Raiders of the Lost Ark Location Guide

This blog/site aims to provide the definitive guide to filming locations for the Indiana Jones Trilogy. Where possible GPS coordinates, Postal or Zip codes and detailed instructions on how to visit locations are provided. I have also included the whereabouts of vehicles used during filming for the completest.

For Temple of Doom locations follow this link: 
http://templeofdoomlocation.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/indiana-jones-and-temple-of-doom.html

For Last Crusade locations follow this link:
http://lastcrusadeultimatelocationguide.blogspot.co.uk/

Much has been written on Indiana Jones locations, but I am not aware of any other sites that provide guidance on how to visit the locations. I have also found the only way to ensure the information is accurate is to go and visit the rumoured location site. Having said that, I have found one website to be an incredible source of information: https://sites.google.com/site/youngindyfilmlocations/indiana-jones-film-locations/raiders-of-the-lost-ark-film-locations and much of my research began there.The locations in this "blog" are placed in the order in which they appear in the movies. If I have yet to visit a location, as much information as possible is provided for finding it.
 

When visiting locations I tend to focus on first unit locations, with less attention paid to second unit sites, or those significantly altered by special effects. Many Indy locations are chosen for their intrinsic historical, cultural or natural beauty, therefore I try not to get obsessed with just getting a picture of the locale. Further more I have a long-suffering wife whose affections I wish to keep, so I try to maintain a little perspective, have fun, and enjoy visiting these amazing places. You may also notice a gold rubber duck (the "Duck of Doom") featured in some of the photos. This "artefact" (featured in a spoof movie I made as a teenager viewable here: https://vimeo.com/221560351) always comes along for the ride.

Some locations are on private land, or restricted areas. As such, please respect the owner's property, and seek permission where appropriate. Additionally please note that many locations are in countries with customs different to those in the "West". Should you follow in Indiana Jones footsteps, please be a responsible traveller and show respect to other cultures and religions.

 

A final note on locations in the post AI world; some out there, rather than accepting they can't get to, or haven't been to a location, are now using AI to give the impression they have been to Raiders locations. I kinda think this is a little immoral and you won't find any fakery here. I have no interest in claiming something I have not done. The photos here may not always be of the highest quality, but that is as a result of being out in the real world, sometimes with bad light or weather, and sometimes with limited time. Also, as others have followed in my footsteps and have used me as a source for their fakery, I am now being a little more vague with some locations so that lazy AI using folks cannot profit from my efforts. 

Peru

Hawaii's Kauai island provides the location for Peru. 

Paramount Mountain

Paramount mountain is Anahola Mountain, Kauai. 

 

With Ben Hunt (good friend and partner in crime) and Wil Welsh, who was Harrison Ford's photographic stand-in and double for scenes shot in Hawaii.
 

Wil, still acting to this day, conveys the great weight of the "solid gold" Duck of Doom and Fertility Idol.

 

 

Wil showed us where this scene was shot on a river to the north of the island. In the movie it is almost certainly Wil we see jumping the river. Today the actual location is unrecognisable since shooting in October 1980 due to Kauai being hit by two hurricanes since then. Most notably Category 4 Hurricane Iniki in 1992 which caused severe and extensive damage across the island. 

 

 Closer to the actual location with the "Duck". But no feature to match the film can now be found.

 Searching for the river crossing location.
 

 

The Huleia River flows dramatically over cliffs forming the waterfall seen in the film. The location is in Kipu Ranch. Filming occured in October, at the end of the dry season, my visit was during the wet season, hence there is significantly more water flowing over the falls. 

Access was prohibited in around 2016 due to safety issues, curently the falls are not included on any tours from Kipu Ranch. 

A certain location video on Youtube (which references my help in the description) shows this scene, however, if you look closely it is apparent that either AI or Photoshop have been used to create a modern facsimile of the shot. 

Even though it may look like it in the above photo, I have not used photoshop or AI here or anywhere else on this "Blog".
 

The falls, again in significantly more water.

In the intervening years the vegetation has changed somewhat.

There is a very small cave in the area where the temple entrance was constructed by the crew, it could have been used, and extended, in the film. Or they may have just built it nearby. With the jungle vegetation, and incredibly steep terrain, it is very hard to pinpoint the exact spot.

