Filming mountain gorillas in Democratic Republic of Congo

Filming mountain gorillas in Democratic Republic of Congo- Gorillas are major attractions and icon feature of the tourism highlights in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mountain gorilla filming is one of the special moments which enables you to encounter the endangered mountain gorillas.

Democratic Republic of Congo is the one of the three countries that harbors the mountain gorillas and other countries being Uganda and Rwanda. Mountain gorillas in Democratic Republic of Congo are found only in Virunga National Park and it one of the four countries with the remaining population of the mountain gorillas, other parks include Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National park in Uganda and Volcanoes National Park that is found in Rwanda. Almost all these parks are close to each other and you can even organize the Mountain gorilla filming in all the three National parks.

Virunga National Park is known for its famous pristine and virgin tropical rain forests and it covers an area of 7,800 square kilometers which is equivalent to 3000 miles and it is found in the Democratic Republic of Congo south of the Virunga Mountains and North of Rwenzori mountains in Uganda. Virunga National Park also borders the other National Parks such as Queen Elizabeth National Park and Rwenzori National Park in Uganda.

Some of the amazing features of the Virunga national Park include the Virunga volcanoes, the sighting of the words endangered mountain gorillas, the Nyiragongo mountains mountain which has just erupted (2021) and the amazing primates such as the rare golden monkeys, the intelligent chimpanzees among other primates and species including birds.

Virunga National park gained the UNESCO World Heritage Status in 1979 and this was done in order to protect the biodiversity and the richness of the ecosystem which involves the mountainous ecosystem, and other species. It is a wonderful adventure to explore Virunga National Park with un touched wildness as you enjoy various attraction and species found within the Virunga National Park and therefore filming is the one of the wonderful adventure activity and believe me you will produce the wonderful shoots and films with the quality films for the documentaries and thus you don’t need to miss this wonderful opportunity.

What will be your filming mix as you film the Mountain Gorillas?

While filming Mountain Gorillas in Virunga National Park, you will get amused by other species such as the chimpanzees golden monkeys and other mammals including the buffaloes, antelopes, kobs, waterbucks, lions and this the reason why the Virunga National Park has got more than 218 species of mammals, 78 amphibians, 109 reptiles and more than 706 species of the birds recorded which among others include skimmers, ospreys, egret, duck, cormorants, shoebills among other species. All these can appear in your filming mix in Virunga National Park.

What to film other than Mountain Gorillas?

Filming chimpanzees in Virunga National Park: You will also get an opportunity to film the chimpanzees whether on the chimpanzee tracking or when doing the chimpanzee habituation process you will also need to buy the chimpanzee permit especially when you want to film them during the chimpanzee habituation process at $100 per person and other filming charges as you will be told.

Filming Golden Monkeys in Virunga National Park: Golden Monkeys are a rare species that can only be found in the Virungas, Mgahinga, and Volcanoes national parks; thus, you can get a chance to film these rare primates in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga National Park.

Other things to see while filming mountain gorillas in Democratic Republic of Congo

Nyuragongo Volcanoes in Virunga Congo: This is the recently erupted volcano which attracts several visitors who come to the Democratic Republic of Congo to do hiking. Seeing this and filming it will be so amazing as the volcanoes features the ever boing cater lake at its summit.

Seeing other wildlife: While filming gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo, you will be able to come across other animal species which you will see. These will include the monkeys living and staying within the forest, the amazing views of the Thomos kobs, there are also a lot of elephants and buffaloes, not forgetting the large concentration of hippopotamus which you can see at the shores of Lake Edward and other water bodies. You can also film these wonderful species while filming gorillas in Vurunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

What is the cost of filming mountain gorillas in 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 when filming mountain gorillas in Democratic Republic of Congo?

The first requirement is to obtain filming permits and clearance.

For any related filming activity to be done in Democratic republic of Congo especially in Virunga National Park, all the filming crew members have and must obtain the gorilla trekking permits or chimpanzee trekking permit or golden monkey trekking permit in addition to the filming permits and these are provided with the permission by the authorities with the Democratic Republic of Congo in order for you to continue with your filing in Virunga National Park. Other that the filming permits, you will also need to have your filming equipment cleared any point of entry in Democratic Republic of Congo whether through the International Airport or by the Use of the land borders. The filming equipment are supposed to be cleared by the customs department that are always stationed at the point of entry.

Therefore as Africa Adventure Vacations this is where we do help you a lot, by mere informing us of your intentions to do mountain gorilla filming in Democratic Republic of Congo, we are very experienced in organizing for you the whole  adventure activity including processing for you then filming permits requires, organizing for you the accommodation facilities, transportation, help in obtain for you the local authorities permits as well aiding you in clearance of your filming equipment with the customs department of Democratic Republic of Congo at your Point of entry.

