Ladies and Gentlemen,

Date hunted: August 27 - September 11, 2002.

Location: Tanzania: Selous Game Reserve (Gonabisi Open Area and MK1); Masailand (Longido Game Conservation Area).

Outfitter: Swanepoel & Scandrol (S&S)
http://www.hunt-africa.com/

PH: Luke Blackbeard
Luke is a 29 year old from Botswana. His uncle is well known Botswana PH Ronnie Blackbeard. The Blackbeard family is quite prominent in Botswana (his other uncle is Botswana's Ambassador to England). Luke has an easy going personality with a great sense of humor. He is a very good hunter, tracker and judge of game. He joined S&S last year after working for Jeff Rann and Johan Calitz. He was tired of hunting nothing but elephant in Botswana and S&S gives him the opportunity to hunt multiple species in several countries. I can recommend him without reservation.

Airline(s): South African Air (Atlanta to Johannesburg; Johannesburg to Dar es Salaam and return);
Zanair and Air Tanzania (Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar and return); S&S's Piper Chieftan charter to Selous and Masailand.

Hotels: Renaissance Concourse Hotel (near Atlanta airport), Afton Guest House in Johannesburg, Emerson & Green Hotel in Zanzibar, and the Golden Tulip Hotel in Dar es Salaam.

Travel Agent: Linda Carroll at Falcon Travel, Inc. Phone: 210/479-9895; email: lacarroll@earthlink.net

We had no problems of any kind with any of the airlines. No lost luggage. South African Air wanted to charge me excess baggage fee for the flight from Johannesburg to Dar es Salaam, but I told them that my flight originated in the US.

We overnighted in Atlanta. The Renaissance Concourse Hotel was nice (but not cheap - $150 plus $21 in tax).

We flew to Johannesburg (via Cape Town) on South African Airlines. We bought 3 coach seats upstairs. It was pretty comfortable having an empty seat between us and upstairs is the way to go in coach. No long lines for the two bathrooms and you get your food quickly. They leave out water and snacks in the galley, so you can help yourself. The overhead compartments are small. Between the window seat and the window is storage compartment with lid (not large enough for a suitcase) which you can use. It also acts as a shelf you can put your drink, book, etc. on (unless the jerk sitting behind you decides to take off his shoes and stick his feet up there). The food was OK, nothing great. There are 5 or 6 rows of 3 seats (on each side of the aisle). Then an open area and another 5 or 6 rows of 3 seats (on each side of the aisle) upstairs on the 747. So it is not very crowded and you can get up and stretch and stand in the open area between the the seats. There are individual monitors in the seat back in front of you and "on demand" movies (so you can watch any movie you want and even pause, fast forward, etc.).

When you arrive at Johannesburg, you will go to the luggage carousels after going through passport control (there are a bunch of free carts for your luggage) and claim your luggage. Firearms show up separately just across from one of the carousels. You will need to get in line and claim your guns. Guys in grey jackets and ties will ask for your passport (have your passport, tickets and itinerary handy during this process) and they will fill in some information in a log and you will sign it. Then they will take your guncase into an office where a South African police officer will issue you a firearms permit. Even though they don't use the form that is available on the ineternet, it is better to have it filled out. The officer will use the information off of the form and look at your guns to check serial numbers. Then you take your bags and guns to customs and then out the door to the terminal. I was very friendly with the security guys in the grey jackets and one of them pushed our cart right past customs and out into the terminal, I gave him a tip. I know you just came off a long flight; but have patience, be polite and smile. Things will go much better. Don't be moaning and complaining or be in a rush (like the guy behind me at the firearms line). I had to go through this process twice, once when arriving from the US and once when arriving from Tanzania. I was always very friendly and polite to the guys handling the guns. When you check in for your return flight to the US, you will check in your bags with the ticket agent and then take your guns to the security office where the guys in the grey coats will take your firearms license. Here you need to give these guys some "lunch money" ($5.00) and ask them politely if they would make certain your guns get on the plane. I did this on my way to Tanzania and on my way back to the US. Because I was friendly (and I had seen these guys three times already on this trip; once when arriving from the US, then when departing to Tanzania and when arriving from Tanzania), a couple of them recognized me and I was treated very well by them. I talked to two hunters in Dar es Salaam and they said when they checked their guns at Johannesburg that the security guys ask them for some "lunch money". I told them I thought it was cheap insurance at $5 to make certain your guns were on the plane. You can do what ever you want about this, but these guys are expecting to get "tipped". [If you think this is bad, go to Tanzania - everybody has their hand out in Tanzania].
[UPDATE: Apparently the officials at the Jo'burg airport are trying to stop the bribes, so you are advised not to offer any of the security personel at the airport any "lunch money".]

