Filming in Olorgesailie Village in Kenya

Olorgesailie Village is home to the Maasai people, filming in Olorgesailie Village in Kenya, visitors can experience the Maa Culture and enjoy the traditional foods staying in the manyattas for a day to learn about their rich heritage. The village is home to one of Kenya’s rich prehistoric sites with stone tools that date back over 1 million years. Olergesailie is famous for its Olorgesailie Prehistoric Site, located on the floor of the Great Rift Valley between two extinct volcanoes, Mt. Olorgesailie and Oldonyo Esakut to the south-west of Nairobi.

Located along Magadi road, an hour’s drive and 70kms away from Nairobi, Olorgesailie’s pre-historic site is world renown as the “factory of stone tools” and the only place in the world with the largest number of hand axes and representing some of the first camping places of early man.

The prominence and accumulation of human tools represent actual camping places of early men and evidence that the human species had a tropical origin. The site is in a lake basin that existed about 100,000 to 200’000 years ago.

Researchers, Dr. and Mrs. Leakey, started investigations on the site in 1942 where they found important evidence that concerns the habits and activities of early prehistoric peoples of the Acheuleus or “Hand axe” culture.

Olorgesailie has excellently preserved biological and cultural evidence about the evolution of man.

Kenya has over 40 ethnic groupings, and with this comes a cultural richness that is loved and that people from across the world want to experience. Our goal is to continue showcasing to the world that we have so much more for them to enjoy while in the destination. I congratulate Olergesailie village for putting Kenya on the global map, and I encourage even more of this going forward,” Balala said while handing over the UNWTO Best Tourism village certificate to local villagers.

Olergesailie was among 44 villages from 32 nations that were recognized by the UNWTO during its 2021 general meeting in Madrid, Spain. Kenya, Rwanda and Ethiopia are the only Sub-Saharan countries on the list

Around the village, tourists can see hand axes among other prehistoric tools which have been unearthed, many of which date back almost one million years and are some of the oldest ever found according to records from Kenya’s Tourism Ministry.

“Most of the axes are egg-shaped with razor-sharp edges for cutting and hewing — perfectly formed tools to fit a human hand. Because early humans camped here, there is an abundance of tools, which are categorized as belonging to the Acheulean period,” the ministry said in a statement.

The site also has evidence of continuous hominid activity from 1.2 million to 490,000 years ago.

Things to film in Olorgesailie Village in Kenya

Museum and site- the museum interprets the pre-historic site. One can then take a walk to see the actual site and the discoveries made here

Bird watching- the site is a bird watcher’s paradise citing the highest number of migratory bird species in Kenya.

Mountain climbing- Mt. Olorgesailie was named after a renown Maasai elder who used to meditate and hold meetings with village elders up the mountain. On average it takes 3 hours to ascend and the same to descend best climbed from 5:00 am.

Camp site- affordable camping facilities available.

Picnic site

Baboon camp- congregation of baboons in the evening 1 km from the campsite.

Requirements to film in Olorgesailie Village in Kenya

Like filming in other National Parks in Kenya, you will also need to get a filming permit from Kenya Film Commission for you to be allowed to film in Olorgesailie Village in Kenya. In order to obtain a Filming Permit, one must write a letter requesting for the permit and fill an application form which must be accompanied by a copy of the screenplay, a story synopsis and a shooting schedule. These should be sent to the Film Licensing Officer, Kenya Film Commission. Filming permit for features, documentaries, short films, music videos, corporate videos and commercials are issued within minutes of application. Applications for TV Series and full length feature films are processed in less than 48 hours of application. Contact us Eco Adventure Safaris we will be able to help you process the filming permissions with the Local Authorities in Kenya for you to be able to successfully film in this park

Filming fees and costs for filming in Olorgesailie Village in Kenya

The following charges are applied for any filming in Olorgesailie Village in Kenya:

• Ksh. 8, 000 ($80) for five (5) people for one (1) week or part thereof.

• Ksh. 12, 000 ($115) for six (6) – ten (10) people for one (1) week or part thereof.

• Ksh. 20, 000 ($200) for more than ten (10) people for one (1) week or part thereof.

Mountain Guide fees: Maximum 5pax per guide: Ksh.5,000

Baboon Camp Guide fee: Ksh. 500 per person

Picnic fees per person: Adult Ksh. 200, Child (below 16 years):Ksh. 100

Museum open Daily at 8:00am- 6:00pm

Kenya Filming Fees

a) Filming rates

• Adverts, documentaries, dramas, short features; still photographs KSHS 5,000 ($50)
• Full-length feature films, TV series KSHS 15,000 ($150)
• Daily filming fees KSHS 1,000 ($10)

b) Liaison Officer’s service charges

The Ministry charges Ksh. 400 ($5) per day to cover Liaison Officer’s services provided by a government Liaison Officer to be attached to the crew.

c) Other charges

• Each visitor is required to pay Ksh. 2,000 ($20) to the Immigration Department for a special pass before engaging in any film shooting. The crew may however, arrive in Kenya on a visitor’s pass while the filming special pass is being processed. We recommend you travel after all the filming paper work has been arranged to avoid inconveniences.
• For all filming equipment, a nominal non-refundable fee of 1% of the value of the equipment or Ksh 30,000 ($300) whichever is less is payable to the Customs Department on presentation of a film license.

On top of the above you will need to cover Press accreditation, accommodation, transport and others for a successful shoot in Olorgesailie Village in Kenya as below;

Press Accreditation

All film crew members are by law supposed to be accredited by Kenya Film Commission to be allowed to film in Olorgesailie Village in Kenya. Local filming agents and Private production companies or individuals are requested to submit their applications through a local agent registered with the ministry. This requirement is mandatory for all applications to make feature films or documentaries. Each crew member is required to fill a Kenya Film License Form (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 filming license. 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 Kenya Film Commission for film license processing. This takes 2-3 working days to have these film licenses ready.

Visa Advice

You will need to purchase a tourist visa. Many film crews prefer obtaining their visas before they come to Kenya but visa’s can be obtained easily upon arrival at any entry point and in this case Nairobi International Airport upon paying either USD51.00 for Tourist Visa you will be able to get it immediately.

Vehicle Hire Services

Eco Adventure Safaris will help you organize transport for film crews to film in Olorgesailie Village in Kenya depending on their interest, budget, and the nature of roads in such selected locations to film in the park. 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 traveled. We also organize both charter and scheduled air transport for those that need to fly in order to reduce the number of hours.

Fixers in Kenya to help you film in Olorgesailie Village in Kenya

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

Where to stay during filming in Olorgesailie Village in Kenya

Lodge and Hotel options to stay in during filming in Olorgesailie Village in Kenya range from Budget, mid-range to luxury options. You will choose what to stay in depending on your interests and budget. Contact us here for booking details.

What is the best time to film in Olorgesailie Village in Kenya?

Filming in Olorgesailie Village in Kenya is done all year round and the best time is during the months of December to February and then June to October which is relatively drier than March to May and November.

Why use Eco Adventure Safaris to film in Olorgesailie Village in Kenya

Eco Adventure Safaris is a local fixer company based in Uganda, we assist filming companies and Production agencies in Uganda and East Africa. We handle all fixer services required with our professional team of local fixers and driver guides. 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 successful filming in Olorgesailie Village in Kenya.