Filming in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Are you an international, regional or local media company, ad agency, brand, or production, a filming company looking for filming in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park or photography production support and shooting crew for filming gorillas in Uganda we highly recommend filming gorillas in Uganda compared to Rwanda and Congo? Uganda is the leading destination for gorilla tourism as it has half of the remaining mountain gorillas in the word. filming in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park will give you an opportunity to shoot different documentaries of various activities at this park which include Mountain Gorilla tracking, Batwa cultural trail experience, and volcano climbing among others. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is the other national park where you can do gorilla tracking to see the endangered apes in their natural habitat; it is as well great for adventurers offering 3 volcanoes for hiking.

About Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is Uganda’s smallest national park which is located on the border with Rwanda. It is one of the national parks that make the great Virunga ranges with others including Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Virunga National Park in DR Congo. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is made up of 3 extinct volcanoes which include Muhavura, Gahinga and Sabinyo. It is home to the endangered mountain gorillas and Golden monkeys, other species including birds, reptiles and forest mammals can be sighted during your visit at this park.

Requirements for filming in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Filming in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is charged at 40% of any activity you plan for your shoot for example for filming gorillas, a gorilla permit is at $700 and so the Gorilla filming permit comes to $280 per person. You will need to get a filming permit from Uganda Wildlife Authority to allow you film gorillas in Uganda in Mgahinga Gorilla national park you are interested in filming gorillas, on top of this you will also need to process and get media cards from the Uganda Media Council. Then your filming equipment will also need to be cleared with customs at the Point of Entry in Uganda. Contact us at Eco Adventure Safaris Uganda we will be able to process both the filming permissions with Local Authorities, Uganda Wildlife Authority, Uganda Media cards, Accommodation, transportation for you as well guide and help you with clearance processes at the point of entry into Uganda.

Press Accreditation

All film crew members are by law supposed to be accredited by Uganda Media Council. Once this process is completed, each crew member will be given a media card which costs USD175.00 for 30 days filming and USD225.00 for up to 60 days filming. Each crew member is required to fill Form G (which we normally send to you) with all details, scan and send it back to us with a copy of his/her passport as well as one photograph to be put on his/her media card. On top of this, we will need a letter from the filming company detailing who they are, why they are filming, where they will be filming and details of crew members on this shoot. We will attach this letter to all details provided and send them to Uganda Media Council for Media card processing. This takes 2-3 working days to have these media cards ready.

Vehicle Hire Services

Eco Adventure Safaris Uganda organizes transport for film crews depending on their interest, budget and the nature of roads in such selected locations. For rough terrains, like in National Parks, we recommend Customized 4×4 Land Cruisers which costs from USD200-250 per vehicle per day with Driver/Fixer or 4×4 Safari Vans from USD200 per Van per day with driver/Fixer. For us to estimate how much it will cost in terms of fuel, we will need to look at your filming schedule to establish mileage and distance to be travelled. We also organize both charter and schedule air transport for those that need to fly in order to reduce on the number of hours. For those filming on water bodies, Eco Adventure Safaris works with other credible service providers who are in position to hire us boats.

Fixers in Uganda to help you film gorillas in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

All our vehicles come with drivers who act as location fixers and most of them have been to almost all parts of Uganda and are thus conversant with the local situations and are able to provide relevant information and fix any situation on ground. These act as intermediaries between you and our office while on location in Uganda.

Top activities to film in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Gorilla Tracking in Mgahinga

Gorilla Tracking in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is done daily starting in the morning at 7am with a briefing after that you set off to trek through Gahinga forest to search for the endangered mountain gorillas. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park has one habituated gorilla family that is Nyakagezi gorilla family with this only 8 gorilla permits are available for gorilla tracking in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park every day. It is recommended you book your gorilla permit in advance atleast 2-3 months before visiting the park so that you are not disappointed.

Golden Monkey Tracking

Golden Monkey tracking in Uganda is only done in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, like gorilla tracking this also starts in the morning with briefing and after you head out with walking through the forest in search for these endangered monkeys. Golden monkey tracking permits are readily available and can be purchased on arrival at the park headquarters.

Golden Monkey Habituation

Golden Monkey Habituation in Uganda is only done in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, this gives you an opportunity to spend much time with the semi habituated Golden monkeys as you participate in activities geared to making them get used to human presence this also starts in the morning with briefing and after you head out with walking through the forest in search for these endangered monkeys. Golden monkey habituation permits are readily available and can be purchased on arrival at the park headquarters.

Birding

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is one of the best places for bird watching in Uganda, the park is home to over 127 bird species with various Albertine endemics.

Wildlife viewing

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is home to 76 mammals among which are buffaloes, elephants, giant forest hogs, bush pigs, duikers, leopards, civets, golden cats, jackals and porcupines however due to the difficult terrain and most being nocturnal, they are rarely seen. During your trek or hike you will find footsteps of these animals and if lucky you will see some but hide away from them because they tend be wild given the fact they are not use to human presence.

Batwa Cultural Trail experience

On Batwa cultural trail you will be guided by one of the Batwa guides giving you an opportunity to learn about traditional forest life before descending into the Garama cave, historically the home of the Batwa King where you will also enjoy the traditional dances of the Batwa.

What is the best time for Filming in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park?

The best time for filming in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is during the drier months of January, February, June, July, August and early September, these months experience less rainfall though the climate changes every day. Any time of the year, you can visit the gorillas. Sometimes, the rainy season is considered better to see the gorillas as there is a lot of food growing because of rain and gorillas can clearly be spotted.  Gorilla permits tend to sell out quickly and all those interested in trekking gorillas during this time should book their gorilla permits in advance.

Where to stay during filming in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Mgahinga national park has few lodges/Hotels compared to Bwindi where you can stay on your gorilla trekking tour. These range from budget to high end hotels and Eco Adventure Safaris can help you book the hotel of your choice and budget. In Mgahinga National Park you can stay at Gahinga Lodge which is a luxury hotel/Lodge, Lake Chahafi Resort and Lake Mulehe safari lodge which are midrange lodges.

How to get to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

By Road; Mgahinga Gorilla National Park can be accessed through the main high-way road from Entebbe/Kampala which approximately 8-9 hours drive. You will pass through Kabale town and proceed to Kisoro town from Kisoro town you will drive toward your lodge which close to the park for overnight. The Park can also be accessed from Kigali, Rwanda which is approximately 2-3 hours drive.

By Air; You can fly from Entebbe International Airport or Kampala’s Kajjansi airfield to Kisoro airstrip to access Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Scheduled and chartered flights are available and operated by domestic airline operators of Aero link and Fly Uganda. You will need to plan with your tour operator for a transfer from the airstrip to your Lodge you are booked for your stay.

Why use Eco Adventure Safaris Uganda to film in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

Eco Adventure Safaris is a local fixer company, we assist filming companies and Production agencies in Uganda and East Africa as a whole. We handle all fixer services required with our professional team of local fixers and driver guides. We work hand in hand with Uganda Wildlife Authority and National Forestry Authority and this is easy for us to process all your filming permissions. We have all relevant connections with other service providers and government agencies to make sure that accreditation and filming permits are processed in the shortest time possible. Contact us for details and all relevant information you would like to know for filming in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park