Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Kapaa, United States

The scene : 3 minLa Fern Grotto serves as a shot in the opening sequence set in the Peruvian jungle, around the fourth minute of the film.

Kipu Ranch (Kauai)

Lihue, United States

Private breeding ranch of approximately 1,200 hectares, founded in 1872, extending from the Huleia River to the summit of Mount Haupu.

The scene : 11 minThis breeding ranch serves as a Peruvian jungle for the opening sequence: Indy emerges from the temple, encounters Belloq and the Hovitos, then rushes through the pastures to Jock's plane.

Royal Masonic School for Girls (Florence Mansion House)

Rickmansworth, United Kingdom

The scene : 16 minIn the Florence Mansion House, two military intelligence agents explain to Indy and Marcus Brody the German excavations at Tanis and convince him to go in search of the Ark (movie-locations places the meeting in the 'Great Hall' of the school).

38 Alder Avenue (San Anselmo)

San Anselmo, United States

The scene : 20 minThis private house in San Anselmo serves as the exterior of Indy's home; the interior was recreated in a studio at Elstree.

Bavaria Filmstadt (U 96)

Grünwald, Germany

Original decor of the submarine U 96, where Wolfgang Petersen filmed the main sequences of Das Boot; it is now open for visits along with the Bavaria Filmstadt.

The scene : 1 hr 38 minThe life-size set of the submarine U 96, built for Das Boot, was used for the shots of the German submarine, its turret as well as its interior.

Royal Masonic School for Girls

Rickmansworth, United Kingdom

Founded in 1788 at the initiative of Sir Bartholomew Ruspin, the school covers a park of approximately 160 hectares.

The scene : The school of Rickmansworth lends its interiors to Marshall College, where Indy teaches, and then in the epilogue becomes a government office in Washington, where Indy and Marion are dismissed once the Ark is recovered.

Royal Masonic School for Girls (classroom)

Rickmansworth, United Kingdom

The scene : Indy teaches his archaeology class in this classroom, room 21, until Marcus Brody comes to fetch him.

Elstree Studios

Borehamwood, United Kingdom

Opened in 1925 on Shenley Road, this complex is one of the oldest operating film studios in Britain.

The scene : Without a specified set from the sources, the studios hosted the interior of Indy's house, the catacombs populated by mummies through which Indy and Marion escape the Well of Souls, a nighttime exterior above the well shot in front of a projection, and the shot of the man pushing the crate of the Ark into the final warehouse, completed with a matte painting.

Elstree Stage 1 (1948-1989)

Borehamwood, United Kingdom

Site of the former Elstree studios, demolished in 1989.

The scene : Two sets have succeeded each other on this stage: the interior of Marion's tent, and the altar on the island where the Nazis open the Ark for the finale, extended in the image by a matte painting.

Elstree Stage 2 (1948-1989)

Borehamwood, United Kingdom

Site of the former Elstree studios, demolished in 1989.

The scene : The Raven Bar, run by Marion in the depths of the Himalayas, has been recreated here: Indy reunites with his former companion, then Toht and his men arrive to seize the medallion of the Staff of Ra, and Indy takes them down.

Elstree Stage 3 (1948-1989)

Borehamwood, United Kingdom

Site of the former Elstree studios, demolished in 1989.

The scene : The Well of Souls, a buried chamber guarded by immense jackal statues, was built to life size on this set: Indy descends to retrieve the Ark amidst the snakes and finds himself face to face with a cobra.

Elstree Stage 4 (1948-1989)

Borehamwood, United Kingdom

Plateau of the former Elstree studios, demolished in 1989.

The scene : The interior of the Peruvian temple, with its poisoned darts, its spears, its tarantulas, and the golden idol on its pedestal, was built on this plateau; it is here that Indy flees before the enormous boulder.

Elstree Stage 5 (1950-1989)

Borehamwood, United Kingdom

Plateau of the former Elstree studios, demolished in 1991.

The scene : This set featured two scenes: the map room of the site of Tanis, and the cabin of the Bantu Wind, the cargo ship that takes Indy and Marion with the Ark.

Elstree Stage 7

Borehamwood, United Kingdom

Platform measuring 77 × 64 feet built in 1966 with Stages 8 and 9, originally equipped with a telescopic lighting grid. Closed in 2022 following the discovery of asbestos and RAAC concrete, it reopened in September 2025.

The scene : IMDb places inside this set the interior of the imam's house, the scholar who translates for Indy the inscription on the medallion.

