Filming in Serengeti National Park

Can I book filming safaris in Serengeti National Park? Serengeti National Park is the largest and oldest national park in Tanzania, and it is known as the world’s greatest herpetological site, with an abundance of wildlife species seen within the park. Serengeti National Park is the best destination with the highest concentration of wildlife animals that are unmatchable by any other destination in Kenya or on the African continent. The Serengeti National Park is located in northern Tanzania and serves as a gateway to the northern circuit of Tanzania.

Filming in Serengeti National Park is a very interesting adventure and every film crew member would like to drive to Serengeti and film the haven of wildlife species in Serengeti National Park. Serengeti National Park features more than 550 cheetahs, 400 lions, 1000 leopards, and more than 550 species of birds, making it the park with the highest concentration of predators in the whole of East Africa.

Serengeti National Park sits on 1500 square kilometers of land, and thus, at Africa Adventure Vacations, we invite you to join us as you film the endless plains of the park, ringed with acacia trees and the kopjes where the lions base to control the majority of the jungle. Enjoy and film the great wildebeest migration in every section of the park that you visit, or find the solitary leopards that are spotted often in the Serengeti National Park as they are found in the riverine forests.

Filming in Serengeti National Park can be done even using the hot air balloon safaris in Serengeti National Park such that you can make the film safaris from the air in the morning as they graze within the hot air balloon safaris. You will stay at various accommodations, and thus you don’t need to worry about how many film crew members you may bring with you. You will be able to have a comfortable stay depending on what you are interested in filming.

What to film in the Serengeti National Park

There are a lot of interesting activities, attractions, and spots that you can film during your filming safaris in Serengeti National Park, and now we look at some of the things that you can film in Serengeti National Park.

Filming the great wildebeest migration in Serengeti National Park is the highlight of all filming activities in Serengeti National Park. The Serengeti national park is where the great wildebeest migration starts and ends. The wildebeest migration is the annual circular event that involves over 2 million wildebeest animals that are joined with the zebras, elands, and some other antelopes and starts the 800-kilometer trek from the south of the Serengeti National Park, passing through the various sections of the park and to the northern part of the park where they cross the great Mara river as some of the wildebeest crosses to the Masai Mara national reserve in Kenya. Filming the great wildebeest migration in Serengeti National Park will start with the calving season from January to March in the southern part of the Serengeti National Park, where half a million of the claves are born before the herd moves to various sections of the Serengeti National Park. This is not straightforward due to the fact that it is a 3000-mile voyage that is exhausting, making it a life or death migration. Many perish due to tiredness, allowing other carnivore species such as hyenas, cheetahs, and lions to ease their search for food. August and September are the best months to see the Great Migration because it is also a good time to experience the river crossings during the migration. The rains will return to Tanzania in late October, and the herds will begin their journey back to the southern parts of Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro crater grassland plains. And the filming will lead you to visit the clear and the views of the other features in the park, including various rivers such as the Mara and the Seronera valley.

Filming the big five animals in Serengeti National Park. Serengeti National Park is the best destination where you can see the big five comfortably. Filming these animals will not give you a hard time because the animals can be easily seen grazing on the endless plains. The big five mammals include lions, rhinos, elephants, buffaloes, and leopards. Your wildlife fixer will help you track down the best spots where these five big mammals in Serengeti National Park can be seen, and this is what makes the place so wonderful and interesting.

Filming the other wildlife in Serengeti National Park: Because it is a unique transition area, the Serengeti has a wide range of wildlife. The park’s dramatic transition from rich flat soils in the south to poor hilly soils in the north results in a wide range of plants and ecosystems. Filming mix in Serengeti National Park will lead you to film some of the best wildlife, including filming the riverine woodlands, which are a unique ecosystem, and hippos and crocodiles frequent them. Long-neck giraffes, as well as a variety of other ungulates (hooved mammals) such as eland, zebra, topi, kongoni, impala, and Grant’s gazelle, are all-year-round residents. As previously said, all three large cats are plainly visible. Lions can be found almost anywhere, and they are frequently spotted on kills. Leopards can usually be found relaxing in one of the large trees near the Seronera River, while cheetahs are particularly prevalent on the south-eastern plains. Hyenas are common, while wild dogs are uncommon. Learn more about various animals. All these things will be great when you decide to film in this great national park.

