Hello,
I�m thinking of doing a detour, from the RSA that is, to Namibia next year and I like Erongos homepage and they have been very nice in answering emails etc. If anybody has hunted with them I�d appreciate the info.

cewe

Do you have link to their site?


Cheers
/ JOHAN

cewe,

I hunted there in 2002. The lodge is really beautiful. I had taken a side trip from hunting another ranch near Omaruru to hunt at the Erongo lodge due to the good prospect of taking a mountain zebra. We also saw good quality gemsbok and many, many zebra. Really an amazingly beautiful place. One herd numbered over 80 as we counted them as they crossed over a saddle and out of sight.

The hunting area is inside the crater of an old extinct vlocano and the mountainous area that is hunted is the rim of the volcano. The total hunting area was something like 400,000 hectres. The footing was very tough. We hunted there in September and it was very warm.

Shots can be long (over 300m) or very short depending on where you catch them. I found it amazing at how the zebra went up the mountains like goats!

Hope this helps and if you would like further details let me know.

BigBullet

Thanks BigBullet! I think my mind is pretty much made up then, I have a good feeling about the place. Any tips you can give me on namibia (sightseeing etc) would be appreciated.

Johan:

Here is their link http://hausarzt-wittmund.de/erongo-engl

If that doesn�t work then just try google using "Erongo-Lodge".

Are you planning on going?

The place looks like it is only a short drive from Windhoek so while you are there you might want to try to eat at Joe's Beer House.Also a bit north of there is an open air market where locals pedal wood carvings and other handiwork.It is on the major north-south highway and I am sure the folks at Erongo will know how to get you there.Lots of little shops and while most of the items are tourist junk some is very well done.We snagged some trinkets for the extended family and a couple of nice pieces for our home.Get bigger pieces shipped back with your trophies.

Cewe,

Check out the Namibia PH Association web site.

http://www.natron.net/napha/

You can find several tourist sources using a search engine.

jim dodd

cewe,

As I went through the day more and more of the hunt at Erongo Lodge came back to me. The Lodge is run by a father and son (Karl and Peter). Karl is a great person to hunt with, though he is getting up in years and after seeing the terrain you'll see that you must be in good shape to go up those hills. They are strewn with block to brick size volcanic rock that is very sharp yet very unstable. A good chuck came off my knee when I rolled my ankle over. Peter, the son, is very hospitable, though not into the hunting part as much as his father. If you can hunt with Karl, you're better off.

The lodge boasts about bushman "rock paintings" on the grounds and they would be worth checking out. You will be a good distance from Etosha or I would recommend that. You must check out the large tannery in Windhoek, many fine skins for sale along with quality leather goods.

If you have time,(its all about the time) go to Swakomund for a differnt twist on Namibia. Nice beaches, history, excellent fishing, and excellent resturants.

On the way to or heading back from Erongo Lodge, check out the 2 wood carvers markets at Okahandja(Its right off the main highway). Very good quality crafts, again at bargin prices.

If you want to hunt a different place, possibly for springbok, I know of a ranch about another hours drive from Erongo lodge that can provide excellent springbok shooting. Also good kudu. I took gold medal animals of both at this ranch. There are other ranches near by that offer nearly all the plains game that Namibia can have, again not very far.

I would be happy to prvide futher info if you would like.

Hope this helps,
BigBullet

Sounds like pretty rough going, my insurance company will be thrilled to hear that I�m going (on my first trip I blew my right knee on my second I totalled my glasses)! I�ve heard of Joe�s place and seen pictures from Swakomund so those are musts. How safe is it to travel on your own? I�m planning on taking my .375 so long shots shouldn�t be a problem, at least not in theory! I don�t like taking shots over 150m and all of my hunting shots in Africa have been under 100m, most around 50m. Are long shots "the norm" in Namibia?



Thanks again!

cewe,

I beleive a good average distance for shooting in Namibia (again depending where exactly you hunt) is closer to 200 yards. The furthest shot on african game I have taken was at this ranch on mt.zebra. Peter said it was "over" 300m, after the first miss, I believe it was closer to 350m. Missed the first time, connected on the second shot. The place is fairly open terrain, mixed scrub, thorn savannah.

I beleive taveling in Namibia is fairly safe. The further north we moved the more we watched over our stuff, and Windhoek, like most cities has it problem areas. There were many 4x4 rental vechicles at the Etosha park. The prices for rentals can be expensive though. Something to check out.

The 375 H&H will do you well in Namibia (just like everywhere elase).

Wear good boots
BigBullet

Thanks again BB,

What cal./bullet combo did you use i Namibia? I was thinking of going with 300gr Woodleighs but maybe 270gr would be better if the distances turn out to be longish...

We hunted mountain zebra with Karl in Aug02. It was just a day trip but I wouldn't hesitate to hunt with him again. Karl is a great guy and worked really hard to make sure we had a good hunt. There were other hunters staying there hunting with Peter and they already had a couple of good Oryx. If you go, tell Karl that Jim & Cindy from Texas say hello.