This is my first post and as usual I'm looking for some opinions/suggestions for my first trip to Africa. This is not, I hope to go to Africa type thing. A trip to Africa for me and my daughter is cast in concrete. It's just a matter of getting the best bang hunt and Africa experience for the buck. We have a budget of between 10 and $12,000 total for the entire trip. Flights, hotels, gifts, side trips etc.

We have started talking to a PH is RSA about a package hunt for late this year, October/November time frame.

Here is what he is offering.

10 day safari in the Eastern Cape of South Africa for 1 hunter & 1 non hunter ( who may hunt for trophy fees only from the price list ) , for one of each :

Kudu , Gemsbok , Springbok common , Mountain Reedbuck,

also included is a tour to famous hunter and author , Peter Flacks' 8000
square foot trophy room and on the last day an elephant back safari ( you
get a guided ride with a handler on a large bull elephant in the bush !! ,
the value of this alone is $ 250 / person !! ) , included are all daily
rates and trophy fees for the above animals, Pick up and return from Port Elizabeth, South Africa, all meals, lodging, hunting transportation, staff and full time professional hunter. laundry service, open bar, beverages, all hunting licences and permits, raw trophy prep & documentation. The majority of our hunting is on our 25,000 acres of wild Africa.

ALL INCLUSIVE-NO HIDDEN COSTS $ 3600.

THERE ARE NO HIDDEN CHARGES !!!

Not included: Additional animals harvested, trophy dipping and shipping
from the SA taxidermist or mounting , pre and post safari hotels, additional
persons-hunters/non hunters, airline flights.

My question is, do you experienced folks think this is a good deal or can I do just as well in Nambia or some other area where one could live in a traditional safari camp with modern tent housing and maybe get a better feel for the traditional Hemmingway type of experience for a young lady and her father.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and or sugestions.

I first thought is RUN away ! October - November are not good dates to hunt South Africa. May - August are better . If you must find a affordable hunt, look to Namibia you can find good outfitter with good areas for around $200-350 a day and their trophy fee are 20%- 50 % cheaper than South Africa. Tented Safaris will cost $400-$600 a day

A second vote for Namibia for an affordable plains game hunt.

I have been to RSA twice. The first was a poor-boy hunt cobbled together on the cheap. I got to meet and stay with farmers who were not in the tourist trade and it was great, even though I did not get many trophies.

I won a raffle for the second trip. The lodge was beautiful, the food was fantatstic, the game was plentiful, but there was little depth to the experience. I consider that trip more of a "shooting trip" than a hunting trip. (The exception was eland hunting, where we tracked the game for several days on foot.)

I did get to meet Canuck, which made the trip a success in my book. He's as big a hunting nut as I am.

I was talking to a Namibian I ran into at the rifle range this weekend. He is a computer specialist, and not in the hunting trade, but he is a true hunting enthusiast. He claims - as do many posts here - that the hunting culture in Namibia is not nearly as commercial and cynical as in RSA. His eyes shine when he talks about hunting.

I would give Namibia a shot.

If you want the tented experience in Namabia you will be in the wilderness. Is your daughter going to go along each day on the hunt or does she want other entertainment. In the wildes of Namabia she will not get this. That time of the year it is HOT in northern Namabia. The Cape is a very pretty area and alot of history to experience for her if she wants to do other than hunt. In the 10 days you will fill your bag of aloted game in 5/6 days. The Mt Reedbuck being probably the hardest to take and a great hunt. There also some very challenging pygmy antelope to be taken in the Eastern Cape and only there. Where in the Cape is this outfit? I have hunted both and have enjoyed both for different reasons. I went ot the EC first (four different lodges)and am looking forward to returning. I have hunted Namabia twice once on ranches and once in the wildes of northern Namabia, tented, porta pot, generator bag shower etc.. Just some ideas.

I'll agree with robert - run away as fast as you can. This is no "deal" if you want to see africa, then this would be the equivalent of seeing the USA by going to new york city

Lots of good info. I'm in the same boat & started looking at options for my first trip to Africa. I can not go until 2008 but am not one to wait until the last minute to plan.

