I have thought long and hard about posting this on here, as I do not generally like to share too much on social media, but given how @Stalker1962 's post on here is entertaining me and how much help I had from members of this forum in planning my trip, I thought I would post. I also want to thank and mention some of the excellent companies we used.
I have wanted to visit Africa for most of my life and reading the complete works of Wilbur Smith three times over lockdown made me realise that I have to get on with it. Being honest, I was not overly keen with the concept of Trophy Hunting and in truth, like so many, I really didn't understand it and found it hard to reconcile with my normal view of taking poorer beats to improve the gene pool. Thankfully, Western Safaris were recommended to me and they really could have been better.
We booked the trip about a year before we travelled. I did an awful lot of research and spoke to several friends who have worked in Africa or travelled or hunted there.
The kit lists on Africa Hunting Forum were a useful starting point and heavyweight bushshirts were recommended to me, as they are tetse proof, almost indestructible and surprisingly cool although look like something from out of Africa.
We found Azulwear, a South African website very helpful for clothing and whilst shipping took several months, very cheap. I also managed to get a pair of Courtney Boots on here and leather gaiters from Kendrick Imports. 90% deet from Amazon and anti midge wash from Bushwear also worked well and the Decathlon merino wool socks were perfect.
We obtained our visas by post from the Mozambique High Comission in London, which was simple and worked, although frustratingly slowly.
When it came to actually travelling, Emirates were first class and gave a lot of assistance in booking in firearms. The procedure in Manchester Airport was surprisingly simple on arrival and departure.
We arrived in South Africa and booked a night in Afton Lodge and their assistance in Johannesburg Airport. I cannot recommend them enough. It is by far the best hotel I have ever stayed in. They are not the cheapest or most luxurious, but it is clean, exceptionally friendly and they know exactly what they are doing, particularly with firearms. The food is brilliant, as long as you like steaks cooked on a braai and beer eaten in the company of PHs, African farmers, hunting clients and their families.
We had a major delay in OR Tambo, due to a combination of what we understood to be a pay dispute and the IT system not working. I am very glad we allowed time for an overnight stay, as we would not have caught a transfer. It was around 4 hours from landing to leaving the airport.
Afton Lodge dealt with all of the firearms issues in the airport and we flew on to Mozambique by Airlink. We used several regional African airlines later on and Airlink were by far the best. I really would not recommend trying to navigate an African airport with firearms and without local assistance. Every PH we spoke to used Afton Lodge in Joburg, although I am aware there are lots of other superb companies overing the same service.
I do not know how to describe our time in camp with Western Safaris, it was absolutely perfect. Their camp is clean and basic but with every comfort you would have in most Highland lodges. The staff were friendly and good humoured and the PHs and owners were very friendly and open. I have never laughed so much or learnt so much in a week. I know that other places are cheaper, but I really doubt anywhere is much better.
Our days were typically an early start, breakfast, then off in to the bush hunting until late morning, a long lunch, the off in to the bush again in the late afternoon followed by drinks, billtong, a first class dinner and an early night.
The hunting was very different to the UK, there was an astounding variety of game and the PHs could identify every bird, tree, insect and plant we asked about. We spent some time fishing and saw the community work being undertaken.
I really wish our western politicians could see the enormous community benefit of hunting in Africa, from game meat being distributed to the local community to trophy fees funding healthcare facilities and safe water supplies and the huge amount of employment created in managing the wildlife resources in a sustainable way that is creating a long term benefit to the local population and to the wildlife.
It it very rare that I have met anyone so genuinely committed to conservation and practically helping African people as Western Safaris. What they have achieved and are still working on is outstanding and the hunting itself is superb.
The key lessons I learnt we that you probably can't spend too much time preparing, being totally honest with the outfitter means you are more likely to get the experience you want (some I spoke to put me off very quickly, particularly very pushy outfitter), plan for things to go wrong and allow time for them to do so and the key lesson I learnt is to be totally open minded and not to judge anything without learning about it from people who have spent their lives doing it.