 

The cave at the temple/small cave entrance, with the ever ready Duck of Doom.

 

An aspect that the film doesn't really convey is just how steep the ground towards the tunnel entrance is. If you re-watch the film look at the vertical strides Harrison takes as he approaches the temple, he is really going up a very steep slope! Vic Armstrong, who was discovered relatively late in the production, and subsequently went on to double for Ford in Temple of Doom and Last Crusade, did the dive out of the temple entrance after Indy escapes from the infamous rolling boulder. Yet again, my respect for his bravery and skill are unmatched. The dive looks like nothing on film, but in reality it is an incredibly  precipitous drop, avoiding volcanic boulders, that he throws himself head down.

The above scene was shot on Kipu Ranch , they do not provide tours for Indiana Jones locations, subsequently the area cannot be accessed. However, you can do a kayak trip up the Huleia river, which enabled me to at least get an acceptable skyline match. Again, there is a Youtube video which uses AI to re-create this scene, adding "40 years of growth" to the African Tulip trees seen amongst the grassland. If you pause the frame it looks pretty janky.

 

The legendary and super friendly Wil Welsh pointing in the direction of, and telling us exactly where the scene was shot. But even with local connections access to Kipu Range is very limited. You can however, do a long zip line, and ATV off road tours where you can inhale the dust from the vehicle in front of you and look at historic sugar cane plantations, "wild" cows, and peacocks. Thrilling. Both options are very very expensive.
 

Visited April 2019  

The plane is on display at Tokyo Disneysea.
It was impossible to get the same angle as in the film, as a wall and bridge block access.

It's hard to know for certain if this is the plane used in the film. It does look very much like it. However, whoever painted it for Disney got a little creative. Firstly the struts are the wrong colour (blue instead of grey). Secondly they didn't pay too much attention to the planes ID lettering. In the film the reference to Star Wars is a more subtle 0B-CP0 whereas, at Disney they've gone all out with C-3P0. OB is the correct designation for a Peruvian plane, hence its use. Also the ribs running the length of the fuselage are different. There are more on the plane at Disney. This could be due to restoration work at some point perhaps. Lastly, the floats are different but, these could have been replaced at some point since filming in October 1980.
There was a fascinating video on the shooting of some of the opening scenes, including the above plane crashing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTUjN5sq4Dk 
Unfortunately the video was taken down soon after it was posted for reasons unknown. 

Update: The plane in Tokyo is almost certainly not the plane in Raiders. Ben Hunt and I met the location manager, Tom Summers, for the scenes in Hawaii, and after further research I believe the plane currently resides in Oregon. Details to follow in due course...

 

Tom Summers, wearing his "crew cap", the location manager and casting director for the "Hovitos".
 

 

 Sea Plane Huleia River

 

Engine roars into life to the sound of a malfuncioning hyperdrive

Didn't expect to get this shot, partly as I had no intention, after all, most of the scene is plane. But on reviewing my photos of our kayak trip up river, I noticed the landscape visible behind the plane was a match. Hence it could be better. 

 

Vine Swing 

The scene has changed over the years, partially due to the impact of hurricanes, but also due to the river silting up caused by introduced non-native mangrove trees (usually of great benefit in tropical tidal zones). There is a rope swing in the approximate area of the one in the film, but the water is too shallow now to jump into, and the original tree that the rope was tied to is long gone. 

You can get to this area on the previously mentioned kayak trip with Outfitters Kauai: https://outfitterskauai.com/

The Huleia River is a wildife reserve so kayaking is only available through guided tours that have the required permits. 
On their website Outfitters do not mention that the kayak trip disembarks at the location of the rope swing! We booked the tour hoping to get close to the area and were thrilled to discover where it actually went. It seems anything to do with Kipu Ranch is unwilling to mention Raiders of the Lost Ark. 

 

 Into the Sunset

Sun setting in southern Kauai.