One question I have is finding someone to go. I have a ton of friends & family that would love to go to Africa but when it comes time to write checks things come up. Am I crazy for going on Safari by myself? My wife is really not into it & we have two small kids & like I said friends talk about it but that's about it (talk). Wife is fine with me going, but looks like I might be going alone.

quote:

One question I have is finding someone to go. I have a ton of friends & family that would love to go to Africa but when it comes time to write checks things come up. Am I crazy for going on Safari by myself? My wife is really not into it & we have two small kids & like I said friends talk about it but that's about it (talk). Wife is fine with me going, but looks like I might be going alone.

I went by myself in June 2004 because of a business trip. The one thing I can say that I didn't like about hunting alone is there was really no one to share stories with at night around the camp fire. The only person with me was my PH and he already knew all of the hunting stories for the day. We did discuss plans for the coming day and we talked about the differences in hunting in Africa vs USA, politics, etc. Did I enjoy it? Hell yes! When I go next time will I be taking someone with me? Hell yes!

Cheers,

I have hunted Africa alone 5 times, did I enjoy it H*ll yes would I do it again H*ll yes. One thing about going alone - it is much easier planning for one. In the evening you can talk with the PH or you can excuse yourself enjoy the peace and quite the bush offers.

I can't offer an opinion as to hunting in RSA, but if you want a tented african safari experience, I think this is the best deal going right now: Classic Safaris Plains Game Package

I hunted with Vaughan's outfit last year and am booked for an eland hunt next year. With the money you have budgeted, you should have plenty to extend the hunt by a few days and include a couple of side trips including Etosha National Park since Valughan's concession is closeby.

Contact Wendell Reich if you have any questions.

George

I will echo what Jorge400 said and add that if my wife would agree I would be planning a return hunt with Classic Safaris with my oldest daughter now. As it stands that is not in the cards as yet. Maybe if I hunt Africa often enough alone my wife will get used to the idea!

As to hunting alone, if you wait until someone else is willing to spend the money to go along, you may never go.

I went to Namibia with Kalahari Hunting safaris last year. It was more of a kill-x than anything else. Food was bad, and I was kind of cold soldiered every day.

I know that there are some really great hunts in both countries. I would wager that Namibia will cost a little less.

Here are some really good outfits that have some reasonable high quality hunts.

African Safari Consultants.

Limpopo Travel.

Something to think about is the time of the year. Oct/Nov it will indeed be hot, and in much of SA or Namibia Africa it will be dry and rather barren looking. What type of Africa do you want to experience? This time of the year is good for hunting as visibility is good and animals are concentrated at available water, but it may not be what you and your daughter envision. And mid-day it will be hot and your activities will be restricted. If you must go at this time due to scheduling, I'd look for somewhere where there is permanent water (a river), and perhaps the Eastern Cape is not a bad selection as it is along the coast. I think a good time could be had in the Limpopo region of northern SA as well.

10-days can be a lot of time to be in a tented camp in the middle of nowhere with a limited wish-list of game (note Vaughan's starter package is for 5 days), and chances are if you don't have other things to do you will shoot more animals then you had planned. Some site-seeing might be very nice during the trip as well as at the end. And/or move to another location and see a bit of the country, otherwise it will be easy to think that Africa all looks the same. I'm not suggesting not looking at Namibia, I think you should as mentioned, but just talk to a "consultant" like Wendell about the big picture before zeroing-in on one destination and/or region. Given your budget and maybe stretching it just a bit, you could even look at certain areas of Zimbabwe or Botswana…there are a lot of good first hunts out there.

The questions reg what activities your daughter wants to pursue is a good one, as well as what her age is. I first took my youngest son to SA when he was 11, and I had to adjust the hunt accordingly but we had an excellent time and it was a good first trip (I suspect your daughter is older). We hunted two regions, Natal and the Orange Free State. Yea looking back it was not "real Africa", but it what you make it to be especially for younger kids. Since then I've taken both my sons twice, this past trip they were 15/16 and we hunted elephant in the Zambezi Valley in Zimbabwe, which would not have been appropriate sooner. I would suggest developing a list of all priorities, including your daughters, and make your decision based on the best overall compromise. Some on the forum have strong feelings one way or another, but their exact situation may not be the same as yours.