Bushey, United Kingdom

The scene : IMDb and latlong.net list Bushey among the filming locations for the movie, without specifying the scene.

La Pallice Submarine Base

La Rochelle, France

Former German submarine base from World War II, with walls over three meters thick, it also served as a set for Das Boot.

The scene : The cells of the old U-boat base represent the Nazi secret base in the Mediterranean: the Ark is unloaded from the submarine in front of extras in German uniforms, while Indy, hidden, puts one on to blend in with them. The neighboring docks also serve as the port of Cairo, where Indy and Marion say their goodbyes to Sallah before boarding the Bantu Wind.

Faye Spanos Concert Hall

Stockton, United States

The building of the university's music conservatory, completed in 1927, was renovated in 1988.

The scene : The Gothic facade of the conservatory building, which houses the Faye Spanos Concert Hall, serves as the exterior of Marshall College, the university where Indy teaches.

Brickyard Cove (Point Richmond)

Richmond, United States

The scene : Indy boards the Pan Am seaplane; apart from the aircraft and the background of the bay, filmed here, the wharf setting is a matte painting.

San Francisco City Hall

San Francisco, United States

Beaux-Arts style town hall crowned with a monumental dome.

The scene : In the epilogue supposed to take place in Washington, Indy and Marion descend the grand staircase of the hall, after being assured that the Ark was in the hands of "top men".

Treasure Island

San Francisco, United States

Artificial island in San Francisco Bay, built in 1936 for the Golden Gate International Exposition; it now forms a neighborhood of the city.

The scene : According to theraider.net, the seaplane dock is a composite shot that combines a dock from Treasure Island, a matte painting, and a real airplane.

West Marin Island

San Rafael, United States

The scene : Off the coast of West Marin Island, in San Pablo Bay, Indy is filmed clinging to the periscope of a 7.5-meter remote-controlled submarine model; the island itself was later replaced in the image by a matte painting.

San Rafael, United States

Former headquarters of Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), the special effects company founded by George Lucas, on Kerner Boulevard in San Rafael.

The scene : The shots of the German soldiers reacting to the opening of the Ark were filmed at Industrial Light & Magic in San Rafael.

San Rafael

San Rafael, United States

The scene : According to theraider.net, the meeting room of Indy’s college was filmed in San Rafael, with no further details.

United States

The scene : IMDb cites the Palm Canyon trail in the Kofa Wildlife Refuge among the filming locations, without specifying the scene.

Yuma, United States

City in the southwestern Arizona, bordered by the sand dunes of the Sonoran Desert, often used to depict desert landscapes.

The scene : IMDb and latlong.net list Yuma among the filming locations of the movie, without specifying the scene.

New York City, United States

New York, the largest city in the United States.

The scene : latlong.net lists New York as one of the filming locations for the movie, without specifying the scene.

Kalalea Mountain

Anahola, United States

Triangular peak of Kauai, also known as Anahola Mountain; its original Hawaiian name is Mano, meaning "shark," and its profile has earned it the nickname Kong Mountain.

The scene : The opening shot of the film melts the top of the Paramount logo into this peak in Kauai, filmed from Hokualele Road, just before Indy and his guides point to the temple in the distance.

Kipu Falls

Lihue, United States

Huleia River Falls, long favored by bathers; after five drownings in five years, the landowner closed access, and it is now only approached on guided tours.

The scene : At the edge of the waterfall basin, Indy studies his map, foils Barranca's betrayal, and then reaches the entrance of the temple, built by the team on the opposite shore; it is also through there that he emerges from a dive, doubled by Vic Armstrong, after escaping from the rock.

Lihue, United States

Watercourse classified as a natural reserve, which can only be navigated by kayak on a guided tour.

The scene : On the Huleia, Indy leaps off a vine, jumps into the river, and boards Jock's seaplane, from which he escapes.

Na Pali Coast (Kauai)

Hanalei, United States

The scene : According to the making-of from theraider.net, the Na Pali coast, accessible only by helicopter, was used for Indy’s walks in mountains meant to be South American, as well as for the final shot filmed in Kauai, where Indy runs towards the river, swims to the seaplane, and takes off.

Place J'raba

Kairouan, Tunisia

The scene : In this square of the medina, also called Zarrouk Square, Marion wields a frying pan against an attacker, then Indy sees a giant spinning his sword... and shoots him instead of facing him with a whip. Later, it is on this "Omar square" that Indy drives the truck into the garage, while merchants set up a bazaar to hide it from a German car.