Loui and Annelise at Afton Guest House are great hosts. We met several other hunters while we were there. We had a nice big room with a kitchenette and refrigerator stocked with beer and soft drinks (it's on the honor system, just tell them what you drank when you check out). We also had a patio in the back yard. We did see some of the other rooms and they were quite small. Full English breakfast and airport pick up and drop off is included ($58 per night for two people). They will drop you off and pick you up at several restaurants in the area. We ate at the Chuckwagon, a steak place. It was good but not great. We also ate at the Ocean Basket, a casual seafood place that was very good. Loui used to work for the airlines, so he is great in locating lost luggage and getting it forwarded to you. I used our digital camera and took pictures of our luggage and printed out several copies. I also wrote down the brand name of the luggage and the dimensions of luggage. Much easier to file a missing luggage report if you have all that information. Also, I left Loui a copy, just in case our luggage didn't make it to Dar. I could then call him and he would have the pictures and descriptions of the luggage in order to track the lost bags down. Both Loui and Annelise like Country and Western music, so take a CD or two as a gift. When checking out, don't forget to leave 2 or 3 dollars as a tip for the maid (this is common practice in Africa). As we were staying at Afton Guest House the night before we left for the US, we left our travel clothes to be laundered (better than having your travel clothes washed in river water at the hunting camp).

Carol and I took No-Jet-Lag Pills and they worked great. We arrived in Johannesburg at 10:30 AM and were alert and fresh. We stayed up all day (we sat on the patio at Afton Guest House and got some sun) and went to bed at 9:00PM. Carol took a sleeping pill and slept through the night. I woke up couple of times during the night, but was able to go back to sleep. Both of us felt fine the next day. We used the No-Jet-Lag Pills on the return flight and they worked great. I highly recommend them. Here's link to them on Magellan's website, but you can find them at other places on the web and at some health food stores. http://www.magellans.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?ruleID=4& iProductID=748&itemType=PRODUCT&itemID=748

We departed Johannesburg the next day for Dar es Salaam. Flew South African Airlines business class (3.5 hour flight plus lose one hour in time change) and waited in their Business Class Lounge at the Johannesburg airport. It was very nice with free drinks and snacks (and a smoking room). [When we checked in at the Johannesburg airport for our return flight to the US, we asked the ticket agent if we could get a pass to the Business Class Lounge (since we were flying economy). He said we could buy a day pass for about $5 each. We ended up spending so much time in the Duty Free Shop and the rugby store that we didn't have much time to kill before our flight, so we didn't go to the Business Class Lounge to see if we could buy a day pass. But, this is something you should keep in mind and try it, if you have a lot of time to kill at the airport. I don't know for certain that they sell day passes, but that is what the ticket agent told us]. I guess here is as a good place to talk about duty free. You can buy duty free on the plane over (cheap cigarettes, some alcohol and a few other things) SAA Duty Free Click on "In Flight Information" then click on "On-board Shopping". The Duty Free Shop (there are several in the Johannesburg airport, but the biggest is right in the middle of the terminal) at the airport is great. You only have access to it when you depart the international terminal (going back to the US or, as we were, leaving for Tanzania). All the well known brands of perfume and cologne at half price, cigarettes for $10 a carton (not many American brands), alcohol (Amarula and South African wines), candy, snacks, gourmet chocolates, watches, Mont Blanc pens, cigars, etc. There are other shops in the terminal as well, T-shirts, rugby stuff (jerseys, etc.) some African curios. We loaded up on cologne, perfume, cigarettes, gourmet chocolates, rugby shirts and a few gifts for the folks back home. You have to carry all this stuff on the plane (since you have already checked your luggage). When we arrived in Atlanta we stuffed it in our checked bags before we went through customs. You can bring in limited amounts of cigarettes and alcohol and up to $400 of other stuff (if I remember correctly). You will get a customs declaration from to fill out on the plane just before you arrive in Atlanta.

