I have hunted Africa 3times and the hunt I enjoyed the most was a week in a tent hunt in Namibia. Granted there were some luxuries but the flavor was Africa of old. I woke up one night and heard something very close to our tent,grabbed a rifle and very carefully looked out. There was a herd of kudu wandering through camp. We got to hear real African night noises and my wife and I both enjoy camping but this was the best. Being retired I cannot afford the classic East African Safari,but are there any outfitters out there who can offer a similar experience that is affordable. I have very few animals left on my affordable bucket list, but leopard may be one. My others are bush buck bush pig, springbok,and Hatemen's zebra. What say you out there? I am open to all suggestions. Thanks in advance. Jerry Hoover

There is something special about tent camping/hunting that one misses when dwelling in a house or cabin. Be it Africa or my home of Alaska, tenting is a good way to experience the outback. I do this at times in Africa and many times each summer in Alaska, up in the arctic, and the Yukon Territory.
Cal

Thanks Cal. Now if some outfitters will respond. At first I thought I would have to do a 2 country hunt,RSA and Namibia, but I have going through some old Hunt Nimibia (NAPHA) publications and it looks like if I can find the right Namibian outfitter, it can be done in Namibia. But RSA outfitters, let me know what you have to offer. As of now I am very flexible. Thanks again, Jerry Hoover

quote:

Originally posted by Jerry Hoover:
I have hunted Africa 3times and the hunt I enjoyed the most was a week in a tent hunt in Namibia. Granted there were some luxuries but the flavor was Africa of old. I woke up one night and heard something very close to our tent,grabbed a rifle and very carefully looked out. There was a herd of kudu wandering through camp. We got to hear real African night noises and my wife and I both enjoy camping but this was the best. Being retired I cannot afford the classic East African Safari,but are there any outfitters out there who can offer a similar experience that is affordable. I have very few animals left on my affordable bucket list, but leopard may be one. My others are bush buck bush pig, springbok,and Hatemen's zebra. What say you out there? I am open to all suggestions. Thanks in advance. Jerry Hoover

I am not sure you can have what you wish to have if you are not willing to pay for it costs nowadays.

East Africa still offers this, but, sadly, the prices are very high.

We have had lions join us at dinner, we have had lions chase a herd of wildebeests into the camp, we have had hyenas kill waterbuck less than 50 yards from us, we have had lion tracks in front of our tents at night and many other stories.

Jerry a good post and even a better point.

I used to camp and hunt a lot when I was a kid and into my early twenties. There is a special allure to crawling out of a tent in the morning and getting the coffee pot going on the embers.

Sadly, in today's Africa, it does not work like that any more as most people want the comfort of a permanent camp. I had a client in Mozambique tell me straight to my face he does not sh@&t in a hole so no fly camp.

I believe most of us will pitch a tent for you somewhere, and have a grand time camping with you. But it will be a "cosmetic" experience in my opinion.

If you can fork out $35k then I know where to take you on a tented Safari for a Leopard

hi jerry

i have tented camps on the ranch and its about 20000 plus acres but we dont have any leopard permits.
But feel free to pm me if you need anymore info.

luan

Jerry,

Can't help you with Leopard, Springbok or Hartmann's Zebra but do have some outstanding Bushbuck and Bushpig in Botswana.

We hunt from a tented camp on the banks of the Limpopo River on 30,000 acres of land.

Check out Tuli Hunting Safaris.

Unfortunately we're been experiencing some technical difficulties with the website editing tool so it hasn't been updated in a while but I have references available who will be more than happy to talk to you about the quality of the experience.

Best,

Great post. I too have wondered if anything is out there. My first trip over I realized I was more comfortable on the ground around the fire roasting peanuts with the help than swilling wine glasses in a chair. I need a ph, baloney sandwiches, water, and a place to hunt. There is a HUGE pool of hunters in the states who feel the same. They've never heard of Lord Chelmsford, tea time and laundry service. They know Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone...they did not sleep in a chalet.

SMJ Safaris has tented camps in their Nyae Nyae concession. They do have some leopard and some buffalo, however, I think you can get a non-trophy elephant bull for about the same price. I'm headed there next week. PM me if you want contact info.

