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| One of Us |
Could the more experienced people on this thread give an account as to what a guy will be looking at for a safari cost. With the air fare and the hunting costs and trophy fees and tips , etc. I get confused as to the actual costs that someone needs for a decent hunt. I would love to hunt lion or buffalo as a first safari. I've got the guns and the desire but not the knowledge. I would like this to be a hunt of a lifetime and to last 21 days if possible. Thanks for the help as to what to look for in the way of bottom dollar costs. That is back home with the trophys. I know first time hunts to Africa are usually plans game hunts, but I only have a desire to hunt the stuff that have the ability to end things as quickly as I can with a well placed shot. The only easy day is yesterday! | ||
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It is really going to depend on which country you plan to hunt. Some have cheaper trophy fees but higher daily rates. | |||
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Exactly! That's what I'm after. I would want to go to the best areas for the trophys I'm after. If one area has a better population of good lions then that's where I would set my sights for to get a lion. If one area has good buffalo then that would be my destination for buffalo. If I'm going to plan this I need to start somewhere. The only easy day is yesterday! | |||
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You've already comprised a good cost list, prices can be found at the websites of booking agents, outfitters, and travel agents. Tipping is not an exact science, but guidelines are usually furnished if requested. Very difficult to estimate shipping cost for trophys. | |||
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I think buff can be had from 8000 USD and up. Add on costs of travel, trophies etc and you´re probably looking at something around 10-12000 USD. Lion will cost you more, lots more, all depending on where you hunt. I haven´t presonally hunted buff or lion but I´ve been on four trips to Africa for plains game and I find that there are always unforseen costs: Souveneirs, sidetrips, a shot at something I hadn´t planned for etc. Good luck, cewe | |||
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you ask a sort of an open ended question. Airfare is going to cost you about 200 to the country you chose. Charter air faire may be involved which can easily set you back another 2 grand or so. Zim or namb. are the cheapest, with tanz and botws being the highest priced. If you really want a lion zim will be lowest at about 25-30,000 and a 50/50 chance of getting one. zambia is good at about 35-40000 but there alot of poor grade lions without much hair on them. Tanz. you can figure 40-50000, and botws. right now is a bit open to the immagination. Buffalo can be had in zim, tanz, mozm. or zambia for the 8-10000 range. If you want 21 days on DG figuring on coughing up at least 12-1500 per day plus trophy fees. For some plains game, buff, lion leopard - figure at least 10000 for fees. and then there are tips, packing dipping, shipping, taxidermist etc. In addition you'll probably spend 500-1000 on souviners. as you can see what you are dreaming of is going to be very expensive. This is why you are often told to take a 10-14 day plains game hunt first, and then go on to DG latter. Often buff can be thrown in on a 14 day PG hunt, because thare very numerous. Lion today I generally find is booked up for at least 2 years in advance. Everybody wants lion and there are just so many on quota. Thus to spread out you desires, you can now afford a trip, and then save up for the next one. Besides that it gets you back, because there is no such thing as one trip to africa. | |||
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Butchloc, just about has it pegged. I disagree with him on one point, however! This point is to doa plains game first, and save for a Dangerous game safari later.  I say do a Buffalo primary, with 3 or 4 head of plains game first. In most places you can do Buffalo on a short 7 day package hunt for around $12,000, with 3 or 4 head of plains game+ air fare, and dip & pack, with shipping collect. But 14 days is better. The daily fees will run close to $850-$1000 per day + trophy fees. With around $2000 for airfare, $7000 daily on a 7 day, or $14K for a 14 day hunt another $4000,to $5000 for trophy fees if you stay away from the most expensive plains game, and tips equaling 10% of the daily fees, and you can see this is not a cheap game. The Lion will cost you in the area of $50K right off the bat, and require a 21 day safari at about $1500 perday, plus a uaual wait of two to three yrs before your hunt will start. One of the package hunts with Buffalo is your best bet, if you shop you can get out at under $15K total, and it will only get higher if you wait! Plains game will always be there!  ....Mac >>>===(x)===> MacD37, ...and DUGABOY1 DRSS Charter member "If I die today, I've had a life well spent, for I've been to see the Elephant, and smelled the smoke of Africa!"~ME 1982 Hands of Old Elmer Keith  | |||
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There is a TZ Buff hunt on ebay right now for 8 grand; http://cgi.ebay.com/African-Cape-Buffalo-HUNT-Tanzania-...QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Its a 7 day hunt...don't know much more about it or the outfitter but its worth checking out if you are looking for something inexpensive. I would check it out very carefully though as the people who advertise Africa hunts on ebay tend to be just starting out and looking for clients. | |||
