Updated
Tourists can bring personal camera equipment into Uganda without special paperwork: cameras, lenses, laptops and binoculars for your own use are normally allowed through customs freely. Carry your gear in hand luggage, keep spare lithium batteries out of checked bags, and keep receipts or a list of serial numbers in case questions arise. Drones are the exception: they need prior authorisation and are not allowed in national parks without permission. Professional filming also requires permits.
On the plane
Pack bodies and lenses in a padded camera bag that fits your airline’s cabin size and weight limits; some airlines weigh hand luggage, and light aircraft to Bwindi have total limits of about 15 kg. Spare lithium batteries and power banks must be in hand luggage, with terminals protected. Tripods can sometimes go in checked bags. See our guide to luggage for a Uganda safari.
At customs
Personal equipment that you take home again is generally not taxed. Large amounts of professional gear, multiple bodies, lighting kits or equipment for commercial work may attract questions, and officials can ask for a deposit or paperwork; filming crews should arrange permits and customs documents in advance. Declare drones on arrival: flying one requires authorisation from Uganda’s civil aviation authority and other agencies, and drones without permits may be held. See our guide to drone rules in Uganda.
In the parks
On gorilla treks, flash is not allowed, and filming for commercial use needs a UWA filming permit and fees. Bwindi is wet and humid, so pack rain covers, dry bags and silica gel, and bring spare batteries as charging can be limited at some lodges. A porter can carry your bag on the trek. The gorilla permit costs US$800, or US$600 in April, May and November. See our guides to camera bags and photographing gorillas in low light.
Frequently asked questions
Not normally for personal equipment; drones and large professional kits are different.
Only with prior authorisation, and not in national parks without permission.
In hand luggage; spare lithium batteries cannot be checked.
Only for commercial filming; personal photos and videos are fine without flash.
Declaring and Protecting Camera Equipment
The Entebbe Airport customs process for camera equipment carried in checked luggage or as cabin baggage is straightforward for the equipment types that tourism produces — the DSLR body and lenses, the video camera, and the standard accessories that a wildlife photographer carries are not subject to commercial import duties when declared as personal effects for a temporary visit. The customs officer’s discretion in assessing whether declared equipment is for personal use or commercial resale occasionally produces queries at the Entebbe arrivals hall for visitors with large equipment quantities; carrying the camera equipment manufacturer’s retail receipts or a professional assignment letter from a publishing organisation resolves these queries definitively.
The airline’s cabin baggage weight and size restrictions that apply to carry-on camera bags are inconsistently enforced on African route sectors — the variation between the strict enforcement on European trunk routes and the more relaxed application on the Nairobi-Entebbe sector means that a slightly oversized camera bag that was gate-checked in London may travel as cabin baggage on the connecting East African sector. Checking the airline’s current enforcement practice with other photographers who have recently used the same route provides more accurate guidance than the published policy alone. The transit airports — Dubai, Doha, London, Amsterdam — each have specific security screening procedures for lithium batteries in camera equipment; spare batteries must be in carry-on baggage rather than checked luggage under IATA regulations, and the quantity allowed per passenger is capped at a level that most photographers approaching with multiple battery sets for a multi-week trip should verify against the current IATA policy rather than assuming from previous experience.
Travel Insurance for Camera Equipment
Camera equipment insurance for Uganda travel is available as an extension to most comprehensive travel insurance policies (declared as ‘high-value items’ at the policy’s purchase stage, with each item listed by make, model, and approximate value), and as standalone camera insurance through specialist providers such as Photoguard or the insurance products that professional photography associations offer their members. The declared value should reflect the current replacement cost rather than the original purchase price, as inflation in camera and lens prices since purchase may mean that the original purchase price underinsures the replacement. The Entebbe customs procedure for arriving visitors carrying camera equipment does not impose import duties on equipment that is clearly for personal use and is departed with on the same international itinerary — the customs declaration form’s high-value items section should be completed accurately, and retaining the purchase receipts for high-value items provides the documentation that customs queries require.