A huge thank you to Wil Welsh for his kindness and generosity in showing Ben and I around his beautiful island and taking us to the Raiders of the Lost Ark locations. Meeting Wil was truly a privilege and an absolute highlight of the trip. A massive thanks also to Ben for making this happen, and to Tom Summers for also generously sharing his time and stories with us. A video featuring Ben and I's exploits on Kauai, created by Ben, featuring interviews with Wil and Tom can be found here: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2Q1oOy_KpM

 

Indy's College Exterior

Visited Jan 2016

 Sadly the building now has incongruous late 20th Century additions to the entrance, and a few trees have been removed since filming.

With my partner in crime.

The exterior of the College is at the University of the Pacific, 3601 Pacific Circle, Stockton, California. The interior is Rickmansworth School, Scots Hill, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire WD3 2AQ http://www.rickmansworth.herts.sch.uk/. Several sources claim that the University of the Pacific also provided the interiors, this is not the case for Raiders or Last Crusade.  

Indy's College Interior

 

Indy's classroom location at Rickmansworth.

Indy's classroom is number 21, on the second floor of Rickmansworth school. On my visit to the school I was fortunate that a vintage fair was in progress. These run once or twice a year and put on a good show including period singing, vintage clothing stalls and an excellent tea and cake stand with proper china tea cups; all of which greatly adds to the ambiance.  More information can be found here: http://www.thevintageguidetolondon.com/rickmansworth-moore-vintage-fair/ 

I was also fortunate that the organiser of the fair was happy to call the care taker, who was more than pleased to show us the Indiana Jones locations, even on his day off.

I believe a group of Indy fans called "Club Obi Wan" go on a pilgrimage to the location every year. They have a video of their visit here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXgYYtaA7Hg 

For the real die hard, the archaeological site Indy discusses in his lecture, "Turkdean Barrow near Hazelton", could be one of several Neolithic chambers in Gloucestershire, UK, most likely Turkdean I, aka Leygore Manor (Grid Ref: 51.848307N 1.830277W http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=5228) . It is an actual Neolithic chambered tomb. However, the diagram, description and folklore he provides are an amalgam of sites, as suggested here: http://www.megalithic.co.uk/modules.php?op=modload&name=Forum&file=viewtopic&topic=5234&forum=1&start=0. The area is approximately 10 miles east of Cheltenham, Gloucester, though today there is not a great deal left, as you can see in the photo below.

Remains of Turkdean Barrow

College Hall

College location at Rickmansworth

At this stage visiting Indy locations was more ad hoc, and I just happened to be passing by. As such, the photos here are not an accurate copy of movie stills. Unfortunately this would soon develop into unhealthy obsession.

Indy's House

 A loft conversion is the only major change at this location. Visited January 2016.

Indy's house can be found at 37 Alder Ave San Anselmo, CA 94960, USA.

Only the exterior was used, the interior was at Elstree Studios. This is a private house so please respect the owners.

Pan Am Sea Plane

 

The plane, which was not air- or sea-worthy at the time of filming, now resides at Oakland Aviation Museum, 252 Earhart Road, Oakland, CA 94621 http://www.oaklandaviationmuseum.org/.  Viewing the interior of the plane is possible on dry days with an additional fee of $5 (prices as of Jan 2016), which is well worth for an informative guided tour and to see inside this venerable plane. The exterior is part of the standard visit. With the exception of the plane, the majority of the sea plane location is a clever Matte Painting (movie magic!). However, you can visit the actual location where the plane was located in the San Francisco Bay area at the following coordinates: 37°54'32.10"N 122°23'3.18"W.

Golden Gate Bridge

Not my most accurate screen shot, this was taken from Treasure Island, a better view may be possible from the Fort Mason area of San Francisco. Or as suggested by "Collin Edl" in the comments, at Point Diablo, which looks like a very good match. 

Nepal

Nepal was created using Matte paintings and studio interiors at Elstree.

The real Nepal, a stunning country well worth a visit.

Cairo/Egypt

Kairouan in Tunisia stands in for Cairo, I used this video as a basis for my trip:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27GIGEAQWEY 

 Map copyright google maps.