A few photos of the waterholes, not that the hunting actually took place at the waterholes, it was a mix of spot and stalk and long walks through the bush to see what we could find (my preferred method)
A very of a very small part of the area
I have wanted to visit Africa for most of my life and reading the complete works of Wilbur Smith three times over lockdown made me realise that I have to get on with it. Being honest, I was not overly keen with the concept of Trophy Hunting and in truth, like so many, I really didn't understand it and found it hard to reconcile with my normal view of taking poorer beats to improve the gene pool. Thankfully, Western Safaris were recommended to me and they really could have been better.
We booked the trip about a year before we travelled. I did an awful lot of research and spoke to several friends who have worked in Africa or travelled or hunted there.
The kit lists on Africa Hunting Forum were a useful starting point and heavyweight bushshirts were recommended to me, as they are tetse proof, almost indestructible and surprisingly cool although look like something from out of Africa.
We found Azulwear, a South African website very helpful for clothing and whilst shipping took several months, very cheap. I also managed to get a pair of Courtney Boots on here and leather gaiters from Kendrick Imports. 90% deet from Amazon and anti midge wash from Bushwear also worked well and the Decathlon merino wool socks were perfect.
We obtained our visas by post from the Mozambique High Comission in London, which was simple and worked, although frustratingly slowly.
When it came to actually travelling, Emirates were first class and gave a lot of assistance in booking in firearms. The procedure in Manchester Airport was surprisingly simple on arrival and departure.
We arrived in South Africa and booked a night in Afton Lodge and their assistance in Johannesburg Airport. I cannot recommend them enough. It is by far the best hotel I have ever stayed in. They are not the cheapest or most luxurious, but it is clean, exceptionally friendly and they know exactly what they are doing, particularly with firearms. The food is brilliant, as long as you like steaks cooked on a braai and beer eaten in the company of PHs, African farmers, hunting clients and their families.
We had a major delay in OR Tambo, due to a combination of what we understood to be a pay dispute and the IT system not working. I am very glad we allowed time for an overnight stay, as we would not have caught a transfer. It was around 4 hours from landing to leaving the airport.
Afton Lodge dealt with all of the firearms issues in the airport and we flew on to Mozambique by Airlink. We used several regional African airlines later on and Airlink were by far the best. I really would not recommend trying to navigate an African airport with firearms and without local assistance. Every PH we spoke to used Afton Lodge in Joburg, although I am aware there are lots of other superb companies overing the same service.
I do not know how to describe our time in camp with Western Safaris, it was absolutely perfect. Their camp is clean and basic but with every comfort you would have in most Highland lodges. The staff were friendly and good humoured and the PHs and owners were very friendly and open. I have never laughed so much or learnt so much in a week. I know that other places are cheaper, but I really doubt anywhere is much better.
Our days were typically an early start, breakfast, then off in to the bush hunting until late morning, a long lunch, the off in to the bush again in the late afternoon followed by drinks, billtong, a first class dinner and an early night.
The hunting was very different to the UK, there was an astounding variety of game and the PHs could identify every bird, tree, insect and plant we asked about. We spent some time fishing and saw the community work being undertaken.
I really wish our western politicians could see the enormous community benefit of hunting in Africa, from game meat being distributed to the local community to trophy fees funding healthcare facilities and safe water supplies and the huge amount of employment created in managing the wildlife resources in a sustainable way that is creating a long term benefit to the local population and to the wildlife.
It it very rare that I have met anyone so genuinely committed to conservation and practically helping African people as Western Safaris. What they have achieved and are still working on is outstanding and the hunting itself is superb.
The key lessons I learnt we that you probably can't spend too much time preparing, being totally honest with the outfitter means you are more likely to get the experience you want (some I spoke to put me off very quickly, particularly very pushy outfitter), plan for things to go wrong and allow time for them to do so and the key lesson I learnt is to be totally open minded and not to judge anything without learning about it from people who have spent their lives doing it.
A few photos of the waterholes, not that the hunting actually took place at the waterholes, it was a mix of spot and stalk and long walks through the bush to see what we could find (my preferred method)
A very of a very small part of the area
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