What did you learn about your African Safari?

[IDFWU]

Simple question. What did you learn about your African Safari that you will/would/did do differently the 2nd time?

Ex:

What did you learn about flights?
Trophy Fees?
Misc. Fees?
Dipping/Packing?
Gratuities?
Tax?
Shipping? (really concerned about this b/c prices are all over the map)
Taxidermy?
What items to bring/leave?
Etc, Etc, Etc?

Give us rookies some advice that will make our first time as enjoyable/stress free as your 2nd, 3rd, 4th times.

[Texantax]

Bring more money

[DEADEYE1]

you will shoot more than you plan on
bring plenty of money and bullets good glass is a must

all I got

Been twice

[Man]

Don't shoot a lion with a collar

[ken]

Don't bring a lot of clothes. They do your laundry daily. You only need 2 sets of hunting clothes.

[Hughiam]

Ive been twice, once to SA, once to Zim. Going to Namibia this year. So let me give you what I learned.

Simple question. What did you learn about your African Safari that you will/would/did do differently the 2nd time?

Ex:

What did you learn about flights?(Im flying direct Anchorage to Frankfurt overnighting then direct Frankfurt to Windhoek. The fewer transfers you have the less likely your luggage is to get lost.(I lost everything the last time I went)
Trophy Fees?(Depends on what you want, some offer low daily rates but kill you on trophy fees. Come up with a list of animals you want, and the type of camp you want. Ive stayed in tents up to very nice lodges. SA is your cheapest flights, but Zim has better trophy fees.
Misc. Fees? Parking, hotel before after, entry fees(Zim), shots before you go if needed, malaria meds.
Dipping/Packing? Your taxidermist may have a go to guy in the coutry your hunting. Otherwise your outfitter will have someone. Shop around, get their name and contact them about the costs.
Gratuities? Its personal preference, but google African tips for guides and youll get a bunch of hits.
Tax? I think SA is like 2%, some don't have any.
Shipping? (really concerned about this b/c prices are all over the map) Again the guide will have someone but shop around.
Taxidermy? have it done here by a reputable firm. Most African taxidermy is light years behind the work done here. Sure there are some good ones, but they are few and far between.
What items to bring/leave? your outfitter will have a list of clothes and items. Bring candy for the guides and kids. Old boots/shoes tshirts if you want to leave them. Tip the guide in cash only, don't leave binos, rangefinders etc. Cash is king. I usually bring a broad based antibiotic, anti diareahhal, sleep aid. sun screen, lip balm, wet wipes(squatting in the bush), hand sanitizer.
Etc, Etc, Etc?

Give us rookies some advice that will make our first time as enjoyable/stress free as your 2nd, 3rd, 4th times.

[rladner]

Been twice, going a third time in June.

Flights- I prefer Delta direct from ATL to JNB. Get it over with, plus US company, not third party countries to deal with

Trophy Fees-should be discussed with your outfitter before you go and prices should be known before you shoot

Misc Fees-aren't really any with my outfitter. There are fees for extra activities, but again, they are known ahead of time.

Dipping/Packing- I have my invoices from the first two times, but again, you can ask them for those prices before hand. My outfitter has a sister company that does the dip/ship so they have access to the pricing

Gratuities-I asked the outfitter the first time I went what the normal tipping was for each person. They are your best resource. You will tip the cook, lodge staff, skinners, tracker and PH. I bring a carton of cigarettes to give my tracker for each track job. Cook is a few hundred, lodge staff a hundred or so, same with skinners. PH should be around $100/day. These are just approximates. The length of your stay will affect that. Again, just ask the outfitter, either owner or office staff and they will give you reference points

Tax-VAT tax is added (I believe)

Shipping-Depends on what is shipping. If you are only shipping capes, skulls it is cheaper, if you are having the Taxi work done there then it would be more

Taxidermy-have all my work done in the US. Except a Zebra rug, which was much cheaper there and quality was great.

Items to bring- usually stuff, plenty of arrows, broadheads. About 3 changes of clothes since they will wash them daily for you. Comfortable boots. Light jacket/sweater for cool mornings. Bring an electrical converter, but also bring one or two of the 3ft extension cords with the three outlets on the end. That will allow you to charge multiple devices with only 1 converter. Listen to your PH, they know. Enjoy the food, it is great. Enjoy every minute of it. After taking an animal, enjoy that time with the animal. After you load it up and send to the skinning shed you probably won't see it again for many months (until you get it back from Taxi). If only bow hunting, make sure your bow case is clearly marked "BOW" that way you won't have to get it from the police station in J'burg and also won't have to wait in the "gun" line when you get back to US. Take lots of pictures. Bring your checkbook

[Mudslinger]

One thing that I learned that I do not think anyone has mentioned yet.

Make sure you learn where the vitals/kill zones are on the critters over there and listen to you PH on when and where to shoot. Their vital area is different than over here on our critters.
That and it is sure hard to leave!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jason.dickens]

Listen to your PH. They are smarter than you are.

Flight from ATL to joberg is the best. In May, I'm headed back to Africa and will unfortunately be going dfw to London then down to SA. Hunted there when I was 15 and am now going back to work as a guide assistant for 1.5 months.

I'm sure I'll have some more insight and tips from being on the other side of the guide/hunter relationship.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[IDFWU]

"Flights- I prefer Delta direct from ATL to JNB. Get it over with, plus US company, not third party countries to deal with"

What did you pay for Delta flights?

[rladner]

"Flights- I prefer Delta direct from ATL to JNB. Get it over with, plus US company, not third party countries to deal with"

What did you pay for Delta flights?

depends on the time of year. Last trip was mid June 2015. Paid around $2K

PM your email and I can send you an excel sheet I put together to capture all the costs for my next trip in June.

[Dave W]

Tell your credit card company you are going to Africa so they authorize your card.
Take ambien and a neck pillow and maybe Vicodin for the flight.
Don't pack a lot
Look into Medivac

[Dave W]

Oh have the ph take a picture of the electrical outlets so that you can get the right adapter

[Dejashoot]

Great advise so far.

Atlanta to JBerg seems the best flight.

Take extra money - you may see a Sable that you fall in love with!

I had my trophy's sent back to the US for a taxi here to do the work. It cost about $1,000 for dip and ship and storage, etc.

I'll add to take a 12v "cigarette" lighter style plug. You can charge your phone while you are driving around. Also, take a couple power banks (I like Anker brand).

If you take flights to get around in Africa, the weight limit is likely less than your international flight. Penalties for overage or paying an attendant to let it slide can be avoided.

I tipped our main tracker a STIC knife and left some of my Columbia cloths for the other guy that helped on the crock and the hippo. They loved them.

[IDFWU]

Great advise so far.

Atlanta to JBerg seems the best flight.

Take extra money - you may see a Sable that you fall in love with!

I had my trophy's sent back to the US for a taxi here to do the work. It cost about $1,000 for dip and ship and storage, etc.

I'll add to take a 12v "cigarette" lighter style plug. You can charge your phone while you are driving around. Also, take a couple power banks (I like Anker brand).

If you take flights to get around in Africa, the weight limit is likely less than your international flight. Penalties for overage or paying an attendant to let it slide can be avoided.

I tipped our main tracker a STIC knife and left some of my Columbia cloths for the other guy that helped on the crock and the hippo. They loved them.

$1000 for dip and ship but for how many trophies?