My first hunt in Africa was in a tent camp on the banks of the Zambezi with Peter Bernard. I hunted buffalo, but the other hunter in camp got a really nice leopard. I would recommend you contact Peter. He is a real character and a lot of fun to hunt with.

Cool idea,
When I hunted with Nixon we stayed in a block constructed type cabin. The windows had bars only. No glass. We were treated to all the night sounds of the African bush.
Elephants breaking limbs right outside of camp. Hyenas sniffing at the door and buff grunting down by the river.
The last night my brother and I stayed up by the fire late into the nite. A hyena started whooping down the river. He called all the way until he got into camp. He sniffed around the skinning shed and then left calling up the river. We also had a Duiker feed right into the circle of the fire lite with us. VERY cool!!!

I don't know about an actual tent but there are still camps that are somewhat rustic and still in wild places.

quote:

Originally posted by tomahawker:
Great post. I too have wondered if anything is out there. My first trip over I realized I was more comfortable on the ground around the fire roasting peanuts with the help than swilling wine glasses in a chair. I need a ph, baloney sandwiches, water, and a place to hunt. There is a HUGE pool of hunters in the states who feel the same. They've never heard of Lord Chelmsford, tea time and laundry service. They know Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone...they did not sleep in a chalet.

Spot on. Although I have heard of and read about the foo-foo experiences, i much prefer tent camping/hunting. The luxury is being out of the city, the noise, the pollution, the madness of modernity. A tin-foil-wrapped PBnJ by a campfire is 5 stars to me. That and good company.

The coolest tented camps for night sounds I've stayed in were in Tanzania. On occasion I would here or see lion, leopard, Ele or buffalo from my tent.

Ndumo (Karl Stumpfe) used to have a camping option in his northwest Namibia concession



Posting on holiday in Wales.

The NICEST tent safari that we did was a number of years ago in Kwa-Zulu-Natal with Falaza Game Park and Spa. Check them out on the internet. We hunted for Red Duiker (they were running through the camp all of the time), and Livingstone's Suni, and some other critters such as BIG Nyala bulls, etc. It was fantastic and the hunt was successful. We did have a lot of eco tourists as well, so we had to be careful exposing rifles and trophies. We had rhino, red duiker, nyala, warthog, and many other critters that would be right in the camping and dining area both morning and night, so you had to be careful walking to your tent that you didn't meet a rhino on the path. The only other time that I've tent safaried was with Charl at Infinito and that was because he had not built his luxurious lodge and camp at that time. I know this doesn't give you any help with the animals that you are after, but someone on here might have an interest for Kwa-Zulu-Natal and the critters that can be hunted there.

Thanks for the replies and suggestions. Hunting a leopard is probably a forlorn hope but an old man can still dream. This leaves the other animals and Iam always hunting wart hogs. My time frames are flexible but it would 2018 at the earliest and 2020 at the latest. I am thinking about selling my classic Porsche 914 to help finance this. Time will tell.keep the responses and PMs coming. Thanks again,Jerry Hoover

I suspect that accommodations are fairly far down the list of an operator's fixed costs, and their camps are already built whether they are slept in or not. Servicing a mobile camp might well take more staff than a fixed base. Not sure there's much savings to be found.

quote:

Originally posted by tomahawker:
Great post. I too have wondered if anything is out there. My first trip over I realized I was more comfortable on the ground around the fire roasting peanuts with the help than swilling wine glasses in a chair. I need a ph, baloney sandwiches, water, and a place to hunt. There is a HUGE pool of hunters in the states who feel the same. They've never heard of Lord Chelmsford, tea time and laundry service. They know Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone...they did not sleep in a chalet.

Exactly!!!

When my sons and I hunted in the Eastern Cape in 1996 we stayed in "tents," if you want to call them that. They were built on wooden foundations and had a bathroom (toilet washbasin and shower) attached to the back. Water was gravity-fed from a tank on the hill above.

But they were still tents and gave about as much flavor as one could expect when imagining an East African Tented safari.

The dining room was a permanent stone structure under thatch.

The owner/outfitter's Cape Dutch home was on the property, and we were told we could stay they if we preferred. We liked the tents.

The game farm is still in operation but that tent camp is no longer used. I asked why but never got an answer. Too bad; it really added to the ambiance.

