garCH,
Congrats on your upcoming hunt booking! Wish I were going again.
You have already gotten some good advice. I have been to Africa 4 times, once on a bow hunt. Here's my 2 cents worth-
Don't overpack. Laundry service is almost always available, two or three sets of hunting clothes is usually plenty. If hunting in July, a sweater, vest, or warmer jacket and light gloves is not a bad idea, as it can be cold at that time. On our last trip to SA, one morning we had to scrape heavy frost off the vehicles. A good pair of hiking boots work just fine for hunting.
Be sure to take along all of your meds if you take them, as well as any stomach aids you might anticipate needing, like Rolaids, Pepto, etc., in case some foods don't agree with you.
If you take your cell phone with you, make sure you have an International plan set up with your provider, and fully understand how charges are racked up on that phone, like if data roaming is left on. It is possible to chalk up hundreds, and thousands, of dollars on unneccessary charges if you are not careful.
The first trip over was a disaster in terms of paperwork- I tried to do it all myself. I highly recommend using one of the many good services to handle SAP paperwork, permits, etc. I have used Gracy Travel, and was highly impressed with how smoothly things went.
Many people have given up taking their own firearms, due to the hassles involved. I do not recommend this- I did it once, with near-disastrous results. IMO, the advantages of using a firearm you are totally familiar with outweigh the disadvantages. Sounds like you are going to use your own stuff, anyway.
Do yourself a favor, and do lots of shooting off of sticks before you go. I usually use a rifle like .223 or .257 for practice, and like shooting at gongs at 200 yards. You will be shooting off sticks in Africa!
I usually take along a lot of small envelopes for distributing tips. Most outfitters really appreciate it if you personally tip the staff, trackers, cooks, etc.- it takes some of the burden off them. Don't be afraid to ask your PH or outfitter about their expectations regarding tips, and use them as guidelines.
Take lots of photos- in this digital age, it doesn't cost any more to take lots of them, and they help preserve the memories of a very special hunt experience.
Wish I had some good advice on the best avenue for shipping heads, hides, etc. back to the states. I have never had a problem eventually getting everything, but on a couple of occasions, there were hangups do to a lack of communication. Unfortunately, the cost of getting your stuff here continues to skyrocket, so much so that I doubt I would send anything home in the future for mounting. (plus the fact that my house is so full of stuff that there's no more room.) I have always used my taxidermist here in the US, as I can communicate directly with him as to how I want things done.
Lastly- if you have enough travel miles built up to upgrade to Business class flight, by all means do so. It makes a world of difference in how you you feel once you arrive at your destination.
Relax and enjoy your hunt!
