Hi all,

My two sons and I arrived home last night after a long journey home, way jet-lagged…. We had a GREAT hunt & adventure… Highlights include: a running side brain shot on an old 47x44lb ele bull in Sapi; my 14-year old son shot a big ~13.5" warthog (great for the Valley) not 20-yards from a 1-tusked 50lb+ ele we had tracked down (pretty funny story), a very good grysbok and an ancient buffalo cow after a great track/stalk in the jesse which Sapi is full of; we stayed in an awesome bush camp along the Zambezi set up for us by the very-capable people at Chifuti; tracked numerous elephant herds and got up on several tuskless cows (I declined shooting one although there was a tag available, took pict's instead to Buzz's chagrin); boated/fished/enjoyed the Zambezi, visited and hunted the SAVE Conservancy for 4-days, saw lots of animals including cheetah, painted/wild dogs & lion, tracked and photo'ed at/about 40-yards a black rhino (quite a thrill for all of us including Buzz and his girlfriend Nikki who came along with us to the SAVE); met and spent time with some GREAT people including Ganyana, Ian Nyschens, Andy Dawson & the crew at Chifuti, Roger Whittall and his lovely wife, Buzz's partner Myles McCallum, Craig Boddington and his daughter Brittany (remembering I had my 14 & 16 year old sons along!)...etc, etc.

As usual, Buzz was a tireless and enthusiastic host, terrific to hunt and spent time with, and a good friend. He was tops with my sons who accompanied us on 100% of the tracking and stalks including being right behind me on the ele bull at about 10-paces. The three "kids" played countless spirited games of chess and backgammon by the camp fire at nights, while I relaxed and took in the sights and sounds of the clear, crisp nights and majestic African night sky.

I'll post pict's (took almost a 1000!) and stories when I get a chance, but wanted to quickly relay my experiences and take on Zim and flying. I just had time to scan over the last few pages of posts, looks like others have reported about the shortages in Zim and of course SAA's strike. I apologize if this is redundant…and I tend to see the positives in situations and people - so given the same circumstances not everyone's perception would be identical to mine...

Regarding SAA and the way home, we learned Saturday from Roger that SAA was on strike, and I got right on the satellite phone w/Kathi Klimes. Our SAA to Joburg/Dulles flight was to leave Monday, so we showed up at the Harare airport expecting to be going nowhere and staying at Buzz's a few extra days. To my amazement, there was no queue, and SAA arranged for us to fly out that morning. We flew Air Kenya to Nairobi, then on a big KLM 777 to Amsterdam, and finally "Business Class" (!) from Amsterdam to Washington (Dulles) via UA. Despite some challenges, everybody was helpful and friendly, one just needs to smile and be polite yet firm on what needs to be done.

We arrived home with all our luggage (quite amazing, as we were told that it had not made the UA flight, not sure how they got it to us), but w/o the firearms (Buzz is sending via SAA with help from Kathi and hopefully SAA) - not a bad trip at all and quite an adventure for the boys who thought of it as "The Amazing Race" for anybody who watched the show. The 777's from KLM and UA were wonderful, and anybody flying on these should be pleased. The Nairobi airport is interesting with a huge diversity of peoples, and Air Nairobi flies to many major African cities including Harare, Lusaka, Joburg and even to CAR and Cameroon, so maybe this is a partial option for those looking to avoid BAA and others.

Regarding Zimbabwe, we spent time shopping in/around Harare, drove ~9hrs from Harare to the Zambezi Valley and back again, drove ~6hrs south to the Save Conservancy and back, stopped at numerous stores along the way, visited a few villages, etc - all without ANY hassle. I mean not even a single sour look, or road block. Even the "war vet's" relocated to Roger's area in the SAVE were amicable. The markets and shacks in Harare were indeed all "bull dozed", nothing but rubble, which for better or worse resulted in far fewer people in town and along the roads and at gathering places. Virtually no traffic on the roads due to the unavailability of gasoline / diesel. Yes it is bleak and eye-opening to again see what was once a very prosperous economy and country brought to a virtual halt by a cruel dictatorship. There was no "petrol" to be had anywhere (even on the black market), and not much in the way of goods thanks to no foreign currency and therefore no imports - but it was very "safe". And we did score ample supplies of Coke and Castle!