The above map shows the route through Kairouan Medina, covering key locations marked A through L in a clockwise direction around the old medina in Kairouan. For ease of navigation, locations are shown in geographical, rather than film order. A link to the map can be found below, sans lettering.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/35.6756179,10.1008452/35.6761451,10.1008184/35.675936,10.0985975/35.6779323,10.0991661/35.6786759,10.0996299/35.6785991,10.1003902/35.6799141,10.1007495/35.6778949,10.1017289/@35.6759278,10.1006912,20z/data=!4m2!4m1!3e2. 

A "Bar Marhala" on the Avenue Habib Bourguiba, coordinates: 35°40'32.33"N 10° 6'2.92"E

Bar Marhala location

B "Indy about to shoot truck" on the corner of Rue Barrouta, coordinates: 35°40'33.90"N 10° 6'2.71"E

About to shoot truck

C "Marion on the run" Avenue Habib Bourguiba, coordinates:35°40'34.18"N 10° 6'1.45"E

Marion on the run

D "Old Window" is the first alley on the left up Rue Ali El Barrak, coordinates: 35°40'34.57"N 10° 5'58.31"E

Old window

E "Running down alley" is on the corner of the "old window" alley at Rue Ali El Barrak

Running Down Alley

F "Dead end alley" is also off Rue Ali El Barrak coordinates: 35°40'34.09"N 10° 5'55.94"E

Dead end alley

G "Through arch" is just a few yards along from the above.

Through arch

H "Marion captured" and "Whip defence" are surprisingly hard to find as it concealed from Avenue Habib Bourguiba by an archway up Rue Sallah Soussi, coordinates: 35°40'40.43"N 10° 5'56.99"E.

Marion captured

Whip defence

I "Kairouan Medina entrance" is just north of Marion captured along the Medina defensive wall coordinates: 35°40'40.63"N 10° 5'56.05"E. Google maps makes it look as if you can walk easily between the two however, you have to go back out under the archway onto Rue Ali El Barrak, turn right and turn right again to get to this spot from the "whip defence" location.

Kairouan Medina entrance

J "Marion goes to hide" is also hard to find amongst the alleys, it is on Rue Sallah Soussi, coordinates: 35°40'43.16"N 10° 5'58.71"E. It has changed quite a bit since Spielberg and his cast & crew were there the film, I recommend taking stills or clips from the film to help recognize the spot.

Marion goes to hide

K "Exploding Truck" is just off Rue De La Kasbah coordinates: 35°40'47.10"N 10° 6'2.84"E. This is one of the most changed locations, subsequently it was impossible to replicate the shot accurately, but an Art Deco building in the back ground remains relatively unchanged.

Truck explosion

L "Swordsman Stand off" is found at Place J'raba, coordinates: 35°40'39.92"N 10° 6'6.19"E, which is also where Marion brandishes a frying pan.

Swordsman stand off

Swordsman location

Swordsman shot

There are many passageways not marked on Google Maps, and not visible from satellite photography, as they are hidden under the medina's arcades. The list of locations I visited is not exhaustive and for those with more time it is possible (likely with local help) to visit Sallah's roof top terrace. There are plenty of other shots that can be replicated as well, if you can find them. An excellent website for reference photos is: http://www.propstore.com/raiders-of-the-lost-ark-locations-kairouan-tunisia/

To visit Kairouan I would recommend staying at nearby Sousse, taking advantage of a cheap package holiday deal. Kairouan is about a one-hour drive from Sousse, and makes for a convenient day trip. If you hire a car it's easy to carry on south from Kairouan to Tozeur, which takes around 4 hours, and visit other Raiders locations. Driving in Tunisia is a little chaotic, though not much more challenging than driving in Greece. I would recommend driving during the day as much as possible, as driving at night is made more difficult due to a lack of road markings, "cats eyes" (reflective strips), and other vehicles having either too little, or far too much illumination.

Tanis Dig Site/Flying Wing

The entrance to the map room and dig site were filmed about 1000 yards south east of Sidi Bouhlel, the Canyon used in Star Wars, (note: It's not "A New Hope", or "Episode IV", it's just "Star Wars") and later in Raiders, where Indy threatens to blow up the Ark with a Bazooka.  

There is an excellent website: http://www.propstore.com/content/tunisia/indianajones.html that covers the Tanis Dig site in great detail. Unfortunately for me I didn't discover it until after my trip to Tunisia.