We arrived at the Dar airport at 2:30PM and were met by a representative of S&S, all things went smoothly. We had a flight on Zanair to Zanzibar departing at 6:00PM. We drove over to the old airport (it's at the far end of the new airport) to get our tickets for Zanair. We had reservations on another airline for Zanzibar, but two days before we left, they emailed and said they cancelled the flight. I was able to email Zanair and get reservations. We went to the Zanair office and they said we could leave now. We got on a six seat, twin engine plane and flew 20 minutes to Zanzibar. We were the only passengers. We left our gun case and safari duffel with S&S and just took our bag with our "city" clothes.

We spent three nights on Zanzibar at the Emerson & Green Hotel. The hotel is in a large old house in Stone Town. It is owned by two gay Americans. Both restaurants at the hotel were very good. Our room was very large. It rained one day so we took it easy. The next day we went on a 3.5 hour walking tour of Stone Town with a guide. You can also take driving tours of spice plantations. Zanzibar is a place that is interesting to see if you like history. It's also a one time deal, I wouldn't go back. I understand that the beaches are nice and there is great scuba diving.

Here is a link to a photo album with pictures from Zanzibar:

Zanzibar Photos

After our three days on Zanzibar, we flew Air Tanzania to Dar arriving at 9:30AM. We were then taken by the S&S representative to the old airport and boarded S&S's airplane to the Selous (about a 40 minute flight). We were met by our PH and driven to camp. We had lunch then went and sighted in my rifles. The PH will be watching you to see if you are recoil shy. After I sighted in my .416 Rem Mag, the PH said to me, "I can see that your aren't afraid of that rifle." Also, we sighted in at 50 yards. After you get your rifles sighted in at home at 100 yards, set up a target and see where they shoot at 50 yards.

When we returned from sighting in the rifles, the PH told us that another hunter was arriving that afternoon for a 21 day hunt. We found out that S&S didn't renew their leases on their hunting concessions in the Selous and that we were hunting out of another PH's camp and concession. I had added a "camp exclusivity" provision to my contract with S&S (even though their brochure said that their safaris are "conducted on a private, individual basis"). In addition, we had some issues with the camp. There was no ice available and the toilets were drop toilets, not flush toilets. The PH talked to S&S in Dar on the radio and they said that they had another camp in MK1 (the concession just south of the Gonabisi) which was a first class camp with ice, but that it wouldn't be available for a week. I insisted that they move us, even if it meant flying us to one of their concessions in Masialand or out west. We spent three days in the Gonabisi and then S&S, at their expense, flew us to the Longido Game Conservation Area in Masailand.

A few observations about the Gonabisi. The reason they call it an Open Area is because it is not technically in the Selous (it borders the Selous to the south) and there are several villages in the Gonabisi (no villages are allowed in the Selous). Because of the presence of the villages, poaching is heavy in the Gonabisi. However, the game populations seemed quite healthy. The Gonabisi is mostly flat with large portions being composed of black cotton soil. The roads are rough and the walking difficult. There is riverine forest on Gonabisi. There are huge plains of tall grass. It had been a wet year and we were there early in the season, so much of the grass hadn't been burned. I took wildebeest and zebra while at Gonabisi.

One of the reasons we booked with S&S was because of their reputation for having first class camps. In fact, their brochure uses the terms "our first class tented safari camps" and "deluxe camps". I was very pleased that they went to the effort and expense to move us out of Gonabisi up to Longido for 4 days. The camp at Longido is a deluxe permanent tented camp (one can't fairly compare the Longido camp to a Selous camp, because all Selous camps have to be taken down at the end of the season).

We then flew to Longido and hunted 4 days. The camp was a very nice permanent tented camp with excellent staff. The US Ambassador to Tanzania had already hunted twice this season at Longido. I took East African impala, Grant's and Thomson's gazelle while at Longido.

We then flew back to the Selous and were transferred to the camp at MK1. This camp was not first class as we had been told. It did have flush toilets, but it had inadequate refigeration and we had no ice (as promised) and no cold drinks of any kind. We managed to drink a few warm gin and tonics, but I was unable to develop a taste for warm beer. The tents were small and the staff was poorly trained. We voiced our concerns to the PH and decided to deal with it when we got home. The camp was set up and run by a company called Intercon Adventure Safaris Limited. I have written a complaint letter to S&S and will let you know how they respond.

MK1 had riverine forest, rolling terrain with bush of varying density and wide open plains. It had very little black cotton soil. Your shots could be any where from 30 yards to 300 yards. It had very few hartebeest but large numbers of big impala, big warthog, wildebeest and zebra. It also had several large herds of buffalo.

