Cameroon vs CAR

17 February 2011, 22:37

eyedoc

Cameroon vs CAR

Ahmed's great hunt in CAR has got me thinking of LDE and some of the other game unique to the area.I am wanting to compare CAR and Cameroon.I know that from the wealth of knowledge available here I can get some help in making a decision on which destination best suits my needs.So from those of you who have been there and know....

1)Is getting into and out of one of these easier from the US?I have heard of charter plane issues and Ahmed mentioned issues with his transfers.

2)Is the weather better in one country as opposed to another?Again, Ahmed mentioned rather pleasant weather on his trip to CAR but I have heard of stifling heat from these regions.

3)Bugs- I know that in tropical regions that bees, flies, gnats, etc. can be an issue.Is one country a better option or is it more of an issue as to when you go?

4) Is there a significant difference as to cost of hunting in Cameroon vs. CAR?

5)Safety/Political stability-Is one of these countries more dangerous to travel into than the other?

If anyone else would care to add their reasons for preferring one of these countries over the other ,please jump in.Glad to get a different perspective.

18 February 2011, 00:28

safari-lawyer

MY EXPERIENCES AND RESEARCH FROM ONE TRIP TO CAMEROON AND NO TRIPS TO CAR ARE BELOW. HOWEVER, I AM DOING LDE IN CAR IN 2013 SO THE CAR COMMENTS FOLLOW MY INVESTIGATION AND DUE DILLIGENCE. OF COURSE, THERE WILL BE OTHER AND BETTER AUTHORITIES THAN I.

1)Is getting into and out of one of these easier from the US?I have heard of charter plane issues and Ahmed mentioned issues with his transfers.
CAMEROON HAS AN AIRLINE, CAMEROON AIRLINES (AKA AIR SOMETIMES) THAT FLIES AROUND THE COUNTY AND CAN GET YOU WITHIN A FEW HOURS DRIVE OF THE HUNTING AREA VIA GAROUA OR NGAUNDERE (SP). THUS NO CHARTER IS REQUIRED, WHICH CAN BE A BIG SAVINGS. ALSO, THERE ARE MORE FLIGHTS INTO DOUALA PER DAY AND PER WEEK THAN BAUGUI.

CONVERSELY, THERE IS NO AIRLINE OPERATING INTERNALLY IN CAR OTHER THAN PRIVATE CHARTER CRAFT. ALSO, THE FLIGHTS INTO THE COUNTRY ARE VERY LIMITED. AIR FRANCE FLIES IN ONCE PER WEEK. MOST HUNTS ARE ORGANIZED ON 7, 14, OR 21 DAY SCHEDULES TO FIT INTO AIR FRANCE'S SCHEDULE. ALSO, INCLUDING THE CHARTER COST IN THE PRICE IF THE HUNT IS COMMON IN CAR SICNE THE CHARTER IS THE ONLY REASONABLE WAY FOR THE CLIENT HUNTER TO GET FROM BANGUI TO CAMP.

2)Is the weather better in one country as opposed to another?Again, Ahmed mentioned rather pleasant weather on his trip to CAR but I have heard of stifling heat from these regions.
IT IS GETTING HOTTER BY THE DAY. BY MARCH AND APRIL, IT IS HELLA HOT. I WAS IN CAM IN MARCH AND IT WAS 110 TO 115 SEVERAL DAYS. HOWEVER, IT WAS A DRY HEAT

3)Bugs- I know that in tropical regions that bees, flies, gnats, etc. can be an issue.Is one country a better option or is it more of an issue as to when you go?
THERE WERE LOTS OF MOPANE BEES, GNATS, ETC IN CAMEROON. I EXECT THE SAME IN CAR