Filming various bird species in the Serengeti National Park. Serengeti National Park is a birder’s paradise, with the park featuring more than 500 species of birds, and this offers the film crew team members the best shots if they are interested in filming the birds. Most of the people on the filming safaris in Serengeti National Park gladly point out all of the area’s unusual species, such as the Fischer’s Lovebird, which is vivid green and yellow in color, and the Kori Bustard, which has a beautiful white beard. The Serengeti-Mara ecosystem is one of Africa’s Endemic Bird Areas (an area crucial for habitat-based bird conservation) and is home to five unique bird species, half of which are only found in Tanzania. Learn more about the Serengeti’s birds.

Filming the Masai: Local culture in Serengeti National Park: The filing in Serengeti National Park will reach its peak when you start filming your hosts, who are the local people of the Masai who do stay in the proximity of the Serengeti National Park for various cultural encounters. A few local clans live in the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem. The Kuria people are accessible from within Kenya, along the Tanzanian border of the public park, as far south as feasible to Mugumu. The Ikoma clan, which lives along the Western Corridor border and west of Lake Victoria, replaces the Kuria clan further south. The Ikoma give way to the Sukuma people, an incredibly large local area residing on land southwards along the southwest border of Serengeti National Park, in a line that runs through Ndabaka at the tip of the Western Corridor. Agro-pastoralists with few possessions and domesticated animals make up these people groups. The Maasai are the most popular of all the local tribes.

The cost of filming in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania

Visitors who are interested in filming any destination in Tanzania are informed that there is some money that you will need to pay to do commercial filming in Tanzania. The filming permit will be issued by the Tanzanian government through the Tanzania Filming Board. Here at Africa Adventure Vacations, we will completely assist you in getting the filming permit in Tanzania and make sure that everything you need will be sorted in the quickest time possible. Once you have got the permit, which costs $1000, and this fee is for the regular permit, once you have this, then you will be able to go to the park where you will be filming, pay for the entrance, and immediately start the activity of filming.

What is the best time to do filming in Serengeti National Park?

Filming in the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania is an adventure that is done all year round. The optimum time to film in the Serengeti National Park is during the dry season, which runs from July until early October each year. During this time, wildebeests and zebras migrate to the northern plains in the southern part of Masai Mara National Park in search of fresh vegetation and water, and the rains in Tanzania resume in late October, when the herds begin their journey back to the southern parts of Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro crater grassland plains.

Winter is the ideal time to film the herd in the Southern Serengeti, while summer is the best time to film in the Western Corridor and Northern Serengeti. It’s important to remember that nature can be unpredictable, even in this part of the world. As a result, chance plays a significant role in watching the renowned river crossing, which involves two million animals traversing a river with rapids shaking their bodies and crocs nipping at their hooves. Large herds are usually easily visible in the correct section of the Serengeti at the right time, and there is a good chance of seeing a spectacular migration movement if you choose the right portion of the Serengeti at the right time.

What do you need to film Serengeti National Park in Tanzania?

Requirement 1: Filming permits and their costs.

You will need a filming permit to do the filming in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. All those who are interested in filming in Tanzania will have to book their filming permits from the Tanzania Film Censorship Board and the Department of Antiquities in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism.

Once you have this filming permit, then you can proceed and film in the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. It is very important to note that getting a filming permit in Tanzania might be expensive and time-consuming, and thus the visitors must ensure that they book early with us so that we can start the process of securing the filming permit for Tanzania early. Make sure that you undergo all the application forms for filming with the assistance of your local Tanzania production service film fixer. This is the step that you must take before anything. Once you have finished the application procedures, make sure that you submit the forms to your reputable local Tanzania Consulate. This will help to quicken and complete your application process. Later, after this exercise, you will be asked to send your original documents back to your Tanzania film fixer to finalize the process with the authorities in Tanzania.

