Filming at Kidepo Valley National Park

Filming in Kidepo Valley National Park is possible for all tourists after obtaining a filming permit from the Uganda Wildlife Authority and media cards from the Uganda Media Council. Tourists also have to clear their equipment at the point of entry into the county.

Located in the northern part of Uganda, Kidepo Valley National Park is one of the most isolated national parks in the country and the least visited but still one of the best Uganda safari destinations for filming.

When to go for filming safaris in Kidepo Valley National Park

The best time for filming in Kidepo Valley National Park is generally during the dry season from June to August and January to February because this season allows the film crew and individual filmmakers to film without too many interruptions from the rains. You should, however, note that sometimes the extremely hot temperatures faced during the dry season may cause malfunctions of some equipment, with temperatures between 32 degrees Celsius and 40 degrees Celsius recorded in the past. The dry season provides tourists with great shots of the wildlife that is always gathering around the watering holes in the national park. But note that rains can be received at any time in Kidepo, even during the dry season, so you need to have protection for your equipment at all times.

NB: Crew members and filmmakers who are looking at capturing some of the amazing sceneries within Kidepo might try out the rainy season from March to May and October to November because, despite the rain, the vegetation is greener during this period and just not found near the watering points.

Requirements for filming in Kidepo Valley National Park

Before filming in Kidepo Valley National Park. All crew members must have all the necessary permits and permissions that are needed to film in Uganda and the most common permits that will be needed include the following:

The press Accreditation

The Press accreditation, also known as the press cars, is a credential that grants film crew members, journalists and media personnel access to filming locations that are usually restricted. The purpose of the Press Accreditation card is to give you access to restricted areas like Kidepo Valley National Park, easy identification so that you are not disturbed by the locals and authorities, and it also helps in establishing your professionalism and credibility.

Note that all the individual crew members need the press accreditation card to be able to film in Kidepo NP.

Eligibility: The following groups are eligible for a press accreditation card: journalists with media houses, photojournalists, freelance journalists, students perusing communication studies, media and journalism, cameramen and bloggers.

Requirements for getting the press accreditation card

• All crew members have to apply for the press accreditation card by filling in full the Media Council of Uganda Form G, which is available online.
• You have to attach a certificate of good conduct from the Interpol of your country of origin and for countries without an active Interpol, a formal cover letter from your embassy in Uganda vouching for you and giving reasons why it is hard to get a certificate of food conde t from Interpol.
• You have to attach a letter of introduction from your employer or education institution for students.
• Attach a copy of the Identity card  which is issued by the employer or institution
• You can also attach a copy of the National ID where applicable.
• A copy of a valid passport with validity for the period applied and you must provide a copy of the page showing the visa.
• Attach two coloured passport-sized photographs
• Pay the accreditation fees.
• Apply for the Visa work permit online using the Uganda Department of Immigration website.

The press Accreditation fees

$175 per person for a period of not more than 30 days which is not renewable

$225 per person for a period of up to 6 months of a person’s stay.

$325 per person for a period of up to 2 years and its not renewable.

NB: The press accreditation fees are liable to change from time to time, and official communication is always done at the Uganda Media Centre.

Filming permits

To be able to film in protected areas like Kidepo Valley National Park, you will need to submit a request to the Uganda Wildlife Authority, which is in charge of national parks, and this process usually takes 5 to 10 working days. Before you start the application, below are some of the documents that you need to prepare for a successful application if you are travelling with a crew, each member has to submit the following documents.

• A copy of a valid passport
• The names of all the crew members
• The list of all the filming equipment to be used
• Location of filming details
• A script
• An application letter.

The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) normally charges 40% of the fee for the activity you intend to film and a 10% monitoring fee, and these have to be paid to the bank details of Uganda Wildlife Authority.

If your application is approved, then you will receive a filming licence from the Uganda Wildlife Authority, and you must carry it with you at all times to avoid interruption.

The Uganda Wildlife Authority will also draft an agreement with you, which you have to sign. This might look like a long process, but we at Encounter Africa Safaris are here to help and guide you through the entire process.

The application process:

• Fill in an application form that can be downloaded from the UWA website.
• UWA will send an acknowledgement that the application had been received within 24 to 48 hours.
• Ensure that all the film requests are sent in at least 3 weeks before the date you want to start filming.

3. Equipment clearance

Dealing with the right tour company will ease your clearance of equipment at the customs desk at your point of entry into the country. Encounter Africa Safaris will help you with Kit clearance and this can take 2 to 3 working days. You need to, however, first send in photos of the equipment you intend to use, with the cost of each and serial number visible. Once we have this information, we will forward it to our clearance agent who will then get back to us with the fee of clearing all the equipment. Usually, the clearance fee is about 10% of the total value of all the equipment.