We hunted 8 days in MK1 and left a day early and spent the night in Dar at the Golden Tulip Hotel before flying back to Johannesburg where we spent the night at Afton Guest House, then left for the US the next day. Here is a link to pictures of Afton Guest House and the Golden Tulip Hotel:

Hotel Pictures

I took 3 buffalo, 2 warthog, hyena, baboon and crocodile while at MK1.

Here is a link to a photo album with trophy and camp pictures.

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4291336923

Regards,

Terry

[ 03-26-2003, 01:23: Message edited by: T.Carr ]

Good photos and presentation on your safari.

T.

And you paid how much for all things you were promised and did not receive?

Seems like a lot of "bait and switch" goes on in Tanzania.

That was one excellent report!

I think that one usually gets what one pays for, and hunting is no exception. I can't think of any African country that has the quality of hunting, the variety of hunting, or the true feel of old Africa that Tanzania does. Plainsgame hunting is southern Africa represents a shadow of the Tanzanian experience, and I can't think of anyplace I'd rather hunt than that wonderful east African country.

AD

Great report. Please keep us posted.

Terry,

I paid a lot more than your average plains game in RSA, but that is comparing apples and oranges. Tanzania is unique and that uniqueness has its cost.

S&S didn't renew their exclusive concessions in the Selous and they realize that the camps provided were inadequate. They went to a lot of expense chartering us to Masailand and arranging a 7 day license. In addition they have already called and apologized. Also, Doug Scandrol is going to call me this week and we are going to work out a safari for next year at a reduced rate. So far, I have been impressed with their level of customer service.

Allen,

Having only been on two previous safaris to RSA, I must agree. Tanzania is truely Africa. RSA is a great first time hunt, but the level of modernization of the country, the game fences and the PH's in RSA are limiting factors in my opinion. As my wife said about Tanzania, this is Africa when there are lions 25 yards from camp or when you are stalking a warthog and a lioness darts from a bush just 15 yards in front of you. We were also impressed by the professionalism of PH. When a PH spends a lot of time hunting dangerous game he needs to have a little more "on the ball" than your average PH who hunts plains game behind a fence.

I don't mean to sound too negative about RSA, but Tanzania is a different world. I enjoyed hunting in RSA, but it has its limitations.

Regards,

Terry

[ 10-03-2002, 08:10: Message edited by: T.Carr ]

Great report and pictures. Thanks!

I'd like to add to Terry's post that I too hunted w/S&S (last November) and took two nice buffalo and available plainsgame (Terry posted some pictures elsewhere in this topic). We hunted in three concessions (then leased by S&S) and had an excellent 10-day hunt.

My father-in law and I had a situation where our zebra (which were going to be pedestal mounts...no shadow stripes in the Selous) were incorrectly skinned (cut up the front, as if for a rug). We declined on Doug Scandrol's offer to obtain for us another cape (personal thing, perhaps for a horned animal but not the zebra...), and finally worked things out in terms of a refund. Things don't always go "perfect" on any hunt, especially in Africa, but Doug did try to make it right. It took some time as Doug hunts the majority of the year.

I hunted with Cliff Walker, a great PH who I would recommend to anyone who is looking to hunt hard yet have a good time. And yes, I must agree that while SA is an ideal country for a first safari and to collect a lot of trophies, the experience of hunting in Tanzania has probably "spoiled me".

Take care, Bill

Terry,

I saw your name in this month's Hunting Report regarding this outfitter and the problems you encountered. Can you elaborate on the "rest of the story"?

Duckear,

I filed a written compaint with S&S. Doug Scandrol offered me a discounted hunt. After some negotiations, I got Doug to give me more of a discount. His first offer wasn't much of a discount. I put down a deposit for hunt in 2004.

When the deal for an elephant hunt came up this season with Russ Broom, I cancelled the hunt with S&S.

I filed report on the S&S hunt with Causey's The Hunt Report outlining the problems we had with the camps in the Selous.

Doug filed a response basically taking the blame for having substandard camps.

Regards,

Terry

Terry, Allen & others: Can you compare the "african experience" between Tanzania and Zimbabwe? I'm going to book with John Sharp ( again) in Zimbabwe in 05 for buffalo and plains game, but the alure of Tanzania gives me pause. jorge

Jorge,

This is just my opinion based on very limited experiences. Tanzania seems to have some outfitters who show up for the season and don't have a long term interest in the concessions there. There seems to be quite a few people who have had problems with hunts in Tanzania. Given that, I think it is wise to do your homework and book with an outfitter who has his own concessions.

