Filming the Batwa Pygmies in Uganda

Filming the Batwa Pygmies in Uganda can be done in areas Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Ichuya Forest, Lake Mutanda, Lake Bunyonyi, Kabale, and Kisoro. Batwa cultural encounters and experience is one of the best activities to do after gorilla trekking. On Batwa cultural experience tour you will be guided by one of the Batwa guides giving you an opportunity to learn about the traditional forest life of the Batwa in Bwindi Forest which is historically the home of the Batwa, you will also enjoy the traditional dances of the Batwa and Stone Age including making traditional fire making among others.

Where to film the Batwa Pygmies in Uganda

Batwa in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is located in the southern part of Uganda sharing a border with Congo, it is one of the only two national parks in Uganda where you can trek and see the magnificent Mountain Gorillas in their natural habitat in the world, it is home to more than half of the only remaining Mountain Gorillas in the wild making it famous and best place to trek the Mountain Gorillas. Bwindi Forest National park is divided into different sections/sectors where you can do the Gorilla tracking experience namely Rushaga, Buhoma, and Ruhija and Nkuringo sector.

Batwa in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Mgahinga National Park is found Kisoro district southwestern Uganda, East Africa. Mgahinga gorilla national park is among the Virunga volcanic mountain chain of Rwanda, Congo and Uganda famous for Mountain gorilla safaris. The park is Uganda’s smallest national park which is boarded by Volcanoes national park in Rwanda and Virunga national park in Democratic Republic of Congo and Bwindi Forest National Park in Uganda. Mgahinga gorilla national park has the three volcanoes namely Mountain Gahinga, Mountain Sabyinyo and Mountain Muhabura all of which are part of the six Virunga Mountains and conservation area. Mgahinga National Park harbors the endangered mountain gorilla and the Golden Monkeys.  The park is a tropical rain forest comprised of lowland equatorial evergreen forest, tropical seasonal forest, montane rain forests and mountain Bamboo.

Requirements for Filming the Batwa Pygmies in Uganda

Filming the Batwa Pygmies in Uganda is charged at 40% of the activity. You will need to get a filming permit to allow you for Filming the Batwa Pygmies in Uganda in either Bwindi forest national park of Mgahinga Gorilla national park or Icuya forest based on where you are interested in for Filming the Batwa Pygmies in Uganda, on top of this you will also need to process and get media cards from Uganda Media Council. Then for your filming equipment will also need to be cleared them 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 of filming and USD225.00 for up to 60 days of 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

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.

What is the best time for Filming the Batwa Pygmies in Uganda?

The best time for Filming the Batwa Pygmies in Uganda 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 Film the Batwa Pygmies in Uganda.

How to access Uganda for Filming the Batwa Pygmies in Uganda

You can access Uganda by flying into Entebbe international Airport, and start your trip from Entebbe/Kampala to southwestern Uganda for your gorilla trek. You can opt for Road trip which is about 9-10 hours or fly to Kisoro or Kihihi Airstrips that serve Bwindi impenetrable national park and Mgahinga national Park. You can also fly into Kigali international Airport, drive to south western Uganda through Cyanika or Katuna Boarder which take only 4-5 hours with the time spent at immigrations at the border. We always advise our visitors to acquire the East African Visa which allows multiple entry of both Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda. The East African Visa fee costs USD100 which can be gotten at the Airport upon arrival or online and it is cost effective instead of buying single entry Visas. But you can as well opt to secure single Visas as well, the Rwandan Visa costs USD30 and Uganda Visa cost USD 50.

Where to stay during Filming the Batwa Pygmies in Uganda

Bwindi impenetrable national park and Mgahinga national park have many lodges/Hotels where you can stay during Filming the Batwa Pygmies in Uganda. 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. In Bwindi, we recommend staying in the sector where you are trekking for easy accessibility of the park headquarters. In Rushaga, you can stay at Rushaga Gorilla camp, Four Gorilla Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Havens Lodge, in Nkuringo you can stay at Nkuringo Bwindi gorilla lodge, Clouds Mountain gorilla lodge. In Buhoma sector you can stay at Buhoma Lodge, Mahogany springs Lodge, Bwindi Lodge, and Gorilla forest camp. In Ruhija sector you can stay at Trekkers tavern Lodge, Bakiga lodge or even at Lake Bunyonyi or lodges in Kabale town. The lodges are very many in Bwindi but they require to be booked in advance as they can be fully booked during high season. We always ensure standard service safety of clients on their stay.

Why use Eco Adventure Safaris Uganda for Filming the Batwa Pygmies in Uganda.

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 the Batwa Pygmies in Uganda.