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Filming in Upemba National Park in DR.Congo

Filming in Upemba National Park in DR.Congo

Filming in Upemba National Park in DR.Congo

Filming in Upemba National Park in DR. Congo- Upemba National Park is one of the prominent national parks found in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the south-eastern province of Katanga. The Upemba National Park covers 10000 square kilometers as a result of redefining its size from 17730 square kilometers with the aim of conserving the ecosystem and great wildlife species found within this wonderful national park. The Upemba National Park is divided into 2 sections, with one composed of the lower depression of Upemba Lake and the rest suitable for wildlife safari visitation comprised of the savannah grassland.

Upemba National Park is among the most visited national parks in the Democratic Republic of Congo, mostly the Upemba Lake. Visitors tour the marshes and the lakes, which are bordered by the famous Lualaba River with its higher sections in the Dryer Kibara Plateau Mountains. The Upemba National Park is close to the Kundelungu National Park because the parks are close to each other.

The Upemba National Park is the largest national park in the Katanga province, providing the wonderful views and sights that make you come up with quality video shoots. The park features several film habitats, which among others, include the afro-montane grassland, the wetland areas, marshes, the Miombo woodland species and the savannah grasslands that provide good conditions for several species such as the zebras, elephants, buffaloes, the only found here, the Kayanga impala, lions, baboons and bird species such as the shoebill and the Oribis, all offering and proving the wonderful scenery during filming.

What will your filming mix be at Upembe National Park?

Upembe National Park features a lot of the ecosystems that will feature in your video footage while filming. The park features Lake Upemba, which is only 3.2 meters deep with a lot of algae, with the water levels always fluctuating based on the seasons. There are other water bodies in the park with a lot of swamps that have the Nile Lecttuce, a water caltrop with a lot of species. While filming in Upembe National Park, you will be able to get clear views of the Kibara Mountains, various riparian zones and streams, the Lualaba River, swamps, crocodiles and snakes, which can all be helpful in producing good quality videos.

What to film in Upemba National Park?

Upemba National Park features a lot of things that visitors can film when visiting this park for filming. Some of the important things that you can film in Upemba National Park include the following:

Filming the elephants in Upemba National Park: This is one of the big 5 animals of Africa, and Upemba National Park features these wonderful, huge African elephants in the open savannah grassland. They offer wonderful filming opportunities back in Upemba National Park.

Filming lions in Upemba National Park: Upemba Nation Park features lions, which are also known as the “kings of the jungle,” which are found within this wonderful national park.

Filming zebras in Upemba National Park: While in Upemba National Park, zebras are commonly sighted grazing in the open grassland areas, and therefore, these provide a wonderful opportunity to film them.

Filming the Katang Impala in Upemba National Park: This is one of the rare impala that can only be seen in the Upemba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo and you will be extremely happy to film it from here because it’s hardly seen in other parts and conservation areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Filming the rare shoebill in Upemba National Park: This is one of the rare shoes that is so interesting and wonderful to film. The rare shoebill is located within the swamps and marsh areas of the Upemba National Park. This is so interesting, and therefore, you need to come and film this wonderful bird species.

Other things to film or see in Upemba National Park

Various water bodies of Upemba National Park: There are several water bodies that are found within the park and these include the Lake Upemba. There is also the Lualaba river, and swamps are also present, and these water collection points in the lake attract several animals that do come to drink water, some of which are species such as crocodiles, snakes, and water birds that can be seen permanently in these water sources.

Different Vegetation Types of Upemba National Park: The Upemba national park features different vegetation types that you will see and even capture during filming within the park. There are more than thirty species of vegetation covered in the Upemba National Park, and these include the grassland vegetation, the tropical rain forest, and the Afro-montane miombo woodlands, among others.

This is the point that provides the unique observation point raised on a higher altitude, offering stunning views of the park. The mountain features the nice looking evergreen forests that harbor the baboon forests, and this place is good for filming when in Upembe National Park.

Upembe National Park: Upemba National Park features a lot of bird species and it is regarded as one of the best birding destinations in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Some of the bird species in Upemba National Park that you can see while filming include Nictaor, Souza shrike, Chestnut owlet, wattle crane, Miombo rock thrush, flycatcher, the rare shoebill, Chestnut, among others.

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 film in Upemba National Park?

The first requirement is to obtain filming permits and clearance.

For any related filming activity to be done in the Democratic Republic of Congo, especially in Upemba National Park, 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 Upemba National Park. 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 Upemba National Park 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.

With the Democratic Republic of Congo filming procedures, there is no formal process for the filming permits allocation and thus this is handled by negotiations between the parties, and at Africa Adventure Vacations, we are experienced in doing this. 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 when to do filming in Upemba National Park.

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 the 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 in Upemba National Park 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 for filming in Upemba National Park.

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 filing, 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 their interests, budgets, and the 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 the 44 wheel drive vehicle that will be able to navigate the hilly terrain, especially in the Upemba National Park. 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 and knows all the corners of the country from the point of arrival up to the Upemba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The driver fixer will be able to share with you the basic information about the Democratic Republic of Congo and will give you all the solutions required when it comes to film fixing, so you are lucky to book your Upemba National Park filming safaris with Africa Adventure Vacations.

Is filming in Upemba National Park safe?

It is very 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 has returned to peace, 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 Upemba National Park is safe.As Africa Adventure Vacations, we keep tracking and monitoring any security threat from time to time, and we are very cautious in that anytime we feel the threat, we can let you know, and this advisory service is always given before the filming in Upemba National Park starts. Always contact us at African Adventure Vacations for more information about filming in Upemba National Park.

How to get to Upempe National Park for filming

We can say that it is not all that easy to get to Upembe National Park, but the park reentry can be accessed by road transport and air transport. For the road trip, the film crew members will have to travel for about 400 kilometers from the border with Angola and Zambia. Upemba National Park is located within the Katanga province.

What to wear during filming in Upemba National Park, Congo?

In order to have a successful filming safari in Upembe National Park in Congo, there are some of the items that you should not miss from your packing list, especially the right dressing code depending on the conditions available. Therefore, our visitors or the film crew members should put on or come with the following during filming:

  • You need to wear long-sleeved shirts or long trousers while filming. It is good when they are waterproof, as these will protect you from being harmed by sharp tree branches and stones as well as thorns while in the Congo wildness filming.
  • You need to wear water-proof shoes during filming. This will help you to navigate through the slippery trails that you will be following while filming in Congo as these will give you stability on the ground.
  • Don’t miss out on putting on the gardening gloves when filming, which will be so influential in protecting your hands, and you can put them off when you feel you no longer need them.
  • You also need to come with a rain jacket because, in most cases, filming is done in the tropical rain forests that are always wet, and this is why putting on a rain jacket is of great help to you.
  • Since filming is always done in the wild, it is good that you have insect repellent with you to safe guard against various insects such as mosquitoes and any other biting insects.

Other clothes that you should not leave out are the water-proof safari back and jacket, as this will help protect your filming equipment from getting in touch with water. You can also put on the African safari hat, safari socks, and shorts that you can sometimes put on, among others.

Where to stay during filming in Upembe National Park

The film crew members heading for filming in Upembe National Park will have to choose some of the lodging options that are found within the Katanga province, especially in the capital Lumbashi. We shall help you to book and reserve any lodge of your choice. We also have tented camps where you can stay at your destination, which is so interesting and also gives you a wonderful experience.

What is the best time for filming in Upemba National Park?

Filming in Upemba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo is done throughout the year. However, it has been established that the best time to film in Maiko National Park 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 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.