Filming in Meru National Park

Filming in Meru National Park: There are few places in the world that offer more wildness for filming adventure activities than Meru National Park in Kenya. Meru National Park is a scenic   park with outstanding landscapes that are rocky and rugged. Yes, few visitors have explored this park, but it provides an excellent filming experience due to the park’s unspoiled Geographical scope and being one of Kenya’s most diverse national parks. Filming in the Meru national park is very experiential, as the Meru and Kora sister parks are spectacular on a grand scale, with lush jungle, flowing rivers, verdant swamps, khaki grasslands, and gaunt termite cathedrals all found beneath the great blue bowl of the sky. There are few places that can compare to the sparsely populated and completely unspoiled atmosphere found here. More than 427 recorded species of birds can be seen by visitors, in addition to Grevy’s zebras, elephants, Bohor reedbucks, hartebeests, pythons, puff adders, cobras, and buffalo.

What to film in Meru National Park

Filming landscapes in Meru National Park: meru national park is a typical savannah setting that are so much attractive. The rivers that surround Meru National Park, the mighty Tana to the south, the Ura to the south-west, and the Rojeweru to the east, define its character as a fine example of the traditional savannah landscape. T4 perennial streams that originate in the nearby Nyambeni Hills and drain into Meru National Park are also noteworthy. Still the par5k features a wide range of habitats Meru National Park provides exceptional opportunities for wildlife viewing because of the variety of its habitats.

Filming various wildlife in Meru National park: Meru National Park features a lot of the wildlife species which can be filmed by the film crew members once they are on their filming experience within the park.  The wildlife of the meru national park are found in the northern plains of the park. The northern plains: The northern plains are one of the best places to see wildlife because there are elephants, lions, and cheetahs there. Additionally visible animals include both types of Zebra, Grant and Thomson’s gazelles, Impala, Beisa oryx, hartebeest, and Reticulated Giraffe. Further, the southerly plains of the meru national park features Warthog, Kirk’s Dik-Dik, Common Eland, and Gerenuk are protected by the thick forests. They also make an excellent home for the Lesser kudu, one of the highlights of Meru National Park and all these can be filmed once in Meru National Park.

Filming Bird species in Meru National Park:  The birds of Meru National Park are numerous and diverse and can be filmed all the day. The common river birds include Ibis, Heron, and African Fish Eagle, while the smallest of the long-tailed birds, the Black-bellied Sunbird, is protected by the riverine acacia woodland. Along with raucous hornbill flocks, flocks of glorious golden-breasted starlings are frequently seen. Still, the film crew members can take the shots of the setting for “Born Free,” Joy and George Adamson returned their most well-known lioness, Elsa, to the wild. Both the book and the movie “Born Free” tell her story. Additionally, they conducted their alter experimentation on abandoned cheetahs in the Park.

How to get to Meru National Park for filming

 Getting to Meru National Park by road transport: Accessible routes from Nairobi (348 km) include the all-weather roads in Embu and Nyeri-Nanyuki-Meru. 35 km from Maua to Murera Gate and 348 km from Nairobi provide access to the park. The alternate route from Nairobi is via Embu to Ura Gate (120 km).

Getting Meru National Park through Air transport: Elsa’s Kopje airstrip and the main airstrip at Kina, Mulika are both located next to Meru Mulika Lodge.

Where to stay during filming in Meru National Park

Budget, mid-range, and luxury lodge options are available for the film crew members during filming in Meru National Park. Depending on your interests and financial situation, you will decide where to stay. Contact Africa Adventure Vaccations fore more informataion about the lodges and the hotels or camps. Elsa’s Kopje, Leopard Rock Lodge, Murera Bandas, Kinna Bandas, Kampi Bardi, Kitanga, Makutano, Rojoweru, Mugung, Ken Mare, and Kanjoo are just a few of the lodging options in Meru National Park.

Requirements for filming in Meru National Park.

Filming permits

To film in Meru National Park, 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 Meru National Park.

Filming fees and costs for Meru National Park.

For any person interested in filming in Meru National Park, they will have to pay some costs and fees to be granted permission to do any filming activity. As such, the filming challenges in Meru National Park include:

• 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 Meru National Park.

Press Accreditation

To film in Meru National Park, 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 Meru National Park. 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 Meru National Park 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 Kenya. We are available 24 hours a day to be able to help you with all the information relating to filming in Meru National Park 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 at Meru National Park, 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 Meru National Park?

Filming in Meru National Park 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 at Meru National Park in Kenya 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).

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 Mombasa Marine Reserves, 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.