4) Is there a significant difference as to cost of hunting in Cameroon vs. CAR?
NEITHER IS CHEAP AND ON AVERAGE, PRETTY CLOSE TO THE SAME COST WHEN YOU FIGURE YOUR CAR HUNT LIKELY INCLUDES A PRIVATE CHARTER. ALSO, CAR ALLOWS YOU TO SHOOT MORE ON YOUR LICENSE. IN CAM YOU HAVE A TOTAL OF 6 ANIMALS ON LICENSE AND YOU MUST SELECT FROM ROAN OR BUFFALO BUT NOT BOTH. IN CAR YOU CAN OFTEN SHOOT LDE, TWO BUFFFALOES, ROAN, YELLOWBACK AND A HOST OF OTHER GAME ON A SINGLE LICENSE. THE OTHER BIG PLUS FOR CAR IS THAT YOU MIGHT HUNT AN AREA WHERE YOU CAN SHOOT BONGO AND LDE ON ONE SAFARI. WHILE EXPENSIVE, IT WOULD BE CHEAPER THAN SEPERATE HUNTS FOR BONGO AND LDE.

5)Safety/Political stability-Is one of these countries more dangerous to travel into than the other?
BOTH HAVE A HISTORY OF DISPLACED PERSONS FROM NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES BACK AND FORTH ACROSS THE BORDER, BUT CAR IS MORE KNOWN FOR THIS ISSUE LIKELY BECAUSE OF NEIGHBORING SOME UNSAFE COUNTRIES AND ITS VERY VERY LOW POPULATION DENSITY. BOTH ALSO HAVE PLENTY OF HOMEGROWN CRIMINALS THAT MIGHT STICK YOU UP, HIJACK A SUPPLY CONVOY, ETC, ETC, ETC. CAR ALSO HAS (AT TIMES) SUDANEESE POACHERS COMING ACROSS THE BORDER TO POACH ELEPHANTS

18 February 2011, 01:28

Aaron Neilson

quote:
Originally posted by safari-lawyer:
MY EXPERIENCES AND RESEARCH FROM ONE TRIP TO CAMEROON AND NO TRIPS TO CAR ARE BELOW. HOWEVER, I AM DOING LDE IN CAR IN 2013 SO THE CAR COMMENTS FOLLOW MY INVESTIGATION AND DUE DILLIGENCE. OF COURSE, THERE WILL BE OTHER AND BETTER AUTHORITIES THAN I.

1)Is getting into and out of one of these easier from the US?I have heard of charter plane issues and Ahmed mentioned issues with his transfers.
CAMEROON HAS AN AIRLINE, CAMEROON AIRLINES (AKA AIR SOMETIMES) THAT FLIES AROUND THE COUNTY AND CAN GET YOU WITHIN A FEW HOURS DRIVE OF THE HUNTING AREA VIA GAROUA OR NGAUNDERE (SP). THUS NO CHARTER IS REQUIRED, WHICH CAN BE A BIG SAVINGS. ALSO, THERE ARE MORE FLIGHTS INTO DOUALA PER DAY AND PER WEEK THAN BAUGUI.

CONVERSELY, THERE IS NO AIRLINE OPERATING INTERNALLY IN CAR OTHER THAN PRIVATE CHARTER CRAFT. ALSO, THE FLIGHTS INTO THE COUNTRY ARE VERY LIMITED. AIR FRANCE FLIES IN ONCE PER WEEK. MOST HUNTS ARE ORGANIZED ON 7, 14, OR 21 DAY SCHEDULES TO FIT INTO AIR FRANCE'S SCHEDULE. ALSO, INCLUDING THE CHARTER COST IN THE PRICE IF THE HUNT IS COMMON IN CAR SICNE THE CHARTER IS THE ONLY REASONABLE WAY FOR THE CLIENT HUNTER TO GET FROM BANGUI TO CAMP.

