I am looking for your thoughts on which is a better destination for a full bag safari, to include Lion, Buff, and Plains game + possibly Hippo and Croc. Thanks.

Arjun,

I think Zambia is probably better as the game densities along the Luangwa river are really amazing. Lion and leopard are very common, buffalo are quite good and the river is literally full of hippo and croc. Plains game hunting on the Luangwa is good but the puku and Cookson's wildebeest are the only real rarities. Roan, sable, sitatunga, lechwe and tsessbe also be taken as add-ons to the lion.

I would say Zambia, but only by a hair. I am of the opinion that they are the two "best" safari opportunities currently available in Africa. I like them both but Lion might be better in Zambia. I am particularly fond of the northern Luangwa Valley. Mozambique has much better small antelope, specifically Livingstone Suni, Red Duiker and Blue Duiker, which can be record class. Coutada 11 is a favorite of mine. Buff, Hippo and Croc can be had in both.

quote:

Originally posted by reddy375:
I am looking for your thoughts on which is a better destination for a full bag safari, to include Lion, Buff, and Plains game + possibly Hippo and Croc. Thanks.

I'm not an expert, but I'm researching for my own lion and mixed bag hunt in a few years. If your serious about the lion Zambia hands down as far as these two countries are concerned. They shoot about 3-4 times as many lions every year in Zambia as they do in Mozambique. The Kafue area is spotty for buffalo so I would stick to the Luangwa Valley as it has more buffalo and hence more lions. If a nicely maned lion is your chief concern I would concentrate on Tanzania and Zambia.

If you just want any lion I'd go to Zimbabwe. They shoot a lot more lions in Zimbabwe than in Mozambique every year. Zimbabwe is considerably cheaper than Tanzania or Zambia. Also the Chewore and Dande areas seem to have some decent manes for Zimbabwe lions in addition to having the other game you mentioned. I'm not sure how many hippo or crocs are in the Save Valley Conservancy, but they have some buffalo, lots of plains game, and well maned lions.

Just my 2 cents.

Brett

Lion is the differentiating factor and that means Zambia wins hands down. The Luangwa valley will be very hard to beat if you are looking for the type of hunt that you describe

If your going to the Luangwa Valley I would look hard at lion quotas alotted to outfitters. A couple outfitters seem to shoot a lot more lions every year than their neighbors. I'd stick to those with smaller quotas. Just my observation.

Brett i agree, Chifunda is one of the better areas in the Luangwa, not sure who has it now. Hunters and Guides have Kasonso Busanga in the Kafue, where you will get everything except the crocodile, the mixed bag will also be bigger, they have Sable,Lichtensteins,Bushbuck,Puku, Red Lechwe, Sitatunga, Bushpig,Reedbuck, Roan, Blue duiker, Wildebeest +, they shoot only 3 Lions a year and they are generally MGM class

Absolutely right about Kasanso Busanga. They shoot amazing lions and as Scott said they even have red lechwe and sitatunga. Very few buffalo though. Might check Crocodile Safaris in the Luangwa also. It borders Johnny DuPloy's areas, but has smaller lion quotas. I think John Barth books for Crocodile. Wendell also books for Richard Bell Cross (I believe) who does Pro Hunt Zambia in the Kafue. They also shoot MGM lions.

Scott450, Brett
Chifunda is Crocodile Luangwa Safaris. MR PJ Fouche has been hunting it for years, that is where Alister Norton moved to. The unit does in fact border Nyaminga on the upstream side. I think Chifunda has 28km of riverfront and Nyaminga only has 8km. PJ has kept his quota at (I think) only 3 lion to keep the quality up. The top SCI buffalo came from Chifunda (again I think). I think Peter Capstick was even a PH there once, kidding kidding!!. The area is actually owned by Keith Asherwood.
Chipolopolo

Good info chipolopolo. There's nothing wrong with Johnny DuPloy's or Peter Chipman's outfits. They are both first class and AR members will attest to both being excellent. My only beef that might make me consider someone else is their high lion quotas compared to their neighbors. They seem to be taking twice as many lions as their neighbors.

Brett,
your right, nothing wrong with DuPlooy's, Hunted there 2004,2005,2006,2007,2008. Five Buff over 40. 2 Leopards (5 sittings total)1 Big Ginger Black MGM lion. #5 all time Grysbok
Hunted Tondwa twice for the other goodies there. Great outfit it's just Alister is my Pal.
Chipolopolo

or you could go to RSA and shoot lion and buff in a can and all the plains game you want!!!

Might also try Luawata with Athol Edwin Frylinck. Ahmed Sultan took a nice lion with him. And Vidale Safaris. Just a few more from Zambia to consider.

Another vote for Zambia -Kansoso Busanga.