With 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 the government buildings as well as filming along the border areas and this is illegal and you may be penalized in the courts of law even your equipment confiscated. In case you want to do filming that will require you shooting by use of then drones, market filming, or filming alongside the road where by you will inconveniences traffic, making filming in the cities and those in the national parks, then you will need also to get the permission from the local authorities. To avoid inconveniences, you will need to contact Africa Adventure vacations such that we can advise you accordingly when to do filming mountain gorillas in Virunga national park Democratic Republic of Congo.

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 this valid for the one month and the one valid for 2 months is at $135 while that one valid for 6 months, you will need to pay $400. Important to note is that the DR. Congo Visa will need to be applied for  this Visas in advance about 3 weeks or a month before your planned dates of your travel to Congo for the filming since this Visa cannot be issued on arrival as it is in her neighbor countries.  The film crew member will not be allowed to enter into the Democratic Republic of Congo to do mountain gorilla filming activity in Virunga National Park without a visa. Another document here is the yellow fever vaccination Card and thus pleased contact us at Africa Adventure Vacations for the best filming opportunities in DR. Congo.

Requirement 3:  You need to hire the vehicles for Mountain gorilla filming in DR, Congo

Yes, at Africa Adventure Vacations, we make sure that we make transport arrangements for you such that when you are in Democratic Republic of Congo for filing, you don’t get stranded. We have got our own fleet of cars and we book and arranger the vehicle services for the film crew member depending on the interests, budgets and the terrain of the area that is going to be filmed. The film crew member going to film in the rough terrains, we advise them to use the 4 X4 wheel drive vehicle that will be able to navigate the hilly terrain especially in the Virunga National Park. We shall be able to tell you how much it cost in terms of the furl and the mileage covered to determine how much you will spend on the vehicle per day. Africa Adventure Vacations also organizes the both chartered and scheduled flights within the Democratic Republic of Congo especially for the visitors who are interested in flying and not taking long drive 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 Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The driver fixer will be able to share with you the basic information about Democratic Republic of Congo  and he give all the solutions required when it comes to film fixing so you are lucky to book your  Mountain gorilla filming safaris  with Africa Adventure Vacations.

Is filming mountain gorillas Virunga National Park in Democratic Republic of Congo  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 the of recent, the Congo is now of track of peace as there are limited cases of instabilities and now the filming industry in Democratic republic of Congo is safe and booming and therefore, we can assure you that it is safe to film mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park. As Africa Adventure Vacations, we keep tracking and monitory any security threat from time to time and we are very cautious in that anytime we feel the threat, then we can let you know and this advisory services is always given before the mountain gorilla filming in Virunga National Park starts. Always contact us at African Adventure Vacations on more information about mountain gorilla filming in Virunga National Park.

How to get to Virunga National Park in Congo

Found in the Eastern part of Democratic Republic of Congo, there are several routes that you can use to get or to access Virunga volcanoes national Park. Visitors can use the Air transport by flying to Kigali International airport in Rwanda and then drive to Gisenyi then cross to Goma Town found in the Democratic Republic of Congo finally to the Virunga national Park headquarters. It will take for you about 2 hours from Gisenyi Town to Virunga National Park. Some flights can link you to Kishansha city where you will later connect to the park. You can also access Virunga National Park from Uganda via Bunagana boarder of Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo and later drive for just 30 minutes form the Border to Bukima where gorilla trekking is found.

Where to stay while Mountain Gorilla filming in Virunga National Park?

There are various accommodation facilities which are found within the Virunga National park and these range from budget, Midrange and luxury lodges where you can stay during filming and these lodges include the Bukima Tented Camp and Kibumba tented camp which are budget lodges and each night range from 90 to 100 United States Dollars per night per person, then there are luxury lodges in Virunga National Park and these include Mikeno Lodge which range from  200 United States dollars and 400 United states dollars and then Mid-range lodges Tchegera island Camp and Lulimbi Tented Camp where you can pay 100-200 united states dollars. Therefore, you can choose one of the lodges depending on your interest, budget and may be the closeness of the Lodge to the Virunga National park.

What to wear during filming mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park Democratic Republic of Congo?

In order to have a successful mountain gorilla filming safari in Virunga 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.

What is the best time for mountain gorilla filming in Virunga National Park?

We can say that, mountain gorilla filming in Virunga National Park in Democratic Republic of Congo’s is done throughout the year. However, it has been proved that the best time for doing filming in Virunga National Park is during the dry season staring from June to October and then December to February. Democratic republic of Congo is covered with the tropical rain forest and these have influenced the  country to  experience the tropical rain climate  meaning that at times you can also experience certain rains un expectedly  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.