.

Someone will be able to pull up some old records but if you consider that if you took home a $100 per week during that time you had a pretty good job you can only imagine what a safari could be bought for.

Mark

Mr. Know-it-all, George Leonard Herter, wrote a book that you can have a safari for $690.

Of course, one should take a generous helping of salt reading anything old George wrote.

I remember that in 1980 or 1981 there were special group hunts (might have been through the NRA) for 5 or 7 day Cape Buffalo hunts with airfare included for $1,500.

I was in the market for a Ruger No 1 in 375 H&H at the time and was thinking that I could do that.

From a flyer I have from Klinebruger late 76 valid to May 1977.

16 days


Day 1 Fly NY to Rome
Day 2 Arrrive Rome check into hotel and balance day for sightseing.
Day 3 Depart Rome in the evening for Nairobi.
Day4 Arrive Nariobi morning all day for your self. Upon arrival in Nairobi all meals included in the package.
Day 5 thru 13 tavel to and be in camp.
Day14 travel back to Nairobi.
Day 15 Travel to Rome.
Day 16 depart for home.

Package inclused Air Trans
Hotel Accom.
Visas
Safari Camps Authentic Safari Tent Accommodations, two to a tent. Cpmplete privacy, clean, floored tents (not the little cramped ones). Large dinning tents. Chemical toilets. Three meals a day on Safari. Soft drinks. All porters, cooks, waiters are uniformed and trained by experts. Plenty of excellent food prepared to your likes.
Hunting license and Trpphy Fees are all included for 5 of the 10 following animials plue unlimited game birds.

Dik Dik --- Oribi
Duiker --- Reedbuck
Grants-Gaxelle--- Steinbok
Thompson Gazelle--- Warthog
Hartebeeste--- Wildebeeste
Game Birds:

Francolin Grouse --- Lessor Bustard
Guinea Fowl --- Sand Grouse
Dove --- Ducks and Geese

Rifle Shotgun and Ammo
100 Rounds of Ammo
Cannot bring own weapons.
Packing and dip.

$2795 USD

Cry Cry Cry

I have a friend in his late 70's who did the 30 day full bag safari/ general license for every thing except rhino and elephant. He has a copy of his receipt If I can get it I will put it up. Every one better get out your anti depressants before I do tho. Lots of tears when you see what was possible back then.....

A family friend took his entire family of six to Uganda in I believe 1970 or 1971. I remember him saying the cost for the safari which was 28 days was $ 600.00 per day not including the licenses.

Paul C

i refuse to answer on the grounds that i ain't that old

From 1974, I will use 1x1 on all prices.The prices are from the Safari Outfitters newsletter, February 1974, when it was owned by Roman Hupalowski, here in Downtown Chicago.

Angola: 21 day $5500, 30 day $7500, general licene $95, lion $327, elephant $260,leopard $392,sable $131 Company Angola Safaris

Botswana: Ker, Downey & Selby, 22 day $4400
30 day $6000, Concession fee S.A.R. (South African Rands) 500, lion 530,sable 270,eland140

CAR,Claude Vasselet Safaris, 21 day $6600, 30 day $9,000

Ethiopia, Tom Mattanovich 21 day $6300,30 day $9,000 general license $20

Kenya, Hunters and Guides Ltd. 14 day $4100,21 day $5460,30 day $7800 general license $215 required for big five and most antelopes

Mozambique,Mozambique Safariland, 14 day $3400,21 day $4500, 28 day $5750, general license $195

Sudan, Sudan Safari Tours, 21 day $5250,30 day $7500, general license $198, Giant eland $150,leopard $150, lion $150

Tanzania-Tanzania Wildlife Safaris (1973 prices)
14 day $2890,21 day $3675, 30 day $5250, licenses required after collecting trophies

Zaire (Congo)-Zaire Wildlife Safaris, 21 day $5696, 28 day $7508, elephant $200, bongo $60

Zambia-Amalgameted Zambia Safaris, 21 day $6720,
28 day $8960, general license $1600

I had just finished a mule deer/antelope in Montana (booked thru Jack Atcheson) and when I called Jack to tell him what I good time I'd had, he ask me if I was interested in hunting East Africa. Seems he had a pair of clients back-out of a safari and that if I was interested, and I could find a 2nd hunter, a 28 day full-bag trip would cost each of us $3,000 + trophy fees, dip & pack, shipping and airfare. The trophies available were basically everything including the Big 5 and I think you could take both a lion and a lioness.

Unfortunately the timing never worked out (I was in the USAF) and I didn't make it.

quote:

$3675

so adjusted for inflation a 21 day in Tanzania would cost $17619.48 in 2008.

These prices will only make you cry if you forget about inflation.

In the mid 60s you could buy a new car for less than $3,000.

In the mid 70s you could buy a house for less than $30,000.

I don't think the price of safaris has gone up much at all. I did three African hunts in the last decade(along with 7 or 8 non hunting international vacations) while making beginning public school teacher's wages.

I doubt there were very many 30 year old elementary school teachers in the 1960s who had killed elephant, lion and buffalo.

