Does anyone have a spreadsheet that they use for planning the costs of their safari's that they would like to share?

Thanks.

Way too easy for the minister of war and finance ( wife ) to see the TOTAL cost if it is all in one place!!!!

Heck, I don't even want to know the total cost!

quote:

Originally posted by sjb:
Way too easy for the minister of war and finance ( wife ) to see the TOTAL cost if it is all in one place!!!!

Try removing one of the zeros from the left side of the decimal on your spreadsheets.

I love shooting $300.00 cape buffalo and buying $1200.00 double rifles.

I just happen to have one. My wife put it together for me. Let me have your email and I will send.

I agree with Bwana Cecil...!!!!

Ask someone what they spent on a similar safari.
They are lying.
Double it.

Spread sheet!
Not enough columns in EXCEL
MONEY DON'T SPREAD THAT FAR.
LARRY

IMHO you are missing the whole point. You make a deposit, you don't owe the balance for some time, perhaps years, you don't owe trophy fees until they are in the salt. You pay half the taxidermey fees up front, but don't owe the balance until the work is done. Considering annual safaris, that is far too complex for even me to keep up with, let alone my wife. And that's the beauty of it.

^^^Spot on^^^

If you calculate all the costs up front, you just quadrupled the chances that you YOURSELF will decide that you cannot afford it or you just 100% ENSURED that your spouse will decide you cannot afford it. I am an economist and pretty cautious with money but I am telling you to NEVER put these things on paper if you actually want to go! If you have a decent cash flow and know that you can afford the tickets, daily rates, and trophy fees over the course of a month or so before you go, then worry about all the ticky tack stuff like taxidermy and shipping and tips as things move along. Just go.

I've never really understood the importance of using a spreadsheet in determining what safari operator to use. Of course it's easy with a spreadsheet to compare costs from one operator to the next but your not comparing oranges to oranges. Take for example a 10 day PG hunt. which might often be a first safari for many. You could hunt behind a high game fence on a complete put and take operation where game is jumping all over. You might book that same 10 days in Namibia on a ranch with no fence and only be hunting indigenous animals to the area. You also could be spending those 10 days in a wilderness setting where your as likely to see elephants and buffalo as you are a kudu.

I guess my point is that there is no dollar value for the "experience". Also how do you put a monetary number on the quality of the camp, service and the professionalism of the PH?

As far as paying for the safari as others have said you don't have to have the total cost of the safari in hand before booking. If you book say 18 months out you can probably get by with a 25% down payment on the daily fees, then another 25% a year out and the balance plus a trophy fee deposit before the safari. Six month or so more and you'll have to pay for your trophy shipping. Once your taxidermist has your trophies you can spread out the cost of mounting over a year or two or more. Most taxidermist have no problem letting you do this. So as long as you know you can make the different payments as they come up your good.

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
I've never really understood the importance of using a spreadsheet in determining what safari operator to use. Of course it's easy with a spreadsheet to compare costs from one operator to the next but your not comparing oranges to oranges. Take for example a 10 day PG hunt. which might often be a first safari for many. You could hunt behind a high game fence on a complete put and take operation where game is jumping all over. You might book that same 10 days in Namibia on a ranch with no fence and only be hunting indigenous animals to the area. You also could be spending those 10 days in a wilderness setting where your as likely to see elephants and buffalo as you are a kudu.

I guess my point is that there is no dollar value for the "experience". Also how do you put a monetary number on the quality of the camp, service and the professionalism of the PH?

Yes, but there are definitely good values and not so good values. Knowledge is power.

Plus, personal responsibility is a good thing. If you have a good idea of all of your likely costs, you'll be better prepared to pay for them when you are truly able to afford to go.

A great place to start guy is our own " Africa - Reference And Information" forum. Next, build a relationship with a booking agent or hunting consultant (many times one and the same) who can give you details of particular PH's, areas and countries. They can give you a lot of insight before you ever make contact with an outfit. Cheers, LDK

As others have said the costs are spread out over a considerable amount of time. I have never regretted the money I have spent on our international hunts and neither has Mrs Blacktailer.
With a little massaging of the family budget over the time between booking, hunting and taxidermy you will be surprised how painless it actually can be.

I think having a good idea of the total cost before hand is just smart. The cost of a car or house is spread out over time too, but you still budget that before buying.

quote:

Originally posted by formula1guy:
Does anyone have a spreadsheet that they use for planning the costs of their safari's that they would like to share?

Thanks.

FORMULA1GUY,

Is your MAIN CONCERN WHAT you HAVE to budget for in your costs?

Being your 1st safari are you looking for those items that are not so obvious, for example getting a GOOD rifle travel case if you currently don't have one, tips for PH & camp staff, varying airline baggage fees, etc.?

For the average guy that shit (not so obvious for a 1st timer) can add up quickly.

On the other side of the coin, don't feel the need to buy everything new for your first safari. For example if you're planning a PG hunt your favorite deer rifle will probably be more than adequate. I know that I ended up buying too much stuff that I never ended up using. Every Safari my bags get lighter.

I could not agree more with Heym 450/400. You do not need to buy everything "safari" just because your going on safari. You'll have just as much fun on your safari if you wear your jeans and a cotton shirt as if you looked like Stewart Granger. Any scoped deer rifle from 270-338 will work just as well on African game as it does at home on your deer hunts. Avoid the cool gear, gadgets, special rifles and you'll have more money for trophy fees.

Mark

I have spreadsheets for all the hunts I market. It doesn't include taxidermy because everyone's desires are different. Airfare and shipping etc not included either. But these are easily added.

It's a good idea to know, going in, what your up against. Yes, I am sure it scares some people off, but it also helps guys budget.

Wow, I never expected such a diverse number of answers to what I thought would be a simple question. I appreciate all of the responses and the different views.

As for costs, I can afford it, that is not the problem, it is setting budget expectations for the rest of my expenses. It would not be a good conversation as to who gets paid first, the taxidermist or the boys school tuition. I have used spreadsheets for trips to South America and out West before, I find them very helpful.

I like to know what all the foreseeable/plan-able costs are going to be, not necessarily the dollar amounts but the fees and expenses that you might not anticipate. Tips, country entrance fees, rifle shipping costs, trophy shipping fee’s and other things that I might not know enough about to expect. Just a good list of items would be a great start.

Interestingly my wife was fine with me going, even after I threw out a large number. She has been fine with all of my other trips also. The only stipulation was that if my boys wanted to go I would have to take them along!!! Not a problem in my book and one of them jumped at the chance. I am looking forward to having those memories with him and him sharing them with his own boys someday.

Thanks for the help.

You might like to visit www.shakariconnection.com where you'll find plenty of comprehensive, unbiased information about how to price out a hunting safari suitable for your needs, tastes and finances.