First trip to Africa, pointers?

[wildfowler.250]

Right chaps, I thought I’d get the ball rolling with this. I’d always figured a safari ,(cost wise) would be something I’d do in my 40’s or 50’s but with the way it’s going, everything might be banned by then.

I’m not going to book anything until we see how this possible ban pans out but I thought I’d get the ball rolling and start doing my research now, just in case.


What would be your standard set of questions you’d ask an outfitter prior to booking?


Is there a certain hectares that you would consider a minimum? I assume you need to make sure it’s all spot and stalk? Is there any more quirky things to ask that might be easily forgotten?


Basically, I would be after a trip to SA with as fair a chase as possible to UK hunting. Kudu , nyala, springbok, impala +/- something like a black wildebeest. Antelope type stuff really.

Is there an outfitter folk swear by on here? This may well never come to anything but better to start looking.

How far in advance do you tend to book? 1 year ahead or longer?


Cheers!

 

[bowji john]

I suggest you join the Africahunting forum and post your question there

j

 

[Dunwaters]

Instead of SA have a look at Namibia, you can fly into Windhoek and bringing in firearms to Namibia is pretty straightforward compared to SA.
Prices are a bit easier on the wallet too.
Agree your package and bring some extra cash, you might want to customise it on site.
If you can manage it, take time off and go bird shooting, sand grouse and doves flighting in at last light to drink are unforgettable, chasing guinea fowl through the thorns is something you have to do once, but once could be enough.
Mornings and evening can be cold, bring a warm jacket.

 

[zambezi]

What would be your standard set of questions you’d ask an outfitter prior to booking?

One of the commonly hidden features of some safari operators in SA is that they lease access to lands, or broker "tags" [to coin a US phrase] on-the-fly. So the questions to ask are:

• What size is the property where we will lodge overnight and is it owned by yourself?
• Does all the hunting take place on this property or are there journeys to other properties envisaged? If yes, what are journey times?

How far in advance do you tend to book? 1 year ahead or longer?

Per bowji john's post, you should go on Africahunting forum. Lots of reasons but here are a few:

• If you can travel at the drop of a hat, last-minute discounted trips are sometimes posted
• More specific feedback on outfitter performance possible
• Good for price comparisons

 

[Mark C]

For RSA contact PHASA, all their outfitters are good and reputable. Game ranches in RSA are HUGE.
I recommend looking at www.pongolamereserve.co.za
I have no affiliation with them, but when I visited it was great.

 

[Stalker62]

Previously posted:-

• Getting your visa is a pain in the arse. Getting stuck overnight in some Godforsaken part of the world because the local Visa IT system is down is unwelcome, unhelpful and to be avoided at all costs. Get your visa before you leave the UK.
• Update - ironic as some countries (including Mozambique) have now done away with visa requirements.

• Do not take a fleece and a tweed gilet to Africa - it does not matter what your wife says - when the local temperature is hovering at 39oC and the earth is (literally) scorched, you do not need a fleece or a tweed gilet. It is extra weight to carry, it is stupid hot to travel in and your 'so called' friends with rip the **** all Safari. However, some parts of Africa can get chilly at night - so pack something light and warm.

• Take a wide-brimmed hat and do not forget sunglasses.
• Take (and use) a water bottle - never have that water bottle off your person.

• Clothing - take three of everything (you can get away with two) one to wear, one to wash and one ready to go. Buy lightweight stuff that can roll up to nothing. Long trousers and long sleeves if you are prone to sunburn.

• You do not need boxers/Y-Fronts/Speedos. Go "Commando" it is cooler in every sense of the word.

• Take more meds. and creams than you need. Leave what you don't use for the camp - they will be grateful for it all. The same goes for batteries and any clothing you do not need. My wife packed me a new 'rain coat'. The rains are not due until the end of November and are not expected until perhaps January. One of the PHs is planing going on 'walkabout' in the rainy season. I was very happy to gift him that coat.

• Take plenty of appropriate denomination currency (US $) - this is useful for tipping (if you are so minded) on the way in and out of Africa. Tipping in camp is an entirely different matter.

• If you have been taking anti-malaria (Malarone) tablets, do not, for the love of God, book a Covid & Flu booster when you get back and whilst you are still completing the post-Safari anti-malaria course. You will be properly unwell for at least 24/36 hours. Ask me how I know this.