I hunted Botswana in 1985 10 day buff plus 6 plains game animals for $6000 including air and trophy fees. 1987 in Zim for even less.

Guns from October 1972 ..

Colonel Askins writes of The Safari and Your PocketBook

"The cost of the safari has advanced , on the average 10% every year for the past decade .. A 30 day safari in Kenya today costs $6500 , it is the same in Tanzania , Botswana , and Zambia .. The full hunting license in Kenya is now an astounding $3500 .. It is the same in Tanzania .. If you shoot a really outstanding tusker in Kenya , an old bull with 100 pound teeth on the side , that is another thousand dollar bite ..

Angola 30 days $4200 21 days $3380 ..

South Africa 6-10 days , two hunters , $90 per man per day ..

Rhodesia 10 days two hunters $135 per day per man ..
7 days """"""""""""" $145 """"""""""""""""""
3 days """"""""""""" $170 """"""""""""""""""

My parents bought their old house in 1975 for $45,000. Say this house is worth $200,000 (maybe more) in a normal real estate market today. From the above, 21 days in Tanzania cost 8% of that $45,000 in the mid 1970s. Anyone know where I can get 21 days in Tanzania for $16,000 today?

I think my father was probably making 15-18K per year back then so a Tanzania safari would have cost 1/4 of his annual income. He was an educated professional (biologist) and my guess is that people doing his job today would be paying at least half of their annual income for that same 21 day Tanzania safari.

Statistically, real wages have been falling in America relative to 30+ years ago. My guess is that most safaris (very particularly at the top end of the price scale) have become even more out of reach than most things.

Ruark mentions paying $100 per day and a cost of $10,000 for his 3 month safari in 1952. In todays dollars that is over $82,000. 3 months is a long time but paying more then 80K is a lot of money. Safari was also the "in" thing to do at that time.

It seems that the 70's 80's were about the low point of the safari business and the prices reflect that.

As safari has become more and more popular again the prices have risen to be more in line with the 1950s it seems.

21 day Safari in TZ for 16,000 now but I know where you can put 16,000 down as the first payment for a 21 day safari

quote:

Originally posted by GeoffM24:
In todays dollars that is over $82,000. 3 months is a long time but paying more then 80K is a lot of money.

I don't like those inflation calculators at all and they become less accurate over a longer time period because the bundle of goods that they use to measure price changes is itself always changing. I think a comparison with the prices of things everyone consumes in relation to safaris makes more sense.

For example, in 1952, the price of a new home in the US was almost exactly the cost of Ruarks safari. Median new home sale price in 2008 was about $230,000. Does anyone think he/she could hunt for three months in Tanzania today (including trophy fees for all the stuff ruark shot) for less than that? VERY Doubtful! Even when comparing "peak safari" eras, the price has risen substantially in real terms.

you are correct PH friend of mine just had a client book for next year for 60 days and its 150,000 just in daily fees not includeing the charters trophy fees but 60 days would be 1 hell of a TZ safari

quote:

For example, in 1952, the price of a new home in the US was almost exactly the cost of Ruarks safari. Median new home sale price in 2008 was about $230,000. Does anyone think he/she could hunt for three months in Tanzania today (including trophy fees for all the stuff ruark shot) for less than that? VERY Doubtful! Even when comparing "peak safari" eras, the price has risen substantially in real terms.

The average size of a home has doubled since the 1950s. Although probably built half as well.

quote:

Originally posted by micdis:
The average size of a home has doubled since the 1950s. Although probably built half as well.

Likely true on both counts..and that's why I think the comparison is still valid. I am not in construction but I would guess the costs of building (per square foot) have decreased dramatically since the 1950s. I just spoke with my aunt and, in the mid-late 1940s my grandfather and his brothers bought three neighboring houses...paying $45,000 for all. I look at those houses today (one brick and two wood frame) and can't believe they were worth that in 1946. But, thinking about the labor intensiveness of the process then, it makes much more sense.

quote:

Originally posted by Sevenxbjt:
While I don't know if buffalo was included or not, I am pretty sure you could get a 10 day buff and pg or 14 day pg hunt in say Zim or Moz for 20k today.

OH, no doubt you could and for MUCH less actually which is why your point and the one made by sevenxbjt are correct. I think, in real terms, some shorter safaris in some areas ARE cheaper now. The cost of air transport alone has probably become much cheaper over the last 30 years and this is what has made short 7-10 day safaris viable. It's the long trips in Tanzania specifically that have gone sky high in nominal AND REAL terms.

Another interesting thing about the prices above...look at CAR and Ethiopia....expensive now and expensive then relative to everywhere else. But if some of these places were to be stable and open up tomorrow, I think they would give CAR and Ethiopia a run for their money in terms of price. Imagine what Kenya's daily rates would be in the first year they opened? Think about the fact that guys currently pay $20K plus to hunt ONE species in Northern Sudan (Ibex). What would they pay to hunt the south!?!?

Correct me if I am off base; Wasn't there a lot of wars going on during the '70s and '80s in this part of the world?

If so, that would hold the cost down.