Filming Lake Nakuru in Kenya
Filming Lake Nakuru in Kenya: Lake Nakuru offers the visitors with the one of the Kenya’s best known images. Lake Nakuru is well known for the thousands of flamingo birds joining the massive flock fringe the shores of this soda lake. A pulsing pink swathe of life that carpets the water, the flamingo birds which are heartbreaking. These birds, which frequent Lake Nakuru to eat the algae that grows on the lake bed, have made the lake famous throughout the world.
They move back and forth while feeding, occasionally erupting into spectacular flight displays that adorn the sky above the lake with color. The lake’s size varies greatly, ranging from 5 to 30 square kilometers. Flamingos are not all that live in Lake Nakuru. This is a significant national park and a crucial rhino sanctuary. Here, black and white rhinos can be seen frequently resting by the lakeshore under acacia trees.
Game is abundant in the park. There are sizable herds of animals like the endangered Rothschild Giraffe, buffalo, zebra, and waterbuck. With its alkaline waters occasionally ringed by more than a million flamingos, Nakuru is arguably the most famous of Kenya’s Rift Valley lakes and one of the best-known African parks in the entire world.
The phrase “the greatest bird spectacle on earth” was coined by American ornithologist and modern environmentalist Roger Tory Peterson, and it has since become a catchphrase. Sadly, things are not as they were when Peterson saw them because the ecosystem of the lake is under a lot of pressure from humans, and the enormous flocks of birds are gradually disappearing or leaving for other, more pristine soda lakes.
Filming Lake Nakuru in Kenya
What to film on Lake Nakuru
The filming crew members come to Lake Nakuru to see the hordes of pink flamingos, but the lake’s population changes depending on the lake’s alkalinity. When there is more precipitation, the alkalinity decreases and there is less algae for the birds to eat. As a result, for a while, the majority of flamingos might move to nearby soda lakes in Kenya like Bogoria and Natron. You will be able to film the abundance of additional wildlife available at Lake Nakuru Park.
There aren’t many fresh water sources during the prolonged dry season, so animals gather near them. There are fewer mosquitoes around during the dry season, which makes your trip to Kenya more enjoyable. In contrast to other regions of Kenya, the Nakuru region experiences an unusually high amount of rain from July to October.
Migratory birds start to arrive in October as Europe begins to cool, and they stay there until April. Typically, the brief rains begin in November and last through December. The best time to visit Lake Nakuru and film flamingos is in January or February, when it’s dry and hot. However, there is no guarantee that you will see a large number of flamingos as most of the birds feed and nest at the lake that provides the tour.
Where to day during filming on Lake Nakuru
Several accommodation facilities available at lake Nakuru include a cacia picnic site, lake nakuru Lodge, Sarova Lion Hill Lodge, Chui campsite, Rhino campsite, Naishi Campsite, Kambi Nyuki campsite, Baboon cliff, back packers, Reedbuck campsite among others.
How to get to Lake Nakuru for Filming
After Nakuru town, the Park is located 160 km northwest of Nairobi. Take the A104 highway south from Nairobi; the park headquarters are 4 kilometers south of Nakuru town.
Filming fees and costs for Lake Nakuru
For any person interested in Lake Nakuru, they will have to pay some costs and fees to be granted permission to do any filming activity. As such, the filming charges for Lake Nakuru include:
- Ksh 8,000 ($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 expenses
- a) Filming rates in Kenya Shillings (Kshs/USD)
- 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)
- (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.
- 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 film Lake Nakuru.
Press Accreditation
To film Lake Nakuru 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 filming Lake Nakuru
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 filming Lake Nakuru 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 Lake Nakuru 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, 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 USD51.00.
When the best time to film Lake Nakuru in Kenya?
Filming in Kenya 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 film Lake Nakuru 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 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.
