Filming in the Congo Village–DR.Congo

Filming in the Congo Village in Democratic Republic of Congo- The Congo village offers wonderful cultural encounters for visitors, especially those visiting the Democratic Republic of Congo. Filming the Congo village is of great importance as it provides you with an opportunity to interact and film the local community people as they do communal work or go about their daily activities.

Most Congolese in villages were once fruit gatherers in the forests, but were later relocated from the forest back to the Congo village, with the majority of the Congolese population remaining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s rural areas. Most of the village areas with a lot of people are those found within the rural areas, especially those located around the coast areas, where you can have a village with about 500 people straying there.

Most people have not yet established that filming villages, especially those around the greatest national parks in Congo like Virunga National Park, is so interesting, but well, adequate preparation coupled with fantastic filming equipment will give you the best shots when filming in the Congo villages.

What will be in your Congo Village filming mix?

While filming the Congo village, you will be able to see different things that most likely appear in the video, including the housing styles of the Congolese staying in the village, the schools, the health services, and the background of the savannah grassland, especially when filming the Congo villages of the southern central region and other areas of interest based on your Congo filming itinerary. Most major destinations in the Democratic Republic of Congo have got wonderful Congo villages around them where you can film the people either making crafts, others can be filmed fishing, others grazing, among others. You can also get a chance to visit and film the Mbuti pygmies as they do some hunting with them.

What is the cost of filming in the Democratic Republic of Congo?

All the visitors going on the filming adventure in the Democratic Republic of Congo must obtain valid filming permits. If you’re filming for personal use, you will just need to pay the park entrance fees and then the fees and do the activity, while if you’re filming for commercial purposes or documentary, it will be the Institut Congolais Pour la Conservation de la Nature that will issue the filming permit, depending on which destination you’re going to do the filming from. But generally, you will need to pay the park entrance fees and then a percentage levied for filming, as it will be well explained by the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature. We engage with the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature to ensure that we get for you the right and affordable Congo filming permit.

What do you need to make filming possible in this Congo village?

The first requirement is to obtain filming permits and clearance.

For any related filming activity to be done in the Democratic Republic of Congo, all the filming crew members have and possess the filming permits and these are provided with permission by the authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo in order for you to continue with your filing in Congo village. Other than the filming permits, you will also need to have your filming equipment cleared at any point of entry in the Democratic Republic of Congo, whether through the international airport or by using the land borders. The filming equipment is supposed to be cleared by the customs department, which is always stationed at the point of entry.

Therefore, as Africa Adventure Vacations, this is where we can help you a lot. By merely informing us of your intentions to do filming in Congo Village in the Democratic Republic of Congo, we are very experienced in organizing for you the whole adventure activity, including processing for you the filming permits required, organizing for you the accommodation facilities, transportation, help in obtaining for you the local authorities permits, as well as aiding you in clearance of your filming equipment with the customs department of the Democratic Republic of Congo at your point of entry.

There is no formal process for the allocation of filming permits in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, so this is handled by negotiations between the parties, which Africa Adventure Vacations is experienced in. Also, the DR. Congo government doesn’t authorize filming in the areas of interest, especially filming the military installation projects, filming of government buildings, as well as filming along the border areas, and this is illegal and you may be penalized in the courts of law or even have your equipment confiscated. If you want to do filming that will require you to shoot by the use of drones, market filming, or filming alongside the road whereby you will inconvenience traffic, such as filming in the cities or those in the national parks, then you will also need to get permission from the local authorities. To avoid inconveniences, you will need to contact Africa Adventure Vacations so that we can advise you accordingly.

Visas and work permits are required as part of the second requirement.

As you are aware, it is illegal to enter another country without a visa. It is important that all the film crew members obtain a visa to be allowed into Dr. Congo. For the neighboring Congo countries of Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda, you can get the visa immediately on arrival. For the DR Congo Visa, it’s a different story. Rather, you must apply for the visa in advance through your nearby DR Congo Embassy. The single entry visa in Congo costs $100 and is valid for one month. The one valid for two months costs $135, while for the one valid for six months, you will need to pay $400. The important thing to note is that the DR. Congo Visa will need to be applied for in advance, about 3 weeks or a month before your planned dates of travel to Congo for the filming, since this Visa cannot be issued on arrival as it is in her neighboring countries. The film crew members will not be allowed to enter the Democratic Republic of Congo to do filming activities without a visa. Another document here is the yellow fever vaccination card, and thus, please contact us at Africa Adventure Vacations for the best filming opportunities in DR. Congo.

Requirement 3: You need to hire a vehicle in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Yes, at Africa Adventure Vacations, we make sure that we make transport arrangements for you such that when you are in the Democratic Republic of Congo for filming, you don’t get stranded. We have got our own fleet of cars and we book and arrange the vehicle services for the film crew members depending on the interests, begets and terrain of the area that is going to be filmed. For the film crew members going to film in the rough terrain, we advise them to use a 44 wheel drive vehicle that will be able to navigate the hilly terrain, especially in the national parks. We shall be able to tell you how much it cost in terms of the furl and the mileage covered in order to determine how much you will spend on the vehicle per day. Africa Adventure Vacations also organizes both chartered and scheduled flights within the Democratic Republic of Congo, especially for visitors who are interested in flying and do not have the time to drive long distances on the road.

Our hired vehicles will be manned by a well-experienced driver guide who has been in the Democratic Republic of Congo before and knows all the corners of the country from the point of arrival up to the Democratic Republic of Congo village. The driver fixer will be able to share with you the basic information about the Democratic Republic of Congo and will provide all the solutions required when it comes to film fixing, so you are lucky to book your Congo village filming safari with Africa Adventure Vacations.

Is filming in a Congo village in the Democratic Republic of Congo safe?

Well, we all know that over recent years, DR. Congo has been affected by instabilities which have threatened investors as well as the tourism industry in the country. Such instabilities and disasters have come because of Ebola and other rebellion conflicts which have halted the filming process in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

However, as of recently, the Congo is back on track, with only a few cases of insecurity, and the filming industry in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is safe and thriving, so we can assure you that filming in Congo village is safe. As for Africa Adventure Vacations, we keep tracking and monitoring any security threats from time to time, and we are very cautious in that anytime we feel a threat, we can let you know. This advisory service is always given before the filing in Congo village starts.

Where to stay during filming in Congo Village in the Democratic Republic of Congo?

There are different categories of lodges which are categorized into luxury, midrange, and budget lodges where you can stay while filming in the Congo Village. Some of the available villages include Congo Palace and the Hotel Kisangani, among other hotel options available.

What is the best time for filming in Congo Village?

We can say that filming in the Congo village in the Democratic Republic of Congo is done throughout the year. However, it has been established that the best time to film in Congo Village is during the dry season, which runs from June to October and then from December to February. The Democratic Republic of Congo is covered with tropical rain forest and this has influenced the country to experience the tropical rain climate, meaning that at times you can also experience certain rains unexpectedly. Therefore, you need to prepare accordingly for the changing weather conditions.

Why should you choose Africa Adventure Vacations for your filming safaris?

Africa Adventure Vacations is a local company based in Uganda but operates in East African countries that include Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, and South Africa, and we have over 10 years’ experience in aiding filming and production companies, especially those interested in filming nature-related wildlife including Maiko national park and the culture of Africa. We provide services such as booking for the filming permits, clearing of the filming equipment, booking for the accommodation facilities, organizing transportation to the filming companies, all in the shortest period of time. We organize other wildlife packages to all of the above-mentioned countries, including gorilla packages to Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Therefore, you should not hesitate to choose us to be your film fixers in East Africa.