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Looke at he ebay hunt but, tht buf is not a real animal it is a doctored pic.. IMO Mike | |||
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Pegleg You have already created a world of difference between DG hunts when you mention buffalo and cats. A buffalo hunt is quite possible for less than 10K; however, you are looking at around 50K for a good lion hunt. You can hunt buff on a short license, but lion requires a 21 day hunting license and most outfitters want the daily rate for a 21 day hunt, at least for your first hunt with them. The same is pretty much true for leopard. I'd highly recommend the buff hunt, and encourage you to leave cats to later in your African hunting future. If you want to experience a very legit, dangerous game hunt that would let you take some interesting plains game book a buff hunt with a well known agent like Adam Clements, who post here, or Charlie Goldenberg, 407 889 9778. If you want to hold your costs down further, consider taking no trophies except the pictures, or going with Euro mounts (skull only). Kudude | |||
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All, I have estimated this type of trip many times...all in and I do mean "all" in a 10 day hunt, and I can't imagine going all the wya over for les than 10 days, in Tanzania for Buffalo is about $20k, Zim will run you about $16-17k for 10 days of buffalo hunting, and a PG hunt in RSA will be $9k-10k for 10 days. I can provide a spreadsheet to anyone who wants to do their budget.  Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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For a 21-day dangerous game hunt in TZ your daily rate will be about $44,000. Government fees will be about $7,500. Air charter could be $3-$4,000. Trophy fees will be $25-$30,000. It will cost about $2,000 to get there and you'll have about $5-$6,000 in tips. | |||
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If you leave five to six thousand in tips you are either very wealthy or a complete fool!!, my guess would be the latter. | |||
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You're welcome to your opinion, Gunny. 10% of the daily rate on a quality DG hunt is not unusual after tipping the staff. | |||
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Retreever, you really think the buff on ebay is a doctored pic? | |||
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Best I can tell hunting there you are just getting screwed. You go there for plains game say $350 a day, Buff it is $750-850 a day, add Lion, Ele, it can go to 1,000 a day. Bullshit, you are in the same camp, same staff, same critters in the area, and a $700 a day difference!! BS. Then as Terry posted when he came back, they came and got him,took him to meet someone he had never seen and said tip her. People will get tired of being FU$$$$ some day. Semper Fi WE BAND OF BUBBAS STC Hunting Club | |||
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I don't understand the correlation between a daily rate (ie a percentage of the daily rate charged) and the amount of "tips" one gives.  If the daily rate for a 10 day cape buffalo safari is at a lower rate than a full 21 day safari daily rate, if the "tip" is based on a percentage of the daily rate, does that mean a tracker for example is less valuable per day on a 10 day safari than a 21 day safari? Same with the cook, waiting and camp staff, driver etc. Shouldn't a tip be based on an estimate of the local wage these guys receive and not on the cost structure, overheads and markups of the outfitter, concession owner, outfitting company shareholders profits? If the outfitter pays these guys say $1 to $3 a day as wages (assuming they don't just get board and accomodation plus "tips" as the only cash), isn't say the same rate as the wage rate a bloody good gift or "tip". "Tipping" is an issue that really confuses me . | |||
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Using our own prices as a guidline the 21 day hunt and charter costs have been overestimated. Although obviously charter price will depend of distance flown to the individual area. Even on a split destination 21 day hunt I'd suggest the tips could/should be reduced considerably - but at the end of the day, it's the choice of the individual client..... what seems reasonable to one might be considered excessive to another. | |||
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Best I can tell you can get a 21 day full bag safari including tax title and taxidermy for somewhere between 50-100 K. You can pay more but I think these figures are in the ballpark. It maybe can be done for the bottom number but if you want all the bells and whistles look to the middle to upper part of that range. I haven't priced it by looking at every nickel and dime expense. If you are looking at a full bag safari, nickles and dimes and exact figures are impossible to determine. You will not know exactly what kind of animal will walk out and you will just have to take it. You will also not be able to know in advance how many bait animals will be needed for the lion and leopard. If you are in a tax bracket where this kind of safari is financially comfortable the nickles and dimes won't matter much. I do not suppose that I will ever do one. Good hunting. Although cartridge selection is important there is nothing that will substitute for proper first shot placement. Good hunting, "D" | |||
