, hippos, leopards, cheetahs and bush pigs. The park has a section where no cars are allowed to pass and it is explored on foot. In addition to this, the Adamson’s falls are resident in this park.
MASAI MARA
Masai Mara is one of the popular and commonly known reserve of Kenya. The reserve is a treasure of wildlife and has played a big role in the tourism industry of the country. The wildlife found here is in big numbers and in variety. The park has about 95 mammal species, 400 bird species and a good number of amphibians. The mara is also popular for the annual wildebeest migration that happens in July. The animals cross over from Serengeti in search of fresh pastures and then cross back in October. The big five are present in the mara and many more animals that include hippos, waterbucks, cheetah, hyenas, lions, crocodiles, warthogs, foxes, jackals, elephants, reedbuck, leopards, and zebras. The communities surrounding the mara are also great to film. The communities act as dispersal areas and have given their
AMBOSELI
Amboseli National Park is another exceptional place to film wildlife in Kenya. The park is known to have five major habitats for wildlife that include acacia woodland, open plains, rocky thorn bushes, swamps and marshland. During the rainy season, the park has a temporary lake known as Lake Amboseli that is filled die to the floods. The parks populations of wildlife are enormous and they include both the tiny and large elephants, lions, crocodiles, zebras, lesser kudu, hyrax, giraffes, buffaloes, leopards, wild dogs and cheetahs. This park also gives you access to the neighboring masai people. You can film their culture and their vibrant way of life. The masai are the most popular cultural group known in Kenya and they are known for their amazing crafts.
MWEA
Mwea National Reserve is located at the confluence of the thiba and Tana Rivers. This reserve was set apart in 1976 for the purpose of wildlife conservation. The reserve is booming with wildlife that includes leopards, buffaloes, elephants, jackals, hyenas, duikers, bushbucks, dik dik, yellow baboons, hartebeests, gents, stripped ground squirrels and many more. The reserve is one of the best places to film hippos that are always found at the hippo point.
In addition to those are other parks and reserves that include Nasolot park, sheldrick trust, ol pejeta conservancy, rimoi national reserve, kora national park, dodri national reserve, mountan longonot park, mountain Kenya park, shaba reserve, marsabit reserve, mwingi reserve, siana wildlife trust and many more.
What you need to film in Kenya
Most importantly, you will be required to have a filming permit that is issued by the Kenya film commission. For you to get this permit, you must submit a letter and a form application that talks about your shoot, its synopsis , reason for the shoot and anything else required. The application process for the filming permit takes a short period and within 48 hours, the application is processed. Contact us at Film crew fixers to arrange this for you.
Special passes
In addition to the filming permit, you will need special passes that work as worm permits for media crews each visitor is required to pay 155usd to the Immigration Department for a special pass before engaging in any film shooting. We highly recommend that you travel after all the necessary filming paperwork has been covered to avoid any kind of inconveniences.
Customs clearance
Kenya is does not have a carnet system and for that reason, equipment has to be cleared through a bonded agent. 1% of the value of the equipment is paid to have it temporarily allowed in for your shoot. This amount is paid to the customs department of kenya.
What is needed for press accreditation in Kenya
All members of the crew are supposed to have accreditation. Without it, you cannot be allowed to film in Kenya. Press accreditation has to be done through a local fixer agent. This requirement is mandatory for all applications to make feature films or documentaries. Every member of the crew is required to fill a Kenya Film License Form (which we normally send to you) with all details. After scanning it is sent back to us with a copy of the original passport and a passport sized photograph. The whole process of media accreditation takes about two to three weeks.
Visa
You can apply for a tourist visa both online and at the entry point. The visa costs 51usd and its best for you to get it before landing into the country to avoid any kind of inconveniences.
Vehicle and Transportation Services
Film Crew Fixers will help you organize transport for film crews to film in Kenya. The transportation services all depend on your interest, the nature of the roads and the schedule. For us to have a final estimate how much it will cost in terms of fuel, we will need to look at your filming schedule to have an established mileage and distance to be traveled. We also organize both charter and scheduled air transport for those that are interested in flying to reduce the number of hours.
Lodging and accommodation.
Lodge and Hotel options to stay in vary from Budget, and mid-range to luxury options. You will choose what to stay in depending on your interests and filming location.
Best time to film in Kenya.
Filming in Kenya is done throughout the year and the best time is during the dry season months of June to September and December to March.
Choose Film crew fixers.
Film crew Fixers is a film Fixing Company with its major office in Uganda, we pride ourselves with assisting filming companies and Production agencies that are interested in filming in several African countries. We are very capable in handling all fixer services required. our team of local fixers and driver guides is very professional .over the years, we have been able to get all relevant connections with other service providers and authority agencies to make sure that accreditation and filming permits are easily processed. Contact us for details and all relevant information you would like to know for successful filming in kenya.