• You will find it helpful to leave both your dignity and your "1st world expectations" at your garden gate, you can always pick them up again when you return.

• Do take a sense of humour, this will be invaluable to ensuring you enjoy your trip. If you can, take a couple or three mates to share that with. It's priceless - which unlike the actual Safari isn't.

• Enjoy every single moment. The pain passes, and the bank balance will eventually settle down again.

• The memories however, will last forever.

 

[stevec]

I might be wrong about this but I understand that the PHASA has split due to differences in ethical standards. The Custodians of Professional Hunting in South Africa have split off and have stricter rules. Might be worth a look at them as well.

 

[stevec]

Previously posted:-

• Getting your visa is a pain in the arse. Getting stuck overnight in some Godforsaken part of the world because the local Visa IT system is down is unwelcome, unhelpful and to be avoided at all costs. Get your visa before you leave the UK.
• Update - ironic as some countries (including Mozambique) have now done away with visa requirements.

• Do not take a fleece and a tweed gilet to Africa - it does not matter what your wife says - when the local temperature is hovering at 39oC and the earth is (literally) scorched, you do not need a fleece or a tweed gilet. It is extra weight to carry, it is stupid hot to travel in and your 'so called' friends with rip the **** all Safari. However, some parts of Africa can get chilly at night - so pack something light and warm.

• Take a wide-brimmed hat and do not forget sunglasses.
• Take (and use) a water bottle - never have that water bottle off your person.

• Clothing - take three of everything (you can get away with two) one to wear, one to wash and one ready to go. Buy lightweight stuff that can roll up to nothing. Long trousers and long sleeves if you are prone to sunburn.

• You do not need boxers/Y-Fronts/Speedos. Go "Commando" it is cooler in every sense of the word.

• Take more meds. and creams than you need. Leave what you don't use for the camp - they will be grateful for it all. The same goes for batteries and any clothing you do not need. My wife packed me a new 'rain coat'. The rains are not due until the end of November and are not expected until perhaps January. One of the PHs is planing going on 'walkabout' in the rainy season. I was very happy to gift him that coat.

• Take plenty of appropriate denomination currency (US $) - this is useful for tipping (if you are so minded) on the way in and out of Africa. Tipping in camp is an entirely different matter.

• If you have been taking anti-malaria (Malarone) tablets, do not, for the love of God, book a Covid & Flu booster when you get back and whilst you are still completing the post-Safari anti-malaria course. You will be properly unwell for at least 24/36 hours. Ask me how I know this.

• You will find it helpful to leave both your dignity and your "1st world expectations" at your garden gate, you can always pick them up again when you return.

• Do take a sense of humour, this will be invaluable to ensuring you enjoy your trip. If you can, take a couple or three mates to share that with. It's priceless - which unlike the actual Safari isn't.

• Enjoy every single moment. The pain passes, and the bank balance will eventually settle down again.

• The memories however, will last forever.

Great advice, the only thing I would change is that I would take a fleece. I found it useful in cold early mornings on the back of the Land cruiser.

I was teased about most things, but the fleece was one of the few that wasn't mentioned!

One strong word of advice, don't loose your sunglasses the day before you go, then take the only pair you could get at the last minute, which look like John Lennon's glasses, they will never let you forget that!

I found a file with dividers for tickets, contracts, packing list, itineraries etc very useful.

 

[stevec]

The worst thing is that once you have been, you will think about going back again at least four or five times a day. Any suggestions of beach holidays with the children are out of the window. You will start looking around the house for things to sell to fund the next trip etc.

I am terribly addicted now. I thought last year's trip was a one off until I found a really good deal in Namibia...

What really made it for me was the company. We literally could not have had better company in camp, staff or PHs, they were all genuinely kind interesting and very funny people. I had the feeling that there was absolutely nothing that they couldn't deal with. I have heard terrible stories of unhappy camps, angery PHs etc, so it is worth taking up some references first.

 

[stevec]

I would strongly advise a stay at Afton Lodge in Johannesburg if you are traveling through. You will meet all sorts of interesting people there. The guests were three PHs, a farming family on a trip south from Zimbabwe and two other people who were hunting locally when we stayed. First class hospitality and they will deal with all the firearms permits etc for you.