Oh, and I nearly burned my tent down on the third night, but that's a story for another time . . .

John Wambach specializes in tented hunts in Namibia, and hs appeared on televised hunts with Larry Weishun and Craig Boddington. He has his own website- do a Google search with his name and Namibia

Outfitters in Tanzania exclusively provide the tented experience at different levels of luxury, some (as in few) even offer tents equipped with a functioning AC.

quote:

Originally posted by fulvio:
Outfitters in Tanzania exclusively provide the tented experience at different levels of luxury, some (as in few) even offer tents equipped with a functioning AC.

The last thing I would like to have on safari is an air conditioner!

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:

quote:

Originally posted by fulvio:
Outfitters in Tanzania exclusively provide the tented experience at different levels of luxury, some (as in few) even offer tents equipped with a functioning AC.

The last thing I would like to have on safari is an air conditioner!

Agreed but this luxury came as a condition by your countrymen.

Mind you, if it is available at no extra charge does have its benefits at certain times of the year.

quote:

Originally posted by fulvio:

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:

quote:

Originally posted by fulvio:
Outfitters in Tanzania exclusively provide the tented experience at different levels of luxury, some (as in few) even offer tents equipped with a functioning AC.

The last thing I would like to have on safari is an air conditioner!

Agreed but this luxury came as a condition by your countrymen.

Mind you, if it is available at no extra charge does have its benefits at certain times of the year.

Hunting in Tanzania really looks like the ultimate in luxury living, weatherwise, if one compares it with hunting in Chete in the middle of the summer.

WE actually could not sleep at night because of the heat. We had a swimming pool not much larger than a bath tub, and the water in it is like warm soup!

I remember sitting there at night waiting for dawn to break, while elephants are feeding 50 yards away.

In Tanzania I actually close my tent windows, as it gets cold for me.

I brought up "roughing it" in a thread 7 years ago, and was essentially called a fool. . . http://forums.accuratereloadin...043/m/8041014831/p/1

If you could save $4-$5k on a safari by living in a little tent with no luxuries, I'd be the first to sign up. That's a BIG deal in my budget.


Since that thread, I did my first African safari. A short hunt in RSA as part of my wife and I's ten year anniversary. I've also done about 8 or 9 more DIY western hunts where I did it all myself.

Looking over that old thread, I shudder at my naivete, but, I still stand by it, if I could save money on a tent, no frills, safari, I'd be first in line.

Good luck on your search

Bake I'm with you on this. I've been over twice. No doubt logistics and costs are on a different scale, but I'm still young and dumb. I know how to skin, butcher and cook. Ian Nyshens and Fred Everett truly fired me up to go. Before you go on a dissertation how Africa has changed, I get it. A drive/hike in with ph, tracker, scout is what I'm talking about. Yes, if end up in a lion turd it will stink, but that possibility is part of the allure. And hell yes I took advantage of good food and hot shower before. But I don't talk about that.

quote:

Originally posted by tomahawker:
Bake I'm with you on this. I've been over twice. No doubt logistics and costs are on a different scale, but I'm still young and dumb. I know how to skin, butcher and cook. Ian Nyshens and Fred Everett truly fired me up to go. Before you go on a dissertation how Africa has changed, I get it. A drive/hike in with ph, tracker, scout is what I'm talking about. Yes, if end up in a lion turd it will stink, but that possibility is part of the allure. And hell yes I took advantage of good food and hot shower before. But I don't talk about that.

I'm old and hopefully not dumb but I would book a tent camp over any lodge.


Posting on vacation in Scotland

Folks,

There's a guy in Namibia whose name escapes me right now and in fact he has posted here some. He offers a real back pack hunt with small tents and just the basics. I saw a show on it on outdoor TV not long ago. Sound familiar to anyone? he used to offer elephant hunts with no base camp. You took off walking in the AM and the crew met you at a designated camping spot each night. I even talked to the guy once about a hunt but I'll be damned if I can remember his name.

Mark

Mark: You obviously didn't read my post above- the PH you're alluding to is John Walmbach

Bud,

You are absolutely correct.

