Anyone do teh Bird hunt in SA with the train?

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14 February 2006, 02:29

Wendell Reich

Anyone do teh Bird hunt in SA with the train?

A good friend of mine called and wanted to know if I knew anything about a bird hunt they do in South Africa. The hunters ride a train from one destination to the next and hunt birds on different ranches.

Anyone do this, or know who runs these hunts?

I do not deal with any bird hunts, anywhere in the world. Nor do I want to. I have no interest in booking these hunts, but I do want to pass the info on to my friend.

Thanks in advance.

14 February 2006, 02:48

Brett

Wendell,

Try frontierstravel.com, the train (and vintage aircraft) are operated by Rovos Rail. I believe H&H also marketed these shoots at one time.

This is one of the coolest bird shooting trips one can imagine. Most expensive too...

Brett

14 February 2006, 04:12

BFaucett

Rovos Rail
http://www.rovos.co.za/

-Bob F.

14 February 2006, 04:22

LJS

I think Frontiers Travel in Wexford, PA offers this. I believe it is called the Blue Train.

14 February 2006, 04:59

Oldsarge

I don't think so. The Blue Train is the deluxe passenger travel from Cape Town north. Where they end, I don't know. I have heard, though, that for the cost of the train travel alone, you can buy a decent safari! And I agree, that Rovos Rail would be a wonderful trip . . . for Saeed and his family! As for this budget bwana, I don't think so!

14 February 2006, 06:52

Mike Smith

Actually both are correct. This is just a special charter. It is a wonderful trip for anyone willing to pony up that much cash. It is defintiely out of my league for just bird shooting but way cool. I guess "just bird shooting" is hardly a fair description. One of the things I found about a year and a half ago is that they will charter the train for just about anything and route you want if you have the bankroll.

14 February 2006, 19:57

Karl S

I have not done the bird shooting from the Rovos, but was fortunate enough to be invited along on the train for a normal "cruise" from Pretoria to Cape Town. This was about 1998, and if I remember correctly, it cost about US$1000 p/p then. It was one of the best trips of my life, and I can reccommend it to anyone that can afford it. If I could afford it, I would have taken my wife on the trip to Vic Falls, also from Pretoria, or as an alternative the trip to Kruger park.

Karl Stumpfe
Ndumo Hunting Safaris www.huntingsafaris.net
karl@huntingsafaris.net
P.O. Box 1667, Katima Mulilo, Namibia
Cell: +264 81 1285 416
Fax: +264 61 254 328
Sat. phone: +88 163 166 9264

15 February 2006, 04:17

Wendell Reich

I got a quote today for one hunter and an observer. No wonder they do not post prices on their website!!!

$21,000

Someone should jump on this deal!

I am sure it is a top-notch experience and if I had the jack, the free time and liked to shoot birds, I would take the wife. I would imagine there is no more "traditional" feeling African experience than this. I am sure they do it up right.

I would take this experience over the driven shoots in Spain any day.

See you guys on the train.

15 February 2006, 04:53

Charles_Helm

quote:

See you guys on the train.

I'm afraid this is more my speed...

15 February 2006, 05:15

Oldsarge

Me, too! Attractive as the idea is, the damage is out of control!

15 February 2006, 05:32

invader66

I remember H&H offered a train hunt in the UK
For about that many GBP. They no longer do and
I was so looking foward to it.

15 February 2006, 05:37

tradewinds

Some Local Birdhunters went through H&H a few years back at 27k per person. I guess they had to break in their new H&H shotguns properly. They say it was worth every penny. Then again they charter a Jet to Africa and do 21 days every other year with Luke Samaras in Tanzania.

The Bird Train and 21 days in Botswana are the first two hunts if I ever won the lotto!

17 February 2006, 07:49

Harry

Wendell,
David Watkins (DSC member) and a group of other DSC members did that several years ago. Call him and he can tell you. It was the monthly program years ago. They had a great time.

17 February 2006, 08:54

Jarrod

I think Rovos may be the train I saw on the travel channel but I'm not sure. I do remember it was 20k or more per person I think.

17 February 2006, 11:58

DB Bill

I got a flyer a couple of years back asking if I wanted to join a group that would be chartering one of the big jets configured for something like 20 couples who liked to fish and shoot birds. I don't recall the details but I think the price was something like $150K per couple and it included everything. Went to all the famous places ----Argentina for birds and fishing....New Zealand for birds and fishing...in Africa they shot birds and fished in several countries.....I think they ended up in Scotland for the birds and fishing but not sure.

It was a fairly long trip and the plane had sleeping quarters for the longer hops + chefs etc.

17 February 2006, 17:56

Wendell Reich

quote:
Originally posted by DB Bill:
I got a flyer a couple of years back asking if I wanted to join a group that would be chartering one of the big jets configured for something like 20 couples who liked to fish and shoot birds. I don't recall the details but I think the price was something like $150K per couple and it included everything. Went to all the famous places ----Argentina for birds and fishing....New Zealand for birds and fishing...in Africa they shot birds and fished in several countries.....I think they ended up in Scotland for the birds and fishing but not sure.

It was a fairly long trip and the plane had sleeping quarters for the longer hops + chefs etc.

So Bill, was it fun??

17 February 2006, 18:00

crane

Wendell- I had friends do that trip in the mid-90s. It was expensive then. They enjoyed the trip but on two occasions had once a brick and once a stone thrown through a window while moving at speed. It cast a bit of a bad vibe for the wives but all in all they enjoyed it. I have talked with these folks many times and they say that if they had known about the other options that they would have excercised them.

18 February 2006, 01:06

DB Bill

Wendell ....... even if I could have afforded that trip I wouldn't have taken it.

A little too "chi-chi" for me as I'm just a country boy from Pennsylvania. I may shoot a Purdey but I don't travel with my own loader and I still wear a seed cap.