Questions
The things people ask before they book.
Collected from twenty seasons of phone calls and emails. If yours is not here, send it to us and we will answer it and then add it.
01
Booking your safari
- Twelve to eighteen months is normal for the May to August peak, and it is what we would recommend if you want a specific week or a sable or roan bull allocated to you. Shorter notice is often possible outside peak season, and we keep a short cancellation list worth asking about.
- May to September is the South African winter and the classic hunting season: the grass is down, the bush is thin, the animals concentrate on water and there are no mosquitoes. February to April is greener and harder hunting but excellent for bowhunting over water and for the impala rut. We hunt year round.
- No. A significant share of our clients are on their first African safari, and several have been on their first hunt of any kind. What we do ask is that you can put three shots into a paper plate at 100 yards from standing shooting sticks, because that is the shot Africa will actually ask you for.
- Yes, and many do. Non-hunting observers pay a reduced daily rate that covers full board, a seat on the vehicle and all camp activities. We can also arrange photographic game drives, spa days and Kruger National Park excursions on the days you would rather not sit in a blind.
02
Travel, permits and firearms
- Yes. You need a SAPS 520 temporary firearm import permit, which we help you complete and submit in advance so it is waiting for you at the airport rather than being filled out in a queue. You may bring up to four firearms, no two of the same calibre, and up to 200 rounds per firearm.
- Rifle hire is included in our daily rate, with 20 rounds of ammunition. We keep .308, .30-06, 7mm Rem Mag, .300 Win Mag and .375 H&H in camp, all scoped and zeroed, and you will shoot yours in on the range before the hunt starts.
- O.R. Tambo International in Johannesburg (JNB) is the main gateway and has direct flights from Atlanta, New York, Washington Dulles and most European hubs. From there it is a four-hour road transfer, or a short domestic hop to Polokwane (PTG), which is an hour from camp.
- United States, United Kingdom, Canadian and most EU passport holders do not need a visa for stays of up to 90 days. Your passport must be valid for at least 30 days beyond your departure date and must have at least two completely blank facing pages. Check your own country's requirements before you book flights.
- Our main concession is in a malaria-free part of Limpopo, so no prophylaxis is required. If your itinerary includes a Kruger extension or one of our low-veld dangerous-game concessions, we will tell you in writing and recommend you speak to a travel doctor.
03
In camp and in the field
- Coffee before first light, out on the vehicle at dawn, then hunting on foot for most of the morning. Back to camp for lunch and the worst of the heat, out again from mid-afternoon until dark, then dinner around the fire. Expect to walk between six and fifteen kilometres a day depending on the species.
- For plains game, anything from .270 to .300 Win Mag with a quality expanding bullet will do everything you need. For eland and the larger antelope we prefer .30 calibre and up. Cape buffalo requires a legal minimum of .375 H&H. Bring a rifle you shoot well rather than the biggest one you own.
- Fit enough to walk ten kilometres over uneven ground in the heat, carrying nothing. Kudu, eland and klipspringer will ask more of you than that. If you have a knee, a hip or a heart condition, tell us before you book and we will plan the hunt around it rather than discovering it on day two.
- Muted greens and browns in a light, quiet fabric, broken-in boots, a warm jacket for the mornings, a wide-brimmed hat, binoculars and a good pair of gaiters. We send every confirmed client a full packing list. Do not buy camouflage specially; olive and khaki are what everyone here actually wears.
- Yes. There is mobile coverage throughout the camp and satellite internet in the main lodge, which is enough for email, messaging and video calls home. The hunting areas themselves have patchy coverage, which most people find is the best part of the week.
04
Trophies and shipping
- Your PH prepares the trophies in the field and delivers them to a registered taxidermist. From there you choose either dip-and-pack, where raw, treated trophies are shipped to your own taxidermist at home, or full mounting in South Africa and shipment of the finished work. We handle the introduction and the paperwork either way.
- Dip-and-pack typically takes six to ten months from the end of your safari; full South African taxidermy takes twelve to eighteen. Budget roughly $1,200 to $2,500 for the crate and freight of a five-animal plains-game safari, plus your own country's import clearance. Trophy shipping is billed by the taxidermist directly, not by us.
- Plains game imports into the US require no CITES permit and clear routinely through a customs broker. Species on CITES Appendix I or II, including leopard and hippo, need export and import permits arranged before the hunt. We will not book a permit-bound species against a permit we do not already hold.
- Nothing is wasted. Meat from every animal taken goes to the camp kitchen, to our staff and their families, and to the surrounding community. You are welcome to have your own biltong and droëwors made from your animals and vacuum packed to take home where import rules allow it.
Not answered here?
Ask us directly and you will hear back within a day.
No call centre, no booking agent, no sales script. Your question goes to the person who will be guiding you.