Is it best to plan your trip yourself or use an consultant or company? Just one of many questions that will help myself in planning my first safari. Thanks for all the inpput from previous questions, this is really a helpful site.

You don't need to use an agent/consultant if you book with a good safari company that offers good customer back up/support......... A good agent/consultant can be useful to you BUT a bad one is no more than a hinderance at best and a bloody nuisance at worst.

So I guess the next question should be how do you tell a good agent from a bad one? I guess you ask here for recommendations.

Bayou:

It depends where you are going. If you have to go thru China or are hunting China, by all means get a consultant to broker your guns.

If it is your first trip, I would go with a consultant. But check references, and pay attention to when those guys went. Timing can be everything.

Have you traveled a lot internationally? If not, another reason to go with consultant.

Bayou,

One of the great things enjoyed by sports hunters is the sence of achievement, the feelin you get when you can say: "I've huntet that record book deer myself!" In my book the planning of the hunting trip or safari is as much part of the safari as the hunting itself. One day you will want to say: "I've planned that wonderful safari myself!"

If you have no knowledge of, AND no desire to learn, about the where, why, how etc. of hunting in a foreign country, then you may be better off using a good consultant or booking agent. From the way you ask questions I gather that you are one of those types who wants to KNOW. The type of person who asks in public, such as at this forum, is IMHO not the type who needs a consultant or Booking Agent to help hi plan a safari. Unless there are insurmountable or difficult learning barriers, such as the languiage and cuiltural differences may be the case if you want to go hunt in China, learning aboiut hunting in another English speaking country should not be too difficult. There are always people like myself who are willing to teach you more about my own country. I again invite you to visit the planning section of my home page and to see if you get enough assistance and guidance there to help you plan a succesful first South African plains game trophy hunting safari.

If, as AnotherAZWriter suggested, you have not thaveled much internationally, then you may wish to get a Travel Agent to help you with the best travel arrangements. But to plan an actual safari in an English speaking country like South Africa, a consultant is not required, and may in fact be a hinderance as Steve suggested.

Enjoy your planning and the safari.

There is nothing "wrong" with going through a booking agent/consultant, or travel agent.

A booking agent isn't going to cost you any more money and can give you lots of free advice for the outfitters he books for, but I would shop around just like any other purchase.

A travel agent is good because she!! can get things organized and changed a heck of lot faster than you could yourself.

There are good and bad agents and good and bad outfitters everywhere. Talking to past clients is probably the best approach. And what is a good safari to one guy is not necessarily good to someone else. It all winds up in the end as paying your money and taking your chances.

And, of course, the road is paved with all sorts of free advice here on AR.

I have done it both ways, successfully. Frankly, I will use trusted agents from now on as the time spent booking direct was a hassle.

My biggest problems have been booking airline tickets.

Bayou,

I've actually arranged some of my safaris on my own and used agents on others. I think once you have been there and done that it is much easier to do it yourself. In your case I think it would be ill advised to try an organize your own safari. There is no way you can know all the little pitfalls you might encounter. A responsible agent can help you wade through all of this and protect you from some unpleasant surprises.

If you choose to use an agent I would recommend you enlist the services of someone who has been on the ground where you want to hunt. It's almost impossible for an agent to be able to talk intelligently about an oufit they have no first hand knowledge of.

Adam and I could probably help you with about anything you had in mind.

Regards,

Mark

Both have it's benefits.

Booking directly with an outfitter gives you time to learn to know each other in corresponding with each other, it is a good way of sorting out everything before you arive.

I had clients booked through a agent and clients booking directly with me.

Also keep in mind that booking agents can mislead people too. Most are great to work with however I have come across a few that are only in it for the $$ and do very little to check refrences from PH's they represent. Regardless of who you book with the best advice is to check refrences. I always try to contact as many people from the prior year as possible. It may cost me a few bucks on the phone bill however I have never had a bad experience on any guided hunt.

I'll just say this, A "GOOD" booking agent is worth his weight in gold! He is likely to know the latest rule changes, and is usually on top of anything in the wind about any safari co. he books for!

My advise is to go with a well established Agent that has been in the buisness a long time, and who books with well known safari outfitters. Check references, and asking questions of hunters here on AR, and on NE is one of the free sources if good information. Once you decide on a couple of outfits, post here, and ask for those who have hunted with them! You can't do better than that unless you know the Safari co, personally, or have hunted with them yourself!

In any event, good luck on your safari, and tell us the story when you get back, that is the price we charge for all this ADVICE (read "opinion")

My immediate thoughts are if you want to experience the joy of achievement and have confidence in your own abilities it is a GOOD IDEA to do a lot of sifting and preliminary investigation yourself, you will find it interesting and that way you get to talk to a lot of hunters or others whom might have been there and done that, then when you have got to a certain point inyour mind where you have some general idea of which species you might want the time of year you prefer to hunt and the country you have preferance for then at that point it might be a good idea to talk & communicate with a booking consultant to tidy up the loose ends and get you formally booked.

Peter