Kairouan, Tunisia

Founded in 866 and presented as the oldest known mosque with a sculpted facade, it is classified as a historical monument in Tunisia and is part of a site listed as a UNESCO World Heritage.

The scene : The Mosque of the Three Doors appears in four scenes shot in the medina.

Avenue Habib Bourguiba (Bab ech Chouhada, Kairouan)

Kairouan, Tunisia

Former Hassanet café from the 1970s, now the Hassanet Shoes Gallery, with a carpet store on the upper floor.

The scene : Old café where Indy, convinced that Marion has perished in the truck explosion, drowns his sorrows at the Marhala Bar with the little monkey, before German agents take him to Belloq; Sallah's sons then come to get him out, and they all get back into a truck in front of the bar. Both the exterior and interior were filmed on location.

Kairouan, Tunisia

The scene : At the corner of Barrouta Street, Indy aims at the truck carrying Marion and shoots the driver. In reality, the street does not lead to the large square: without a quick cut, the truck would have crashed into the building across the street.

Kairouan, Tunisia

The scene : Along the main artery of the medina, Indy and Marion stroll among the stalls, then Marion runs back down the street to escape an assassin.

Kairouan, Tunisia

The scene : moviemaps, according to Filmap, locates a street shot of "Cairo" at this crossroads, without detailing the action.

Kairouan, Tunisia

The scene : In the first alley on the left up Ali El Barrak Street, recognizable by an old window, Indy runs after the men carrying Marion hidden in a basket.

Kairouan, Tunisia

The scene : A dead end leading to Ali El Barrak Street and the nearby archway marks Indy’s run towards the truck where the kidnappers are loading Marion's basket.

Kairouan, Tunisia

The scene : Behind the arch that conceals it from Avenue Habib Bourguiba, not far from Bab Tunis, henchmen set an ambush for Indy and Marion: Marion is swept away in a runaway hay cart, while Indy holds off the attackers with a whip.

Bab Tunis

Kairouan, Tunisia

The scene : Bab Tunis, a gateway pierced in the rampart of the medina, serves as the entrance to the medina of Cairo. Its surroundings host market scenes, including the walk of Indy and Marion with the little monkey, who scurries down a nearby alley to inform its master.

Rue Salah Soussi (Kairouan)

Kairouan, Tunisia

The scene : In a house on Salah Soussi Street, two neighboring rooftops have been joined to form Salah's terrace, where Indy has lunch with his friend and talks about the excavations at Tanis. In the maze of neighboring alleys, Marion knocks out a killer with a frying pan through a door, then hides in a basket.

Kairouan, Tunisia

The scene : On a square right next to Rue de la Kasbah, outside the medina, the truck overturns and explodes, and Indy believes Marion is dead.

Bouhlel Sdada

Degache, Tunisia

The site is today a date palm grove.

The scene : The immense set of the excavation site at Tanis stretched here: Belloq and Dietrich supervise the site, Indy sneaks into the map room and then has his own excavation dug, Toht threatens Marion under the tent, and Indy and Marion emerge from the catacombs near the flying wing, around which Indy confronts the German mechanic before galloping on horseback behind the Ark truck.

Sidi Bouhlel

Tunisia

Desert gorge near Tozeur, Tunisia, nicknamed "Star Wars Canyon" for the many scenes from the saga that were filmed there.

The scene : In this canyon, the Nazi procession carries the Ark toward the ritual on the secret island; Indy, perched with a rocket launcher, threatens to destroy it, but Belloq challenges him and he is captured.

Métlaoui, Tunisia

The scene : The main part of the truck chase was filmed near Métlaoui, in an active rock quarry; close-ups of Indy being dragged behind the truck, in front of a phosphate site conveyor, were also shot there.

Nefta

Nefta, Tunisia

The scene : The surroundings of the Nefta oasis serve as the Egyptian desert; it is here that Spielberg joined the second unit to direct the shots of the truck chase featuring Harrison Ford.

Chott el Djerid

Nefta, Tunisia

Great dried salt lake in southern Tunisia, near Nefta; the outer dome of the Lars farm remains planted there and was restored by fans in 2012.

The scene : The dried salt lake of Chott el Djerid, filmed from the vicinity of Nefta, serves as an Egyptian desert.

Sousse, Tunisia

The scene : IMDb and latlong.net list Sousse among the filming locations of the film, without specifying the scene.