TANZANIA: A FILMMAKERS PARADISE
Located in East Africa, Tanzania offers a diverse range of filming locations, from famous wildlife parks to unique cultures, snow-capped mountains to pristine white sand beaches. The country is known for its coffee, tea, cotton, and spice plantations, and has facilitated numerous great feature films and wildlife documentaries.
Regions and Locations
- Northern Tanzania: Home to famous wildlife parks, unique cultures, and snow-capped mountains.
- North-Eastern Tanzania:
- Dar es Salaam: Tanzania’s largest city and main production service center, with crew and equipment based there.
- Zanzibar: A semi-autonomous archipelago with beautiful palm-fringed white sand beaches and underwater photography locations.
- Stone Town: Features old Arabian townhouses, winding colonial alleyways, and a busy port.
- Pemba Island: Home to The Manta Resort, a floating underwater hotel, and offers some of the best underwater photography options in the Indian Ocean.
- Central Tanzania:
- Dodoma: The capital of Tanzania.
- Lake Victoria: The largest lake in Africa.
- Rubondo Island National Park and Saanane Island National Park.
- Western Tanzania:
- Gombe Stream National Park: Famous for its chimpanzees and the work done by Jane Goodall.
- Mahale Mountains National Park: Has the largest known chimpanzee population.
- Katavi National Park: A flood plain known for its hippos, crocodiles, lions, zebras, giraffes, and hundreds of bird species.
- Southern Highlands:
- Ruaha National Park: Home to the Great Ruaha River, spectacular gorges, majestic trees, and hundreds of species of bird.
- Udzungwa Mountains National Park: Features tropical rainforest, mountain forest, miombo woodland, grassland, and steppe.
- South-Eastern Tanzania:
- Selous Game Reserve: The largest game reserve in Africa, with wildlife including elephants, hippos, rhinos, buffalo, antelope, giraffe, warthog, wildebeest, lion, leopard, cheetah, and hundreds of bird species.
- Mafia Island Marine Park: Known for its coral reef underwater photography, green turtle breeding sites, deep-sea fishing, and diverse birdlife.
Best Time to Film
October to March are the best months for diving photography in Mafia Island Marine Park.
Tanzania offers a wide range of filming locations and experiences, making it an ideal destination for filmmakers. With its diverse landscapes, cultures, and wildlife, Tanzania is a paradise for filmmakers.
