Never Trust Google Maps in Uganda

1 day ago

5 min read

Planning a film production in Uganda? Transport is often less predictable than Google Maps makes it look. Roads, rain, traffic, distances and local conditions can quickly change your schedule.

After years of travelling across Uganda with film crews, we’ve learned a few things the hard way. These three stories from real productions probably tell you most of what you need to know.

The Drive to Jinja

We were on our way to a Peace For Paul shoot in a remote village near Jinja. Google Maps said one hour.

What we didn’t know was that it was the beginning of the rainy season. The road that looked perfectly fine on the map had turned into a mud pit in real life.

Halfway there, we got stuck. Not slightly stuck. Properly stuck.

Yuri got out to push and was knee-deep in water within five minutes. Six people from the village came over to help us. Because that’s also Uganda: when someone is stuck, people come and help.

We eventually arrived at the shoot an hour late and absolutely covered in mud. Luckily, we were still able to make up the lost time and get the filming done.

Lesson one: never blindly trust Google Maps on small roads in Uganda.

Google Maps is perfectly useful for getting from Kampala to Jinja. But once you leave the main roads, the route on your screen doesn’t necessarily tell you anything about the actual condition of the road.

A road that looks like an ordinary route on the map can turn out to be a dirt track. And during the rainy season, that track can become almost impossible to drive on.

When the Only Road Turns Out to Be a Boda Road

On day three of an Aidsfonds shoot, we were driving to a family living high in the mountains. At some point, the road simply ended for cars. We still had about 400 metres to go, but the only way forward was a narrow track that was really meant for boda bodas, Uganda’s motorbike taxis. We had already started unloading the equipment from the minibus. The plan was to carry the cameras, tripods and other gear back and forth several times on foot. Our driver looked at the track for a while. He thought about it. And then decided to drive anyway. At the risk of his own car. The trees and bushes were growing right along the track, and the car picked up a few extra scratches along the way. Luckily, our driver wasn’t too worried about that.

We made it to the top without getting stuck.

Thanks to him, we didn’t have to arrive sweaty and exhausted after carrying all our equipment up the hill. We simply arrived in the van. Moments like this are exactly why having a good local driver matters so much when you’re working on a film production in Uganda. You need someone who can do more than drive. Someone who knows the roads, understands what a vehicle can handle and can judge when to keep going and when it’s better to stop. Because you never really know what you’ll encounter.

That’s why a location scout beforehand is always worth it, especially when your schedule doesn’t leave much room for delays. Read more about Location Permits in Uganda: What You Need for Each Type of Location

When the President Drives, Everyone Waits

On another production, we left after lunch in two cars. The first car left slightly earlier. The second followed about ten minutes later. The first car arrived on time.The second arrived two hours later. The reason? The president was travelling through the area. Roads were closed and traffic came to a standstill for an extended period. The first car had just made it through in time. The second was caught in the middle of it and couldn’t go anywhere.

Not something you can control. But definitely something you need to plan for.

It may be an extreme example, but it shows why transport in Uganda can’t be planned purely by looking at the distance on a map. A two-hour drive can become four hours. A road can become impassable after heavy rain. A route can be much rougher than expected and sometimes, the entire road simply stops moving.

For a film production, that means one thing: don’t plan your schedule as if everything will run exactly according to Google Maps.

Build in Time

For international film crews, transport in Uganda can be an underestimated part of production planning.

You can have your crew, equipment and shooting schedule perfectly organised, but if your transport doesn’t work, everything else will eventually fall behind.

That’s why we always allow extra time when travelling outside Kampala.

A few things we now do as standard:

Remove lenses from camera bodies. When travelling on rough roads, transport cameras and lenses separately where possible. Constant vibration and bumps aren’t particularly kind to your equipment.
Use proper flight cases. Protecting your gear is not overkill when you’re travelling long distances on rough or unpaved roads.
Build in generous buffers. Especially on travel days outside Kampala. A delay of several hours isn’t impossible.
Fill up before leaving Kampala. Outside the city, petrol stations are much less predictable. Starting with a full tank simply gives you one less thing to worry about.
Work with a reliable driver. A good driver doesn’t just know the roads. They understand the traffic, local conditions and how to get around unexpected problems.
Make your driver part of the production planning. If your crew needs to work, make calls or review footage while travelling, having a reliable driver becomes even more valuable.
Scout difficult locations in advance. Especially when the final kilometres involve small roads or dirt tracks.

A good driver who knows the roads isn’t a luxury. It’s part of the production.

Transport Is More Than Getting From A to B

When you’re organising a production in Uganda from Europe, it’s easy to see transport as a purely logistical task: book a vehicle, find a driver and move on.

In reality, it works differently.

Transport affects your shooting days, call times, equipment, energy levels and ultimately the quality of your production. A crew that arrives completely exhausted after four hours on rough roads starts an interview differently from a crew that arrives relaxed and on time. That’s why at Story To Video, we don’t just look at the fastest route, we look at the whole picture.

Where is the location?

What is the final stretch of the road like?

Will the road be accessible during the rainy season?

How much equipment are we carrying?

How many people are travelling?

How much time do we realistically need?

Those are often the questions that make the difference.

Our Local Knowledge Makes a Difference

Story To Video is based in Kampala and works with Dutch and Ugandan filmmakers. We know how production works locally and work with reliable local drivers and crews.

That doesn't mean every drive goes smoothly. Sometimes you just get muddy. Sometimes you have to wait. And sometimes a 400-metre road on Google Maps turns out to be a small adventure. But with the right preparation, you know better what you're getting into. We arrange local transport, help plan routes and schedules, and make sure crew and equipment end up in the right place.

Transport is only one part of your preparation. Want to make sure you don't miss anything? Read Everything You Need to Know to Film in Uganda. Or leave it to us. From visas and permits to transport and drones: we take care of everything, so you can focus on the story.

We arrange transport and drivers for film productions in Uganda.

roos@storytovideo.nl

📍Based in Uganda and the Netherlands