Permits for filming can only be used for three months at a time. Giving oneself as much time as possible to accomplish this process is recommended. If you just have a short amount of time, you can get an expedited permit, but the expenses will be substantially higher. A standard permit costs $1,000. The film crew members who don’t have time and would like to book the last-minute filming permit in Tanzania will have to pay $3,000 each. Please contact us here at Africa Adventure Vacations as we can help to secure the filming permit to enable you to make and do filming in Tanzania.

Requirement 2: Other Permissions and Filming Fees for Filming in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania

The moment you are done with getting the filming permit, which is the core of filming in Tanzania, remember that you might need some other permissions that you will need to gain access to film in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. The other permissions that you might need may include filming inside the protected area or the national park, in case you need to do drone filming, as well as those interested in night filming safaris in Tanzania. There are several laws and rules that guide visitors or those who are interested in filming in Tanzania, and thus you must get the proper film fixer with high credentials to guide you so that you are not caught on the wrong side of the law. Please be reminded that you will also need to cover the accommodation costs, the visa, the film fixers’ fee, and the vehicle that you need to transport you to the filming in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.

Requirement 3: You need a strong vehicle when going to film in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.

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 up to Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, where filming will take place. 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

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 cost 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 Tanzania, so they are familiar with the local conditions and can provide critical information and resolve any situation on the ground. While in Tanzania, 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 the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.

Filming equipment freight and customs

If you choose Tanzania as your recording destination, you will almost certainly need to bring film equipment with you. The most efficient method of air shipping freight is as “go with” baggage on your aircraft. The alternative option is to convey it as “unaccompanied” cargo via airship. The last method is more expensive, and the hardware may spend some time in customs at the port of entry. In Tanzania, the temporary importation of film equipment is governed by a bond framework or system. You can save the entire value of the hardware with the Tanzanian government for the duration of the shoot. You can apply for a discount on this bond’s cash market value. In any event, film studios can pay a freight agent or specialist a non-refundable 10% of the total cost of the equipment in exchange for the use of his or her bond. This is a shorter and less complicated cycle.

Where to stay during filming in Serengeti National Park

There are also a number of accommodation options within the Serengeti National Park where you can stay during the filing activity. Some of these lodges or camps include midrange, budget, and luxury accommodations, and thus the visitors can clearly stay at some of these accommodations, including Mwiba River Lodge, Mwiba Wildlife Reserve, Mbali Mbali Soroi Serengeti Lodge, Singita Sasakwa Lodge, and Zawadi Serengeti Safari Lodge, which are among the lodges in the Serengeti National Park.

How to get to Serengeti National Park for filming

Most of the film crew members begin their Serengeti safari journey at either Kilimanjaro International Airport or the busy city of Arusha. You can either take a short transfer flight or a safari vehicle from here to your chosen lodge. You can even combine the two to get the best of both worlds. Flying from Arusha to one of the park’s seven airstrips is the most convenient alternative. An overland safari in a 4×4 safari vehicle from Arusha to Serengeti National Park is also conceivable, with stops at one or two other parks along the way. Of course, you can combine these possibilities by booking a one-way Serengeti overland safari and returning to Arusha by plane. Going on a safari in Serengeti National Park provides further information on the various safari options.

For the film crew members who are interested in using the air transport to Serengeti National Park, Flying into the Serengeti from Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) or Arusha Airport is the most popular option for a Serengeti fly-in safari (ARK). It will take around 1 to 5 hours to fly to one of the Serengeti National Park’s seven airstrips from here. Local airlines such as Grumeti Air and Coastal Aviation operate all flights. When you arrive at the airstrip, the lodge employees will pick you up and transport you to your final destination, where a cold drink will be waiting for you (please allow 45 minutes to 2 hours for the road transfer, depending on the lodge where you have stayed or where you are going to stay.

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

Africa Adventure Vacations is a well-known 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, particularly those interested in filming nature-related wildlife, archeological sites, 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.