Filming in Masai Mara National Reserve

Filming in the Masai Mara National Reserve: The Masai Mara National Reserve is known as the most prestigious destination Kenya for tourists to view several wildlife species. The and the Masai Mara National Reserve covers 1500 square kilometers and has turned into one of the major tourist attractions in Kenya, drawing thousands of tourists across the continent. The filming in the Masai Mara National Reserve offers a rewarding experience, and its location is extremely wonderful. The park is found in the rift valley, which means that your daydream adventure or documentary will involve the rift valley, and this makes the safari experience so interesting and wonderful. Filming in the Masai Mara National Reserve will give you the chance to capture impressive wildlife populations, including the dominant occupant, the wildebeests. Every year in July, more than 1.5 million wildebeests, along with a sizable number of zebras, and Thompson’s gazelles migrate from Tanzania’s Serengeti plains to the Masai Mara in search of new pastures before returning in October. As a result, the filming crew will have the opportunity to film a large number of these wonderful and beautiful animals in order to produce a high-quality documentary. 

What to film in Masai Mara National Reserve.

Masai Mara National Reserve features a lot of interesting things that are available for filming and the filming crew members would be wonderful and great to film these great and wonderful things that are found in Masai Mara National Reserve. The following are some of the attractions that you can film in Masai Mara National Reserve.

Filming the wildebeest migration in Masai Mara National Reserve: Filming the great wildebeest migration is the greatest opportunity that you will ever get in Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya and it offers the visitors with the greatest experience. The main draw is the annual migration of the wildebeests, which number over 1.5 million and arrive in July and depart in November. Less access to tourists and more access to water are provided by the swampy terrain. Because it is closer to Nairobi on the eastern end, it is also simpler to get to. The Great Wildebeest Migration from the Serengeti takes place every year in the Masai Mara National Reserve, which is home to otherworldly natural spectacles. More than 1.3 million Wildebeest congregate into a single enormous herd from July to October due to the North’s promise of rain and new, life-giving grass.  This is the most safari experience that you would like to film in Kenya and it can be done in Masai Mara National Reserve.

Filming wildlife in Masai Mara National Reserve: One of the best places in the world to see wildlife is the Mara. There is a very good chance that you will see the Big 5, as well as cheetahs, servals, hyenas, bat-eared foxes, black-backed and side-striped jackals, hippopotamuses, crocodiles, baboons, warthogs, topi, elands, Thompson’s gazelles, Grant’s gazelles, impalas, waterbucks, and Oribi.Huge numbers of wildebeest move in during the migration (July to November). Please enjoy the best safari experience for the best safari experience and this makes the safari experience. Wildebeest, zebra, impala, topi, giraffe, and Thomson’s gazelle are all over the plains. Leopards, lions, hyenas, cheetahs, jackals, and bat-eared foxes are also frequently sighted. Black rhinos are a little elusive and reticent, but they are frequently spotted from a distance. Large Nile crocodiles and numerous hippos can be found in the Mara River, where they wait for a meal as the annual migration of wildebeest crosses. Every July (or occasionally August), the wildebeest make the 960-kilometer (600-mile) journey from Tanzania’s Serengeti plains to the Masai Mara, crossing the Mara River as their last hurdle. Once they’ve feasted and the grass is almost completely gone in October or November, they turn around and head in the opposite direction.

Requirements for filming in Masai Mara National Reserve

Filming permits in Masai Mara National Reserve

To film in Masai Mara National Reserve you will need to secure a filming permit from the Kenya Film Commission and the authorities by writing a letter requesting and filling out an application letter and providing a copy of your screenplay, a summary of your program, and a filming schedule with your application. These will be forwarded to the Kenya Film Commission’s Film Licensing Officer. Permits are issued in minutes for feature films, documentaries, short films, music videos, corporate videos, and commercials. Television series and feature film applications are processed within 48 hours of submission. Contact us at Africa Adventure Vacations and we will assist you in obtaining filming permission from Kenyan officials to ensure successful filming in Masai Mara National Reserve.

Filming fees and costs in Filming in Masai Mara National Reserve

For any person interested in Masai Mara National Reserve they will have to pay some costs and fees to be granted permission to do any filming activity. As such, the filming challenges in filming in Masai Mara National Reserve

• 8,000 shillings ($80) per person, per week or part-week;
• For six (6) to ten (10) people, the weekly or part-week rate is Ksh 12,000 ($115).
• 20,000 (2.00) for more than ten (10) people for one week or part of the week.

Kenya filming costs

1. a) Kenya Shillings (Kshs/USD) filming rates

• Adverts, documentaries, dramas, short features, still photographs, Khs. 5, 000(50 dollars)
• TV series and feature films in their entirety cost Ksh. 15, 000 ($150).
• Daily filming fees of Ksh. 1,000($10)

1. (b) Liaison officer’s service charges

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

1. C) Other charges

• Before participating in any filming, each guest must pay Ksh. 2,000($20) to the Department of Immigration Services for a special pass. While the filming special permission is being processed, artists may enter Kenya on a visitor’s pass.
• On presentation of a film license, a small non-refundable fee of 1% of the equipment’s worth or Ksh 30, 000 ($300) (whichever is less) is payable to the Customs Department.