If you have looked at commercial flying costs, you know that you need to allocate maybe $4000 total depending on where you go. You'll be hard-pressed to find something cheaper then that $3600 all-in offer, but given your budget you have some room to look around. You didn't mention taxidermy costs, and I assume this and associated shipping to the States is separate from your budged amount. If you keep the taxidermy costs to a minimum (for example...shoulder mount the kudu, get the zebra made into a rug plus the impala or springbok, and do European mounts for the rest), you'll save money for the inevitable next trip! Good luck and have fun!

Another vote for Vaughan Fulton.

Not only is he a first class PH, but he will do his best to tailor your hunt to exactly what YOU want.

Also, October/November is awful late in the season. Very hot.

And finally, he has two daughters of his own, so that may give him a bit of insite into what it will take to keep your girl interested and envolved.

www.fultonclassicsafaris.com

4 trophies in 10 days; what are you going to do for the last 5 days. The outfitter expects that you will continue to hunt paying the full trophy fee.
I would suggest that you spend some time doing some in depth research even if that means that you delay for a year. Define clearly what it is that you both want to do and then talk to different outfitters. Check out the trip reports here. Contact the outfitters who frequent this board, tell them what you want and what you can pay. Let them compete for your business. Your budget should enable you to have a memorable hunt make sure that you get one.

TerryR

Devilawg66

A few questions to start with, for both you and your daughter:

How "wild" do you want this to be?

Tent or chalet?
fence or unfenced?
do you want to sightsee or just hunt?
What trophy/trophies would you really love to take?
How do you feel about hunting in very hot weather?
Open terrain or bush?
Do you want to be hunting as soon as you get in the truck or are you willing to drive to different areas to hunt?
Do you want to do some fishing or bird hunting?
The Okavango Delta is a totally different environment than the Kalahari, and they are both different from other areas in RSA. What do you want to see, brown or green, hills, mountains, savanna or brush?

There are no right or wroung answers only your answers, this is your dream make sure that they get it right.

Enjoy
TerryR

E. Cape is not really Africa...more like the coast of Oregon in terms of terrain and vegetation. Most of the game has been transplanted, look at Mammals of Africa and you will see that it's not really a game area. Pretty tame hunt with rather limited trophy selection. And for $3600 TEN days don't expect too much in terms of trophy quality. You are paying around $1600 for your "trophies", you will likely be shooting young males.

One other point: hunting from vehicles. Make sure this is what you want, because this is what you are likely to get if you don't make it crystal clear otherwise.

Another vote for Vaughan! I took my first safari with him in May 2005. He worked very hard to make my safari a success and it was!! I hunted two ranches and on his concession which was great. I plan to return in a couple of years. You can't go wrong with Vaughan.
John

I'll chime in and say, if for no other reason, I would not do this hunt since they are being marketed on eBay. Just this afternoon, out of curiosity, I did a search on eBay of safaris. I thought there may be some which people were trying to get out of. Turns out there were only a couple with the exception of the ones you mention which are being marketed on eBay by a US rep. Prices appear dirt cheap, but like a lot of the discount RSA operations, if you go to the website of the ranch, the trophy fees are incredibly high.

I can see an occasional situation where a safari would be listed, but a full time safari shop on eBay doesn't seem like a good idea.

Another vote for Namibia. Check with Boet Nel at www.namibiansafari.com I just got an e-mail from him and he has some openings for this summer. We had a great hunt with him in 05 and have one booked for 07. Great hunting and comraderie!

For a real taste of Namibia, here is a link to Mark and Holly's trip in 2004. They have a bunch of great photos.

Mark & Holly - Namibia 2004

Regards,

Terry

The Eastern Cape has some unique and wonderful species, but be aware that the Gemsbok and Springbok are not indigenous and (based on the area's reputation) probably bought at auction.

Also, be aware that the Kudu is the Cape Kudu, not the Southern Greater Kudu. The Cape Kudu have longer, more luxurious manes and more striking markings, but run smaller in horn on average.

I'm not suggesting you do or don't take this hunt mentioned, but you should know all you can beforehand.

Someone mentioned contacting a hunting consultant/booking agent. That is a great idea. They often have several options available, and can help you work through all the options that might work for you. Their service is free to you and invaluable, in my opinion.

If you want some recommendations of good people to contact, just ask and you'll get plenty of good referrences.

Consider Africantwilightsafaris.com. We are booked with them for September, 2007. What sold us on this outfit their 110,000 unfenced acres of African wilderness. Their prices are comparable with other Namibian outfits.