2)Is the weather better in one country as opposed to another?Again, Ahmed mentioned rather pleasant weather on his trip to CAR but I have heard of stifling heat from these regions.
IT IS GETTING HOTTER BY THE DAY. BY MARCH AND APRIL, IT IS HELLA HOT. I WAS IN CAM IN MARCH AND IT WAS 110 TO 115 SEVERAL DAYS. HOWEVER, IT WAS A DRY HEAT

3)Bugs- I know that in tropical regions that bees, flies, gnats, etc. can be an issue.Is one country a better option or is it more of an issue as to when you go?
THERE WERE LOTS OF MOPANE BEES, GNATS, ETC IN CAMEROON. I EXECT THE SAME IN CAR

4) Is there a significant difference as to cost of hunting in Cameroon vs. CAR?
NEITHER IS CHEAP AND ON AVERAGE, PRETTY CLOSE TO THE SAME COST WHEN YOU FIGURE YOUR CAR HUNT LIKELY INCLUDES A PRIVATE CHARTER. ALSO, CAR ALLOWS YOU TO SHOOT MORE ON YOUR LICENSE. IN CAM YOU HAVE A TOTAL OF 6 ANIMALS ON LICENSE AND YOU MUST SELECT FROM ROAN OR BUFFALO BUT NOT BOTH. IN CAR YOU CAN OFTEN SHOOT LDE, TWO BUFFFALOES, ROAN, YELLOWBACK AND A HOST OF OTHER GAME ON A SINGLE LICENSE. THE OTHER BIG PLUS FOR CAR IS THAT YOU MIGHT HUNT AN AREA WHERE YOU CAN SHOOT BONGO AND LDE ON ONE SAFARI. WHILE EXPENSIVE, IT WOULD BE CHEAPER THAN SEPERATE HUNTS FOR BONGO AND LDE.

5)Safety/Political stability-Is one of these countries more dangerous to travel into than the other?
BOTH HAVE A HISTORY OF DISPLACED PERSONS FROM NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES BACK AND FORTH ACROSS THE BORDER, BUT CAR IS MORE KNOWN FOR THIS ISSUE LIKELY BECAUSE OF NEIGHBORING SOME UNSAFE COUNTRIES AND ITS VERY VERY LOW POPULATION DENSITY. BOTH ALSO HAVE PLENTY OF HOMEGROWN CRIMINALS THAT MIGHT STICK YOU UP, HIJACK A SUPPLY CONVOY, ETC, ETC, ETC. CAR ALSO HAS (AT TIMES) SUDANEESE POACHERS COMING ACROSS THE BORDER TO POACH ELEPHANTS

To add just a bit to Will's info, as it pertains to CAR. Ethiopia Air (EA) now flys 4 times per week into Bangui from Addis Ababa, and you can fly direct to Addis from D.C., on EA. I've done it before, and the flight was just fine.

Bugs/bees, yep bad in CAR too. I was last there in Feb-March 2007. We saw average temps of 105 degrees, but will get hotter as it gets into March/April. As Will mentions however, its a fairly dry heat.

I'm going back in April 2011, for a 21-day hunt. Again, as Will mentions charters are not cheap. Mine will be $4,000 - $5,000RT, but I will get to hunt LDE/Bongo on the same hunt.

The right outfitter/location will make all the difference, IMO.

18 February 2011, 01:39

MARK H. YOUNG

eyedoc

To answer some of your questions we need to know if you are considering a savanah hunt for LDE or forest hunt for bongo. The conditions you'll encounter are far different between these two areas.

Mark

18 February 2011, 02:03

lde

Eyedoc,

I've only hunted in CAR and both times thoroughly enjoyed it. I was lucky enough to take bongo, lde, giant forest hog, yellow back duiker, buffalo, etc.
One of my trips was in April and the other end of May. Both were hot. Each time we hunted both the savanahs and forests. Getting to either was no problem.

In checking prices I found Cameroon to be much higher and more limited on game. CAR does have their share of bees and tsetse but the tsetse only come out in the last hour of the day. I also never felt in any sort of danger while there regardless of what the state dept. posts.

I would recommend you contact Erik with CAWA (Central Africa Wildlife Adventures). His email is e.mararv@uuplus.com. He is the owner (Swedish but still a really good guy

).

I think I took something like 15 different animals from both trips. Still waiting on the taxidermy bill...