You can decide to use courier services to transport your equipment but we usually advise our clients to use the same flight with their equipment for security purposes.

What to film in Kidepo Valley National Park

Kidepo Valley National Park is home to several wildlife and bird species and some of the most interesting things to film include the following.

The wildlife:

Kidepo Valley National Park is known for being home to big cats, and these include lions, leopards, and cheetahs. The national park is home to a large leopard population, which is on the rise, making it a good spot for filming these big cats. Other wildlife species that can be filmed in Kidepo include elephants, Rothschild giraffes, Guenther’s dik-dik, mountain reedbuck, buffaloes, caracal, greater kudu, white-eared kob, patas monkeys, aardwolf, cheetahs, hyenas and zebras among others.

Kidepo Valley National Park is home to 470 recorded bird species, which makes it the second-highest number in a protected area in Uganda after Queen Elizabeth National Park. The different bird species in Kidepo you can film include Abyssinian roller, chapperton’s francolin, Fox kestrel, D’Arnaud’s barbet, common ostrich, Black-breasted barbet, clappertons francolin, Karamoja Apalis, Greater Kestrel, Golden Pipit, White-bellied go-away bird, secretary bird, Red-throated bee-eater, Kori Bustard and the pygmy Francolin among others.

The Narus Valley:

The Narus Valley is one of the best places for tourists to film in Kidepo National Park. The word Narus is a karamoja dialect which loosely translates to mean soggy ground or muddy. The soil texture in the Narus Valley holds or has a high water retention after the rainy season creating temporary swamps as compared to the other parts of the national park that exhibit the semi-arid conditions of the area.

The Narus River is found in the Narus Valley over floods during the rainy season and flows to the northwestern part of the national park. During the dry season, many animals gather along the Narus River in search of food and water. Film crews can easily film the different animal species as they gather around the watering holes within the Narus Valley.

The local Karamoja people also move around in search of watering holes for their livestock and greener/fresh pastures.

The Narus Valley has a clear tracking system that makes wildlife viewing easy, and we advise our clients to always get a ranger to be with them at all times; he/she will also be able to help you interpret the different scenarios of the wildlife, and they know the ins and outs of the habitat. The Narus Valley is the best place to watch the waterbucks, zebras, lions, giraffes, cheetahs coming out from their hiding spots, leopards, hartebeests and zebras, among others.

Kidepo valley:

The Kidepo Valley National Park was named after the Kidepo Valley, which loosely translates ‘’to pick from under. Famous for its borassus palm trees which are a delicacy for the elephants, the Kidepo Valley is also a good spot for viewing the wildlife during the dry season. During the dry season, the valley floods greatly and cannot usually be crossed by the smaller wildlife within the national park but this comes with lush green vegetation for the large herds of animals that reside within the national park. During the dry season, the Kidepo Valley National Park is deserted because of the white sand dunes and no pasture; the animals head to the Narus Valley in search of water and food to survive through the heat.

This is the ideal time to explore the valley with guided nature walks discovering the untouched wilderness that makes Kidepo Valley National Park unique.

Mount Murungule:

Mount Morungule is one of the attractions in Kidepo Valley National Park that lies along the border of the Kidepo Valley, rising to 2750m above sea level. It is also home to the IK indigenous people, the smallest ethnic group in the country that has its own unique culture. The Kidepo and Narus rivers cross the mountain, acting as a source of water for many of the wildlife species in the national park.  Film crews can trek to the mountain and get to meet the IK people and learn about their way of life.

The IK people speak a language known as the Teuso and they are sometimes referred to as the Mountain people. There are less than 10,000 IK people in the world, and the word IK means leaders of immigration.

Before filming the local people, you need to first ask for permission from the elders, and during this safari, you will get to learn more about their culture. And although they are usually known to be shy people, they are extremely welcoming.

The Karamojong:

These are indigenous people who live around the Kidepo Valley National Park and are known as nomadic pastoralists who have large herds of cattle, goats, sheep and chickens. They live in house settlements known as Manyattas and their unique culture is one of the main attractions. They are famous for their jumping dance, which is similar to the Masai dance, colourful cultural wear, and their staple food of blood and milk. Filming has to be done after you have asked for permission to show respect to the locals.

Where to stay in Kidepo Valley National Park

Unlike other safari destinations that have well-maintained and a variety of accommodation facilities, Kidepo has limited facilities and the main ones you can use include Apoka Safari Lodge, UWA Bandas and Nga Moru Wilderness Camp, among others. Other accommodation facilities are found in the nearby cities.

When planning a filming safari to Kidepo Valley National Park, get in touch with Encounter Africa Safaris for more information and proper planning of the filming safari.