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if you shop around, then 20-25k should do it incluing air fares and taxidermy for buff,say 4 head of not to expensive plains game .eg kudu, warthog, impala, bushbuck,ect,10 day hunt in zim. remember air fares are paid 6 months before you leave, then your hunt , then 1-2 years later taxidermy fees. its not all 25grand up front! the way these guys are throwing numbers around is enough to scare anybody off. as far as tips go, hell i am from australia and in the land of Oz we dont tip!! | |||
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Pegleg - I went on amy first and so far only, plains game hunt last year in RSA with this outfit; http://www.mafigeni.co.za/index.htm . If you visit their site you will be able to check out daily rates, trophy fees, taxes, etc. for RSA, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and perhaps Botswana. These people were absolutely wonderful to hunt with. Their facilities were not 5 star but more than adequate and comfortable. The food was great and everything but liquor was included in the daily rate. My only mistake was booking for 7 days and not 10 or more. The only way i'll be able to go back is to win the lottery or have a long lost rich relative leave me money but, I went at least once. My wife went with me, she does not hunt but toured around the area and had a great time. I took Kudu, Wildebeest, Impala and Zebra. I only had the Zebra turned into a rug and the rest shipped back ready for tanning and mounting. Bottom line cost on this thing was $12,000 for airfare, tips, taxes, daily rate, trophy fees, souviniers, trophy prep fees, my wife's shopping spree, EVERYTHING! Got to Mafigeni's website and check out their prices for all the countries they are licensed to hunt in. "I ask, sir, what is the Militia? It is the whole people. To disarm the people is the best and most effective way to enslave them" - George Mason, co-author of the Second Amendment during the Virginia convention to ratify the Constitution | |||
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I can't tell you guys the help you have provided. Thank you all for your advise. This is what I had invisioned when I signed up on this forum. The mud slinging almost had me running for the hills. Not really interested in who said what about who. This kind of info from the experienced has given me some insite on what to work for. I have studied the African safari for years and now that the kids are grown maybe a few motorcycles will find their way into other collectors' homes so I can pursue a dream I've had for more than a couple of decades. As I've said, I think I've got the gear to do this and I know I've got the desire and with your help I'm gaining the knowledge. The rifles I've got and DO practice with are a Model 70 in 458 Win Mag. a CZ 550 Safari Mag. in 416 Rigby and of course my elk rifle in 338 Win Mag. I know from you guys that 2 rifles are the max you can take and now the question of which two will have to be given some serious thought. I shoot the 458 fairly well often practicing at the ranges of a few feet out to the 100yd. range. Always off-hand and always ready for a follow up shot after the trigger is pulled. Open sites work well for me as I've done a pretty good amount of high Power shooting. The Rigby has it's charm for sure but there is something about the CZ that just doesn't set well with me. Can't pin it down and I can shoot it almost as well as the 458. Maybe the longer tube. Just don't know. I have been working with it now for about five years and have sunk some money into the gun to make it more to my liking. The 416 cartridge does grow on a guy. The 338 has been my go to gun for about 25 years and it feels like a part of me when ever I put my grubby mits on it so no problem with it. My load with the 338 used the 230 grain Failsafe bullet and I've got great confidence in it. Used a different gun this year hunting elk and every day I questioned myself, why? Won't let that happen again! Again-Thanks for the advise that has come my way and I wish all of you luck in your indevers. The SCI convention sounds like it would be a hoot but already have plans and reservations for the Shot Show this year, so maybe next year! ---Pegleg The only easy day is yesterday! | |||
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Pegleg, Dont get bogged down with the price of a lion hunt. You can hunt buffalo and leopard very reasonably. Fourteen days is fine for a first hunt and you can take buff and spots in Zimbabwe on a fourteen day hunt for under twenty thousand. | |||
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Pegleg: If the cost of a male lion hunt gives you sticker shock, think about a hunt for a lioness. You can combine a lioness with buff and plains game and have a great time for far less cost. I would think you could do a 14 day buff and lioness hunt for $20K. | |||
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Zim no longer offers lioness. Do some other countries? | |||