To properly hunt Tanzania, I would book the 21 day hunt with a full license. I would concentrate on lion, leopard, buffalo and the Masailand plains game. I don't know, given the cost, if one really gets their money's worth on the shorter hunts in Tanzania. The Selous had the feel of "darkest Africa". Masailand was much more "modern" feeling. You drive a few hours out of Arusha on a tar road to camp. Although Masailand is beautiful. Maybe it was just my bad experience there, but things don't seem to run very smoothly in Tanzania. Although I was told by the outfitter that $50/day gratuity for the camp covered all the staff, including the game scout, the PH told me I had to tip the game scout separately (to the tune of $100/week). In additon, I was expected to tip the PH's driver and tracker. So I ended up with about $500 in tips that no one told me about, even though I specifically asked the outfitter in advance.

Zimbabwe, was, on the other hand, a very pleasant experience. Everything ran smoothly and the PH seemed more interested in us enjoying ourselves. In Tanzania, it felt more like a business - where Zimbabwe felt more like hunting with a friend. The Zambezi Valley had the feel of "darkest Africa" even though we were hunting on communal lands and there were villages and people around.

It's difficult to give valid comparison, based on just one safari to each to country. Zimbabwe seems to offer a more efficient, professional and relaxing safari experience. Tanzania seems to offer a more chaotic, transient and business like environment.

If I had to do it over again, I would save my money and take a one-time safari to Tanzania and "collect" lion, leopard, big buffalo and Masailand plains game. I would then spend the rest of my money and time "hunting" Zimbabwe on several safaris.

Regards,

Terry

Thanks for the quick response Terry. I had a very pleasurable experience hunting Zimbabwe with John Sharp, but it was far from "roughing it." When I was a teenager, I went with my dad and uncle to Mozambique and Angola in the late 60s and it was a lot more "wild" in that it was a more traditional "tent" safari and it just seemed a lot more remote. I guess I'll have to do my homework like you suggest, as given my means, I cannot afford to have a "bad" safari. jorge

ok terry, you win, you've got me dreaming about ZIM now...

Is it reasonable to skip the whole RSA thing??? I've been hunting "farms" since I was 10...

RSA has it's place, unfortunately Zimbabwe has lost many of it's plains game ranches. So RSA is still a good place for plains game.

Regards,

Terry

I want:

BIG Kudu
Eland
Impala
Sable
Gemsbock
Warthog(s)
Hartebeast

I could seriously whack 'hogs all week.

don't want:

Zebra
Buffalo
any/all pachyderms
crocs

would consider opportunities:

Duiker & other small plains game
Wildebeast
Cats... I hate cats, I can't think of a better target. (grew up shooting feral cats on a friends acreage, that was always fun!)

based on the above... you tell me where to go. the only one that I want to be a real "trophy" (i.e. record-books or close) is the Kudu, a huge Gemsbock would be cool, but no biggie

[ 11-12-2003, 00:48: Message edited by: dasMafia ]

dasMafia,

I believe the Limpopo Province of RSA has a pretty good history for big kudu. All of your other animals are available in RSA. The sable in RSA can be quite expensive though.

Start your research with some of the bigger (and more expensive) outfitters in RSA like Coenraad Vermaak and Madubula.

Pretty good kudu and very good gemsbok can be found in Namibia, though sable are introduced there. Jan Oelofse is a well known Namibian outfitter.

Some very good kudu used to come out of southern Zimbabwe. I really don't know who is still hunting plains game in southern Zimbabwe now. I know HHK is still hunting on their Lemco ranch. I don't know about the quality of the kudu on Lemco though. [I just looked on their website and they said they averaged 55" on kudu. That's a pretty good average. Sable trophy fees are much less than in RSA].

I'm certain others will give their opinion, but I think your best chance at a big kudu is going to be in RSA. Although, HHK's average of 55" on Lemco is pretty damn good.

Regards,

Terry

[ 11-12-2003, 08:41: Message edited by: T.Carr ]

I don't necessarily need ALL of those trophies, but a good number would be nice!

also, talked to dad last night (financier, he's turning 50 and feels like its finally time to spoil me! ) and he wants a cape buffalo...

btw, I told him he needed a .458 Lott and I was going to pick up a 375H&H... (in addition to a 30-06 and a 257wby).