In addition to the above, you will need to pay for press accreditation, lodging, and transportation to successfully shoot the video in filming in Masai Mara National Reserve.

Press Accreditation

To film in Masai Mara National Reserve, all film crew members must be accredited by the Kenya Film Commission. Local filming agencies and private production companies or individuals must apply through a local agent registered with the Ministry. This is a prerequisite for all applications to make feature films and documentaries. Each crew member must fill out the Kenya Film License Form (which we normally send), scan it, and return it to us along with a copy of their passport and one photo for the filming license. We will then require a letter from the filming company specifying the name of the filming company, the reason for filming, the location of filming, and the film crew’s contact information. This letter is subsequently forwarded to the Kenya Film Commission for the film license to be processed. A film license is usually awarded within 2-3 business days.

Vehicle hiring services

You need a 4×4 vehicle when going to do filming in Masai Mara National Reserve. When you trust Africa Adventure Vacations as your film fixer, then you will get the opportunity to book for yourself a strong vehicle that will transport the crew members to and from Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. We offer the vehicle based on the preferences of our clients and their budget, but also the location where you are going to film, because it may also determine the kind of vehicle that you might need. Because of the nature of the terrain, which might make you travel long distances, we kindly urge you to book our customized tour.

Daily, these cost about $200 to $250 per vehicle, and this price includes the fuel and the driver. You can also opt for our 4×4 safari van, which is available for $200 daily. By contacting us, we shall make sure that we calculate everything, and thus we shall inform you and give you the inclusive price. Each of our vehicles is accompanied by drivers who work as area fixers, and many of them have traveled to nearly every part of Kenya so they are familiar with the local conditions and can provide critical information and resolve any situation on the ground. While in Kenya, these serve as intermediaries between you and our office. And please contact us for any film fixers in Tanzania. We are available 24 hours a day to be able to help you with all the information relating to filming in Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya.

All of our vehicles include a driver who serves as the location fixer. Most of them have visited practically every section of Kenya and are thus familiar with local conditions and can provide relevant information and resolve any local issues. While on location in Masai Mara National Reserve, they work as liaisons between our clients and our office.

Visa recommendation

You’ll need to get a tourist visa. Many film crews choose to get a visa before visiting Kenya. Visas, on the other hand, are easily obtained upon admission into the country. In this situation, you can obtain a tourist visa at the Nairobi International Airport for USD51.0

When is the best time to do filming in Masai Mara National Reserve?

Filming in Masai Mara National Reserve  is an adventure that is done all year round, but the best time for filming is during December and then from June to October. This time, weather conditions are dry and this makes filming activities so much more fantastic. However, the best time to do filming in Masai Mara National Reserve is during the rainy season, when the green vegetation blooms and provides an amazing scenic view (November to May), while the dry season offers the best photo opportunities, both on short and long hikes (May to October). The best time to film these  amazing animal movement is from July to October, when the wildebeest migrate. The wildebeest have yet to disappoint us, despite the fact that their arrival in the Maasai Mara is not guaranteed. Additionally, December to February are excellent months because it is dryer and better for Big Cats.

How to get to Masai Mara National Reserve for filming

By Road: The C12 travels from Bomet to Narok Road and continues past Lemek the Oloololo gate and into the Mara Triangle. The C13 travels from Bomet to Narok Road and continues past Lemek the Oloololo gate to Ngorgori Junction.

By Air: There are daily scheduled flights to the conservancy’s Serena and Kichwa Tembo airstrips. Other airstrips include Keekorok, Oliombo, and Musiara.

Where to stay during filming in Masai Mara National Reserve

The different lodges in the Mara Keekorok, Mara Serena, Mara Sopa as well as camps like Fig Tree, Governor’s Intrepids Club, Kichwa Tembo Mara Buffalo, Mara Cottar’s, Mara River, and Mara Sarova offer lodging. A five-minute drive will bring you to a luxurious tent camp near the Sekenani Gate. The raised tents have concrete floors and attached bathrooms with showers. There are two semi-luxury, two out of Africa, seven luxury tents, and two bedroom cottages that are perfect for families. Surrounded by the wildlife and plants of the Siana conservation area, with a view of the Nau Narre hills

Why should you book your Kenya filming safari with Africa Adventure Vacations?

Africa Adventure Vacations is a popular tourist company based in Uganda that operates in East African countries such as Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, and South Africa. We have more than ten years of experience assisting filming and production companies and individual travelers who are interested in filming Meru National Park, nature-related wildlife and African culture. We offer services such as obtaining filming permission, clearing filming equipment, reserving lodging, and arranging transportation to filming businesses, all in the shortest amount of time possible. Other wildlife tours are available in all of the countries mentioned above, including gorilla tours in Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. As a result, you should not hesitate to choose us as your East African film fixers, especially in Kenya for your Kenyan filming experience.