What to film in Musanze Town

What to film in Musanze Town

Musanze town is the most known and important town in the Northern province of Rwanda. Musanze town is where most of the government administrative and commercial services are located for Rwanda. It is the closest city to the Volcanoes National Park and due to this many tourists stay here for sometime before departing for their gorilla treks in Volcanoes National Park. It is also a gateway for many people traveling to Uganda and Volcanoes National Park. There are many things to film in Musanze town as detailed below;

Things to film in Musanze Town

Lake Burera and Ruhondo

These two lakes are close to each other and are often referred to as the twin lakes of Rwanda. The lakes have a similar natural beauty of Lake Bunyonyi, Mulehe, and Mutanda in Uganda offering a great opportunity for filming birds and their beautiful scenery as a backdrop for the documentary.

Musanze Caves

Musanze Caves are over 1 million years old believed to have been formed during the creation of the Volcanoes in the area. The molten rock moving underneath left behind tunnels that formed a cave.

Imbazi a former orphanage and now a museum

Imbazi orphanage was created after the horrific Rwanda genocide to take care of the children who had lost their parents during the genocide. This house belonged to Rosamund Carr who opened her doors to the many children who were left hopeless and homeless. The house is now a small museum and Kindergarten.

Filming within Muzanse town

This is done through a city tour which will take you about 2 to 3 hours on this tour you will film city markets where you will cover the local fabrics, food, and fruits among others. On this tour, you will also visit the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International Offices and film various staff via an interview depending on the schedule and plan.

Requirements and permissions for filming in Musanze Town

You will need to get a filming permit for you to be allowed to film in Musanze Town. Rwanda filming permits are issued by the Ministry of Sports and Culture. Filming permits can be secured directly by contacting this ministry. contact film Fixers Uganda can assist you to do all the ground processes to secure for you the Rwanda Filming permits. Filming permits in Rwanda cost $30 valid for 15 Days and $50 valid for 3 Days the permit is strictly issued by the Rwanda Academy of Language and Culture. Then your filming equipment will also need to be cleared with customs at the Point of Entry in Rwanda. Contact us at Film crew fixers we will be able to process both the filming permissions with Local Authorities in Rwanda, Accommodation, transportation for you as well guide and help you with clearance processes at the point of entry into Rwanda.

Rwanda Press Accreditation

After securing the Rwanda Filming permits for filming in Rwanda, all film crew members must have press Accreditation from the Rwanda Media High Council. For you to get the press accreditation in Rwanda you will be required to fill in the Rwanda Press Accreditation Application Form (Which we normally send to you) with all details and then attached the following;

• Official letter requesting for accreditation addressed to the Executive Secretary
• Two colored passport size photographs
• A copy of your passport
• A copy of visa except for those who come from countries that benefit from the Rwanda Visa Waiver For example From the East African Community member states, USA, COMESA Member states among others contact us here for more details
• A copy of a press card from your country of origin
• A receipt of Payment from the Rwanda Revenue Authority
• List of Filming equipment and kits to be used during your shoot

On top of this, we will need a letter from the filming company detailing who they are, why they are filming, where they will be filming, and details of crew members on this shoot. We will attach this letter to all details provided and send them to Rwanda Media High Council for press accreditation. This takes 2-3 working days for the press accreditation cards to be ready.

For you to secure the Rwanda Press Accreditation you are required to pay as follows to Rwanda Revenue Authority depending on the length of your shoot in Rwanda;

• $30 Press Accreditation Card valid for 01 to 15 days
• $50 Press Accreditation Card valid for 15 days to 30 days
• $100 Press Accreditation Card valid for 1 to 3 months
• $200 Press Accreditation Card valid for 3 to 6 months
• $300 Press Accreditation Card valid for 6 months to 1 year

Kindly note the rates above are used as a guide and these change from time to time. Contact us for up-to-date rates.

Rwanda Work permit and Visa Advice

You will need to purchase a Tourist or Business visa for you to get into Rwanda for Filming. Many film crews prefer obtaining their visas before they come to Rwanda but visas can be obtained easily upon arrival at any entry point and in this case Kigali International Airport upon paying either USD50.00 for Tourist Visa you will be able to get it immediately. Those who come from countries that benefit from the Rwanda Visa Waiver For example From the East African Community member states, USA, COMESA Member states among others don’t need to pay for the Visa and they will be cleared upon arrival at any point of entry into Rwanda contact us here for more details.

Rwanda Vehicle Hire Services

Film Crew Fixers organizes transport for film crews depending on their interest, budget, and the nature of roads in such selected locations they are filming in Rwanda. For rough terrains, like in National Parks, we recommend Customized 4×4 Land Cruisers which costs from USD200-350 per vehicle per day with Driver/Fixer or 4×4 Safari Vans from USD200 per Van per day with driver/Fixer. For us to estimate how much it will cost in terms of fuel, we will need to look at your filming schedule to establish mileage and distance to be traveled. We also organize both charter and scheduled air transport for those that need to fly in order to reduce the number of hours.

Production Fixers in Rwanda

All our vehicles come with drivers who act as location fixers and most of them have been to almost all parts of Rwanda and are thus conversant with the local situations and can provide relevant information and fix any situation on the ground. These act as intermediaries between you and our office while on location in Rwanda.

Accommodation in Musanze Town

Accommodation options to stay in during filming in Musanze Town range from Budget, mid-range to luxury options. You will choose what to stay in depending on your interests and budget. Lodge options include Bisate Lodge, La Locanda, Virunga Lodge, Red Rocks Rwanda, and Sabinyo Silverback Lodge among others. Contact us for reservation and booking details.

What is the best time to film in Musanze Town?

Filming in Musanze town is done throughout the year and the best time is during the months of December to February and then June to October which is always a dry season period making the shoot easy.

How to get to Musanze Town

Musanze Town can be accessed by road the roads leading to this town are of good quality and well maintained, the drive here takes approximately 2 hours from Kigali. Private cars are also available and can be hired for about $60 excluding fuel and a driver. However, there is also an option to use public buses if you are traveling on a tight budget.

Why use Film crew fixers to film in Musanze town.

Film crew Fixers is a local fixer company, we assist filming companies and Production agencies in Uganda and East Africa as a whole we have done this for the last 8 years. We handle all fixer services required with our professional team of local fixers and driver guides. We have all relevant connections with other service providers and government agencies in Rwanda to make sure that accreditation and filming permits are processed in the shortest time possible. Contact us for details and all relevant information you would like to know to film in Musanze town.