 

[zambezi]

Is there a certain hectares that you would consider a minimum? I assume you need to make sure it’s all spot and stalk? ....I would be after a trip to SA with as fair a chase as possible to UK

Spot and stalk fair chase in the much of the U.K. often takes place on relatively modest pounds of land. Combes and woodland make quarry detection at distance challenging. By contrast, much of the Africa savannah is pretty open with long range herd location possible with good optics and tracker.

In S.A., most properties will be larger than those experienced in the U.K. but are quite likely to be high-fenced. That is because the antelope are typically managed populations. Just as we manage deer here in the U.K. The land can only sustain so many of each species, and to ensure bio-diversity, individual specie numbers are held in check. Make no mistake, you may walk for hours and see zip. Cage hunting it is not, but somewhere near the horizon may be a high fence, and some days you may walk up to one.

In Namibia, there seem to be far fewer high-fence outfits than in S.A. More common in Namibia are four-strand cattle fences which serve as no bar to Antelope movement. The flip side is that there can be a greater reliance on vehicles to cover the vast areas before a fair chase stalk starts from perhaps 1 - 2 km out.

 

[stevec]

My final piece of advice is to buy a book called the Perfect Shot by Dr Kevin Robertson and read it cover to cover.

 

[Stalker62]

My final piece of advice is to buy a book called the Perfect Shot..

If you are planing to go an a Safari, then yes that is indeed a good book.

If however, you are (despite what you repeatedly told your wife) destined to return, time and time again, then this is also an essential read...

 

[stevec]

View attachment 303387


If you are planing to go an a Safari, then yes that is indeed a good book.

If however, you are (despite what you repeatedly told your wife) destined to return, time and time again, then this is also an essential read...


View attachment 303392

I have just got the big one (on offer on Amazon last week), it is basically the same but with a chapter on choosing the right calibres and rifles and various tips on accuracy.

Also much more detail, I am very glad I got it now.

What surprised me initially is that the heart is a bit further forward in most African animals

 

[moray loon]

The worst thing is that once you have been, you will think about going back again at least four or five times a day. Any suggestions of beach holidays with the children are out of the window. You will start looking around the house for things to sell to fund the next trip etc.

I am terribly addicted now. I thought last year's trip was a one off until I found a really good deal in Namibia...

What really made it for me was the company. We literally could not have had better company in camp, staff or PHs, they were all genuinely kind interesting and very funny people. I had the feeling that there was absolutely nothing that they couldn't deal with. I have heard terrible stories of unhappy camps, angery PHs etc, so it is worth taking up some references first.

 

[moray loon]

I’ve been hunting in RSA five times and all of the above posts are spot on ! Do a bit of homework, get a few references and then go for it, it’s a fantastic experience. Cull hunts are cheaper and you can usually are hunting a wider range of game because the costs are lower.

 

[Jon P]

Dont Do It , you will have to go back.

It is a great experience, work out your budget and stick to it.

With everything included flights, accommodation, tips , day rate and taxidermy back home hanging on the wall , I would not have much change out of £1000 a day. First trip was 10 days, second trip was 15 days.

Be warned

 

[dobber]

My first trip I needed an outfitter/PH I could relate to, nothing worse than spending a week with someone who is a knob (also works for the outfitter/PH to figure out if the knob is me/you)
I asked some normal questions, size of property, other animals that might be taken outside of my "package" and to see what their sense of humour was like, I asked if Zebras are white with black stripes, or Black with white stripes

I still talk weekly to my SA PH, share stories and talk family

 

[dobber]

I will say this as well, just advice in regards to how much of a planner and strict follower of plans - once there, plans change
I remember starting the morning off looking for a Kudu, bumped a nice warthog so stalk was on for it, while stalking that a springbok herd was seen, so off we changed to look them over, during that stalk we stumbled on a bush pig to which I shot.
It is a target rich environment

 

[Basil H]

Some thoughts from a non-expert. SA is a wonderful place from the scenery and history to the nature : everything that grows, walks, flies, or walks is different.
If you have time, be a tourist as well - as accommodation, food, car-hire etc. are inexpensive. A couple of days self-driving in the nearest national park will above all get you familiar with the plains game you intend to hunt. The beasts are not "tame" but habituated and much easier to study. Not game but e.g. you can watch Black-backed Jackal up close in a NP while out yonder it will be a brown blur heading away fast. Seeing a Kudu bull in a hurry jump right over a Volkswagen is a memory I treasure.