Filming gorillas in Uganda is one of the top experiences in Uganda. There are two gorilla destinations in Uganda namely; Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (BINP) and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park (MGNP).  The two parks are situated in south western Uganda near Uganda – Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo border. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park are famous  for protection mountain gorillas.

Clients who are willing to film Mountain Gorillas have to sign contract with Uganda wildlife Authority (UWA) and must clearly give reasons for filming, when to film, the size of the film makers and what to film among others. You will be allowed to film under the guidance of ranger guides.

Yes, gorilla filming is of more merits than demerits but the activity also faces some challenges in the entire process:

High cost of gorilla filming – Each film crew member must buy a gorilla permit and then pay the filming fees. The process involves other logistic like custom clearing of filming equipment, flight fares/ transport, guiding fees among others. In Uganda, the official Mountain Gorilla Filming permit is charged at 40% of the Gorilla trekking fee $800, which comes to $320 and add a 10% monitoring fee charge of the Gorilla permit fee ($800) which is $80.

Gorillas’ negative behaviors – sometimes gorilla get upset and feel not okay to stay with human beings. For that case, gorilla filming can be postponed to other dates which can inconvenient filming programs.

Processing of necessary documents – the bureaucratic  process of importing the drones into Uganda, processing of media cards, clearing of the filming equipment in customs among others issues.  For that case, some clients decide to hire items from Uganda to save time and money.

Availability of Gorilla permits – gorilla filming depends on the availability of gorilla permits in Bwindi impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. If there are no permits, look for another date or postpone to future dates.