Location Scouting in South Africa Starts Here
We look forward to sharing Lapalala’s authentic, unspoilt African wilderness locations with film location scouts, location managers, fixers, photographers, and feature film, advertisement, corporate video and documentary production companies.
An ideal location for filming of feature films, advertisements, corporate videos, product launches and documentaries.
Situated in the widely acclaimed Waterberg Biosphere of the Limpopo Province, the 48,000 hectare “Big 5” Lapalala Wilderness offers a diverse array of African wildlife and breathtaking landscapes of mountains, rivers, bushveld and open savannah.
Diverse Landscapes
Eight different land types have been identified in the reserve – bisected by the perennial Palala river that drains the area from south to north – which is an indication of the heterogeneity, and thus habitat diversity, of Lapalala.
Lots of Sun, Malaria-Free
On average, there are 256 hours of sun per month – that’s between 8 and 9 sun-hours a day throughout the year. August is the sunniest month (283 hours), while February has the lowest amount of sunshine (222 hours). Lapalala Wilderness is malaria-free.
Comfortable Temperatures, All Year Round
Maximum temperatures vary between 30°C (September – March) and 22°C (July), while minimum temperatures vary between 20°C (September – March) and 8°C (July).
Low Precipitation
Annual rainfall is estimated at 500mm in total, mainly in South Africa’s summer. Average monthly precipitation is estimated at 100-120mm in December and January (summer) and at 10mm in July and August (winter).
Low Density, Off-Grid
Lapalala is one of the lowest-density, privately protected wilderness areas in Africa. We don’t depend on the unstable national power-grid: Lapalala’s facilities are 100% powered by sustainable, off-grid energy systems.
Wildlife
Lapalala is home to a wide-ranging diversity of wildlife – often not seen in the greater Kruger area – made up of 60 mammal species, including black rhinoceros, roan antelope and sable antelope, and over 280 bird species. In addition, Lapalala hosts South Africa’s only off-grid Vulture Safe Zone and breeding projects that allow visitors to get close to special species, and is at the forefront of private rhino conservation in South Africa.
Stories
The rich history and natural diversity of Lapalala has attracted a bustling community of experts and enthusiasts, including palaeontologists, archaeologists, conservationists, veterinarians, and educators. Each of them has unique and inspirational stories to tell about Lapalala’s fauna and flora, cultural heritage, and rock art sites.
Accommodation
Accommodation is available for film and set crews at the recently upgraded Touchstone research camp in the north of the Lapalala – fenced out of the reserve. The camp offers 15 twin rooms with en suite bathrooms and shared self-catering facilities along with a meeting room and conference area. We have the capacity to host fairly large numbers of crew at our Touchstone HQ which is fenced out of Lapalala.
Support Conservation
Filming at Lapalala contributes directly to the Lapalala Foundation and School, and in doing so, to the protection of biodiversity, community sustainability, and the education of Africa’s future conservation champions.
Free from Light Pollution
Lapalala Wilderness is part of the DarkSky International initiative, which aims to restore the nighttime environment and protect communities from the harmful effects of light pollution. This means that film productions are not impacted by urban light pollution.
