I'm sure this topic has been touched on more than you all care to mention, but here goes...

I'm ready to experience Africa and I'm not sure where to begin. Any input would be helpful. I've spoken with outfitters, but am always wary that I'm being told what I want to hear. Unfortunately, I don't have any friends that have been to Africa whose advice I can rely on.

I often hear "go to SA for your 1st trip." While that's appealing to me, the books I read growing up have spoiled the vision that I have. I don't want to sleep in a lodge. I hope to experience a bush camp with a staff, hearing the hyenas (or a big cat) at night, sundowners overlooking a river, etc. I have no issue with game farms, and the fact that so many species are available make a SA very tempting to me.

A buff is at the top of my wishlist, but feel I'd like to work with a PH before tackling something that might want to bite back. Is that a valid point? I'm confident in my abilities, but I want to be confident in my PH and I want him confident in me. I want to experience the "real" Africa and find a PH that I can work with in the future - I'm 37, and hope to make it to Africa many times.

I guess what I'm asking is, in your opinion "Where can I experience an Africa safari in the classic sense, where there is a DG and a wide variety of plains game available?" and “ Should I jump right in and go after the buffalo I’ve been dreaming about, or should I take baby steps and work my way up to that and the other DG?”

Thanks for any input. I've really enjoyed reading all the useful info everyone posts and hope I can contribute myself someday soon.

A tented camp buffalo and PG hunt in Zimbabwe would fulfill about 90% of what you're asking, and leave you dreaming about your next trip!

I did the exact same thing you are considering. I was not certain I could return, so I booked a Buffalo hunt in Zimbabwe. Tent camp, a throwback to the classic Safaris of the 1950's period. We saw lots of other game, Eland every day. There were lots of Elephants there as well to see.

Check with CM Safaris. You can find them in the search engine here. Buzz Charlton and Myles McCallum are the partners. You will be happy with the total experience hunting with them. We were in northern Zim, in the Makuti area.

Rich

Opus,

I have 6 words for you - Roger Whittall Safaris, Save Valley Conservancy.

Drop me a line at hulmour@yahoo.com for info.

Cheers, David

At Deka in Zimbabwe you can have you cake and eat it too. Tents, etc. and also the wonders of Victoria Falls.

I've got a finger all bandaged up from a little surgery, so I won't type much, but go to the following reference and see a report with pictures. Make sure to go to the elephant reference, also. Double click on Deka Buffalo and on Deka Elephant

If you also go to www.hhksafaris.com and look at the Deka gallery, you'll see more.

Lots of good places in Zim for sure! SAVE is a sure winner, too.

Go to Zim and do buff and PG the first time you go. There is nothing like being in wild Africa where DG roams, and I think you have it right with what you want. I did PG on my first safari in SA, and though I had fun, I haven't been back. I like hearing hyenas and elephant at night and feeling like I am in a truly wild place.

Do what Tim says. Sent a private message.

I endorse your thought that you should get some PG under your belt before you go an a buff hunt. There are lots of reasons why this makes sense ...

1. You don't want to fluff your buff, that's an expensive hunt

2. You don't want to pay DG daily rates to chase PG. You will pay 3x the money to hunt PG on a DG hunt, than you will pay for a PG-only hunt

3. A buff hunt can be all-consuming, leaving little time to enjoy the PG hunting. Further, the PG hunting in buffalo areas can be poor.

4. Doing your buff later gives you something to go back for

You probably won't hunt your Buff with the same PH that you do your first PG hunt with ... you will likely be hunting in different areas with different PHs.

Now, back to tents vs. lodges, farms vs. concessions. You are going to be dog-tired at night, so the tent thing is not as big a deal as the property and the camp "ambience". Ideally, you want to hunt a large area with some DG on the property, to spice things up. Nice fire pit outdoors, view from camp. Other than that, bush is bush, game is game.

Having said that, I can put you in a tent in Zululand and pretty much guarantee you are going to hear a leopard more than once, and hyenas nightly. Lions too. One client peed in a bottle at night, he wouldn't make the 30 yard walk to the ablutions! You will hunt PG and you will pay less in daily rates than you will pay for your airfare. You will hunt on foot, and even though this property is on the small side, you won't feel confined. There are plenty of RW quality Nyala, along with Impala, BWB, Zebra, Warthog, Kudu, Red Duiker etc.

Or I can put you in a lodge in Zim on a very large property where you will run into Rhino and Elephant daily, while enjoying first rate Waterbuck, Bushbuck, Impala, Warthog, Klipspringer, BWB, Giraffe, Zebra, Kudu etc. Daily rate less than half the cost of a "concession" hunt.

I will go further and state that you may want to do a second PG hunt ... for example in Namibia, before you do your Buff hunt. There are enough species and different ecosystems that you can do 3 PG hunts before you run out of things to shoot.

By that time, you will be raring to go on a DG hunt, and you won't feel pressure to book extra days to chase PG.

If you do this the other way round, you may find the PG hunts less exciting.

If buff is at the top of your wishlist, read this hunt report:

http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/9161098911

There is no reason that you cannot have a hunt of that caliber in the Save Valley Conservancy. Lots of PG, nice accomodations, Big Five, big buffalo.

Go, Go, Go!

My first trip was to S.A. for Plains Game. I hunted hard for 10 days and took the animals I wanted. My next trip I thought was going to be for Buff in Zim? I might change my mind and go on a Pac or Tuskless? I would probably take another Zebra. I want to take my time hunting for a Buff or Ele and take photos and enjoy myself!!! Cheers

I would recommend a trip to Zimbabwe, in the SAVE, for cape buff and plains game. Try to do at least 14 days if you can.

I have hunted twice with Brooklands Safaris and had great trips both times.

I'll back up what Russ said about hunting PG first. As a matter of fact, I hunted in the very same camp Russ is talking about and I wasn't cheated a second during my time spent there. I can honestly tell you that the first time you're sitting on a hillside glassing nyala and reedbuck, and hear the lions roaring, it will send chills thru your body as it did mine! Standing in a grass, reed shower with only a little kerosine lantern lighting the water coming out of a small shower head, from a forty gallon drum that has had a fire going under it for a couple hours to warm the water, while looking up at the Southern Cross, and have the hyenas start their lonesome call about 300 yards outside camp, won't deminish your experience as it didn't mine either.

Many of the guys on this site are very experienced with DG; however, don't think that you have to hunt DG on your first trip over. I'm heading back over in August for my second tour with some friends, and I won't regret hunting 'just' PG again, it is quite the contrary!!!

I did exactly the same as Tim Herald.
My advice is to save your money on the SA plains game thing and go straight for the Zim buff hunt. You will never look back.

quote:

Originally posted by R.Jolly:
I did exactly the same as Tim Herald.
My advice is to save your money on the SA plains game thing and go straight for the Zim buff hunt. You will never look back.

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