To anybody traveling to Zim in the near-term, communicate with your PH reg transportation to/from the hunting area if driving in, AND within the concession for hunting as the main operators (such as HHK, Chifuti, Big5, Roger Whittall) still have fuel and large orders in, but are running low. Take some quality snacks like raisins, nuts, Power/Cliff bars, etc. Ask your PH if there is anything that you can bring him personally (razors, batteries, underwear, etc).

But judging from my experience, don't fret over the safety and security. And things MAY be improving (although there is still room for them to get worse), as if I understand it correctly the gov't removed the duty and restrictions on foreign gasoline which means that enterprising individuals will be able to legally bring some into the country. The PH and outfitters seem to be well networked, although the backlog in the country must be huge. All the big outfitters have and are "making plans".

I have to say I greatly admire and respect the resiliency and tenacity of those still operating top operations in Zimbabwe. It is easy to take for granted all that we have in the "1st world" countries. But after seeing and talking to the hardy souls in Zim, and seeing first-hand the people of Zimbabwe and how they are dealing with things, I personally feel okay about the future prospects despite the current challenges. And there is still good hunting to be had, with the right people.

7/29 EDIT: I posted a "report" with lots of pictures on the HUNTING REPORTS - AFRICA forum. You will need a high-speed Internet connection...or a lot of patience! I hope you enjoy it!

CLICK HERE ---> LINK TO REPORT

Good to see you and your sons have a great and safe hunt, congrats.
Waiting for pictures....

L

Welcome back and congratulations on a great hunt with your boys. I look forward to pictures and details.

Bill,

Congratulations to you and your sons, sounds like a great time was had by all. Our experiences driving from Dande to Harare and from Lemco to Bulawayo mirror yours exactly. No problems and we never felt unsafe.

Regards,

Terry

Congrats on the great trip and thanks for the excellent report and insight into current day Zim.

Bill,

Welcome back. Sounds like you had a great time!

I love to hear a positive report! Welcome home.

Congratulations on a great safari Bill! It sounds like you will need to start buying elephants for the boys soon.

Oh man, not even back a day and I'm dreaming of the next one!

Dan, funny, that's exactly what Buzz said!

Bill C

So glad you had a wondeful safari. Nice to be able to share something like that with your boys. BTW That is a great photo of the you and the elephant.

Regards,

Mark

Bill, I am still smiling as I write this...Even thinking about your future ele hunters....

Mike

Very nice photo. Now get busy and post the other 999 pictures.

Bill,
Glad you and the boys got stateside with a minimum of hassle. The SAA strike is proving to be a pain for the African hunting community traveling to and from the continent. Hats off to Kathi for getting you back!

Hell of an elephant, my friend! Very, very nice...looks like the Buzzer worked his mojo for you! How many miles did you have to walk for that old boy! I look forward to hearing your story. Will catch up with you soon.

Bill C

That's a nice ele. Got any details, or is that upcoming? Gotta echo the others, nice to hear an excellent report.

Bill- Way to go!! Fred would be proud of you!

John

That is a very nice Elephant! Well done.

Ok, enough of that ... more pictures!

Also, took my son along on a elephant and buffalo hunt in the Zambezi River Valley last year. Best hunt of my life. Now he has a genuine interest in doing some big game hunting in the future. Couldn't be more pleased. PH was real cooperative in letting him take a few animals and generally take part in the hunt.

Moments to remember!

Dak

Congrats, Bill.

That's a great bull elephant and a great photograph, too. You are stoking the fires for me as I will be leaving for my elephant hunt in the Caprivi in just over two months.

Thanks for posting such a great report. It's good to hear that the die-hards are hanging on and doing so well in Zim. These are indeed the times that try men's souls in that part of this old world.

Hey thanks my friends for the great feedback, as well as those who emailed and pm'ed. My body clock is still out of whack, and I'm getting up at 4am, which is giving me lots of time to put together a full report with lots and lots (too many!) pictures. I'll have it soon, sooner if I did not have his career/work thing distraction...

Congrats on what seems like a great adventure and hunt! I guess you`re equally proud of that wartie as your son are?!
More pictures please!

Hey Bill,

Nothing wrong with a 13 1/2 inch wartie.

Looks like you had a fun safari and a fun elephant hunt.

Looking forward to the rest of the story and photos.

I posted a "report" with lots of pictures and stories on the HUNTING REPORTS - AFRICA forum. You will need a high-speed Internet connection...or a lot of patience! I hope you enjoy it!

CLICK HERE ---> LINK TO REPORT