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500 I'll have a definite answer on that later today. Zambia used to offer lioness eventhough they did not appear on the trophy list. On the tipping I probably tend to tip on the high side but I don't tip more for buffalo than an elephant or a lion. The tip amount to me depends on how good the overall experience was. That is how I tip for DG. If I was on a plains game hunt only I would tip the PH perhaps a little less because the PH's job is so much different than on a DG hunt. The crew would get tipped the same on any hunt depending on service etc. Mark MARK H. YOUNG MARK'S EXCLUSIVE ADVENTURES 7094 Oakleigh Dr. Las Vegas, NV 89110 Office 702-848-1693 Cell, Whats App, Signal 307-250-1156 PREFERRED E-mail markttc@msn.com Website: myexclusiveadventures.com Skype: markhyhunter Check us out on https://www.facebook.com/pages...ures/627027353990716 | |||
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Pegleg: Can't advise you much about costs (My one and only hunt in Africa was for buff in 1993) However I can suggest that you have to make up your mind about whether you want a lion or a buff. The difference in hunting time (and therefore, cost) can be huge. I know that a buff can scare the wits out of you. From the stories I heard from my outfitter (who flew into camp)and who was a "lion man" that the Ministry used for "problem" lions I would be very worried about facing a lion in the charge.(Translation - Scared to death) If I could do it over again, which would I want to face? I should just flip a coin about which one!  Any way You will have a great experience, I assure you! | |||
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The numbers that have been thrown around in this thread are pretty stiff. We offer an inexpensive PAC hunt for elephant at $6k all in 10 days Zim; for a regular elephant hunt (where you get to keep the trophy) we charge $750 per day x 10 days plus $5K trophy fee (although the genetics in this area are not great...typically 35 lb per side). We do a black-maned trophy lion hunt in SA for $37,500 all in 14 days; and trophy buff 7 days $8500 in Zim. White Rhino from $32,500. Let's see, that leaves leopard. We get $12,500 for 10 days in Botswana all in for a hot pursuit hunt that's almost always successful, beats the pants off sitting over blinds night after night. Russ Gould - Whitworth Arms LLC BigfiveHQ.com, Large Calibers and African Safaris Doublegunhq.com, Fine English, American and German Double Rifles and Shotguns VH2Q.com, Varmint Rifles and Gear | |||
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I am concidering a P. A. C. elephant hunt in ZIM as a cost control method. I am just a middle class guy who wants to experience the HUNTING of the Big 5 more than any other part of the overall affair. I'll forgo bringing home trophies like actual Ivory and or bones and or hide, but I'll have video and photo's and a casting of tusks possibly. I'll save 10 - 20 thousand USD's I think. It must be a fair chase situation though, or it's NOT the situation I want. I am all ears for feedback, I've never yet been more than a few hundred miles from my home for a hunt, and that was only for white tail deer. Jack OH GOD! {Seriously, we need the help.} | |||
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Pegleg, You sound like you are well on your way to your dream hunt. I did the plains game thing first in Zim in 2000 and then went to Tanzania in 2003 for more plains game and Buff. I will be back in Tanzania in 2007 for Elephant, Leopard and hopefully a Sable and Eland and more Buff. Tanzania is where I would go if I were you. The "deals" you get in Zim are not worth the money saved and putting up with all the unstable BS. I know I will catch flack for this but ask yourself, if hunting in Zim is "just as good" then why are they pimping out hunts so cheap there. I can tell you why because I have been there and hunted there, but that is a whole other story. If I wanted a Plains game only hunt I would shop around for a hunt in Namabia. The prices are great and the country is safe and stable. I would go to Tanzania if I were you. I went with USANGU Safaris in 2003 and am going back in 2007. I found them to be the best deal going. http://www.hunt-tanzania.com Look for them at the SCI show or better yet call their rep Zahir in the Texas office he is a great guy and he can work something out for your needs. They have many large hunting blocks and he knows what is where as he spends half of the year in Tanzania.  AS FAR AS RIFLE SELECTION---You should deffinatly take the 458 for buff and take the 338 that you love and shoot well. I would feel a lot better if your light rifle was a 375 or the 416 however I think having a gun that you shoot well is more important than a few more feet per second and a few more grains in bullet weight. PS the 338 with either fail safes or Barnes X is deadly on Lion.  I brought my 458 and my #1 all around rifle the 300 win last time. However I found that when hunting plains game you ran into Buff and when hunting Buff you sometimes got into plains game that you did not want to pass up. I will bring my 458 and my 375 the next time as I have come to the conclusion that when hunting both plains game and "big" stuff it is good to have 2 rifles that can handle either in a pinch. For example if in 2007 I am trying to get close to a Sable and I jump out of the truck with my 375 in hand and I happen upon a big Elephant on the way I know I can do it with a 300 grain Barnes solid. I would feel realy dumb with a 300 win in my hands  Good luck NRA Life DRSS Searcy 470 NE The poster formerly known as Uglystick | |||
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