Tanis dig site coordinates: 34° 1'48.13"N 8°17'38.62"E

Well of Souls exit coordinates: 34° 1'46.39"N 8°17'33.61"E

The flying wing was located at coordinates:  34° 1'48.75"N 8°17'33.65"E

Truck Chase/Truck

The truck chase was filmed in two locations in Tunisia. The chase starts near the Tanis dig site at these coordinates: 34° 1'37.82"N   8°17'26.82"E and continues here: 34° 1'46.08"N 8°17'17.54"E.

The latter part of the truck chase was filmed near Al Mitlawi in Tunisia. Indy being dragged behind the truck is at coordinates: 34°22'35.62"N and other elements at coordinates: 34°21'55.07"N   8°25'44.35"E.

Information courtesy of https://sites.google.com/site/youngindyfilmlocations/indiana-jones-film-locations/raiders-of-the-lost-ark-film-locations, as already mentioned, this site is an excellent Indy location resource.

Tozeur makes an ideal base to explore the area from (also for exploring Star Wars locations) and has much else to offer visitors, including the old town Medina and a vast date palm-covered oasis.

Due to recent extremist attacks it is advisable to check the foreign office website (https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/tunisia) for traveller safety in Tunisia. It must be said I found Tunisians to be an incredibly friendly people who were only too happy to share their beautiful country with visitors.

 Due to the tight restraints of capturing the images at Disneyland it was not possible to recreate widescreen shots.

To recreate the above shot it was necessary to purchase a Mercedes hood ornament (available on ebay or car dealerships), as the original was of course pulled off in the film.

Access to the left side of the truck is restricted so my shot has been flipped to attempt to mirror the film more accurately.

The truck is viewable at Disneyland, CA, USA, outside the Indiana Jones ride. However, it is behind a barrier and, not strictly speaking, accessible to the public. 

Nazi Submarine Pen

The Nazi sub pen can be found at the following coordinates: 46° 9'31.68"N 1°12'34.97"W in La Rochelle, France just off the Chaussee de la Ceinture Sud. The same dock yard is also used for the Cairo dock scene where our heroes board the Bantu Wind ship. The ship has since be scrapped (http://www.thebeardedtrio.com/2014/03/whatever-happened-to-bantu-wind.html).

Here's me outside the submarine pen at La Rochelle. Due to security restrictions I was unable to get any closer. Hence the Gallic shrug.

Unfortunately at present (July 2015) the submarine pen is off limits to the public. The area is still used by the French Navy. Moreover, due to the tragic terrorist attacks in south east France in June 2015, security is at a particularly high level. I tried emailing the port authority in advance but received no reply, their website can be found here: http://www.larochelle.port.fr/en/contact/contact-port-authority/ 

Historically others have gotten much closer. As with so much in France, being French might help... ("c'est dommage").

 Ark of the Covenant Canyon

This canyon is at Sidi Bouhel, near Tozeur, in Tunisia and was also used in Star Wars. The canyon can be found at coordinates: 34° 2'18.36"N 8°16'46.50"E. To get to the location, park at the entrance to the canyon where there is a wide semi paved flat area, and simply follow the dry river bed up the canyon to the above coordinates.

Indy with bazooka location

Belloq and Indy

Washington

Washington comprises of three different locations for Raiders. The opening shot is indeed the Washington Monument, taken from the 1975 film "The Hindenburg". However, the interior office scene is back at Rickmansworth, whilst the steps are San Francisco's City Hall. Take note that this City Hall building is open to the public during business hours, Monday through Friday (excluding U.S. holidays).

"Top Men" location

San Francisco City Hall steps.

 

 

The closing shot  of the Ark of the Covenant being stored in a warehouse is an impressive Matte painting.

If the real "Lost Ark" has survived the millennia, one popular theory is that the Ark resides in a treasury near the Ethiopian Orthodox Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion, Axum, Ethiopia. Several documentaries postulate as to why this is not as far fetched as it seems. The author, Graham Hancock, is a proponent of this theory. Though it should be noted that Hancock's theories rarely let science, archaeology, or the facts get in the way of a good story. However, proving the theory may be challenging as no member of the public is allowed to cast their gaze upon "The Ark".  

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