Mark

Richard Bonham used to provide a similar experience in the Selous - the trek would begin from a camp in the photographic block across the river.
Once on the opposite side he would walk his client to a predestined campsite which the camp crew had set up. The following day they would move out, camp broken and ferried upriver to another site, etc. His safaris were typically 7-10 days.

Hi Jerry

I can help you with a classic African tented safari.
I also have good Bushpig on bait, Bushbuck and Hartmans Zebra in the Soutpansberg mountains. YES, Hartmans Zebra in the Soutpansberg Limpopo province.

Unfortunately South Africa is closed on Leopard untill they come to their senses.

Follow the link to recent trailcam pictures in the Soutpansberg mountains.
http://www.lbgsafaris.com/Trailcam.html

Feel free to send me an email or PH

Kind regards Bossie Mostert
Limpopo Big Game Safaris

I stayed in a tent in the Okavango which was heaven so I was spoiled on my first safari. Another camp was Roger Whittall's on the Turgwe River, open air but with a roof, listened to leopards calling on the river and the baboons raising hell with them. Had a kudu cow standing NEXT to the chalet rock wall one morning after the cape dogs chased her there to safety. I could have touched that cow!! You can't put a price on that kind of safari, it's the real deal. Also about 40 degrees at night, unbelievable experience.

We have tents set on concrete pads at our camp in Namibia ... One year, after taking them down, I saw that three different funky lizards had crawled under the tent floor at some time ... They had stayed, flattened and all dried out .. sigh ...

I run a big concession in Niassa province in Northern Mozambique and on an average hunt if the client is up for it we will fly camp 10 out of 14 nights. Have not had one complaint yet and everyone who has spent nights in the Bush has loved it. If you want genuine wilderness with good old style hunting by tracking on foot and sleeping where you stop then send me an email and can make it happen. Nothing like the night sounds of the raw African Bush to enrich the soul!!! I still have a few buff and leopard left for 2017 at very reduced rates.

Tent camps in the wilderness are the best.

I don't care whether it's a luxurious cabin tent with a real bed and Persian carpets or a pup tent in a fly-camp.

We have stayed in and hunted from both, and for the reasons already mentioned, the experience of being plunged into nature, with wild country and dangerous game around you, cannot be rivaled.

quote:

Originally posted by howard hunter:
I run a big concession in Niassa province in Northern Mozambique and on an average hunt if the client is up for it we will fly camp 10 out of 14 nights. Have not had one complaint yet and everyone who has spent nights in the Bush has loved it. If you want genuine wilderness with good old style hunting by tracking on foot and sleeping where you stop then send me an email and can make it happen. Nothing like the night sounds of the raw African Bush to enrich the soul!!! I still have a few buff and leopard left for 2017 at very reduced rates.

You may want to post your company name/website/email address to make it a little easier for us.

Just got back from South Africa yesterday.

I stayed in two "tent" camps. both very nice. Really adds to the experience in my mind and my wifes as well.


.

I woke up one night and saw a leopard sticking his head in my accommodations (a tree house built in a really large tree just across the Crocodile River from Kruger National Park.

As a long time bear magnet (they have come into my camps at least 4 or 5 times), I have had enough of those kind of encounters.

I want to get a good nigjhts sleep, without worrying about "things that go bump in the night".

But to each his own.

BH63

I can't sleep under covers in Tanzania, but the desert dwellers like Saeed and company actually use a sheet and blanket, and wear coats in the early morning and sometimes a light jacket at night around the campfire, so do the African PHs, and the black trackers (camp staff) wear overcoats in 70 degree weather..So if your from Idaho or cold country take a little battery powered fan, and be sure to request a mosque net.

BTW the PHs and staff wear shorts and no socks with boat shoes, and are immune to bugs and what not. Mr. America best not try this, or you will be besieged by Tetsae flys, Mosques and that ain't no walk in the park> That T-Rex of the bug world is a bugger and he is the smallest cornavour in the world..Wear levis gators, cover your body with whatever juice works for you, long sleeves, gloves, tie shirt cuffs, be prepared to suffer the heart, but you will only get a few bites. Also in Tetsi country carry a pistol and save the last round for yourself!

OH yeah, did I mention seed ticks from Zim!! now theres a critter if I ever saw one..

The plus side is the hunting is incredible and worth every minute of it.