OGB,
I have done 4 safaris to Africa, for everything from the tiny antelopes to Lion. A few observations- by all means, use a travel agency to help with travel arrangements, necessary paperwork, and a Meet and Greet service. In the past I have used Gracy Travel to complete satisfaction, but there are others with good reputations as well.
As far as your $15K cost- what you will find is that the total cost of your safari, including air fare, preparation and shipping of trophies, inspection fees, etc., etc., and final taxidermy, depending on what you have done, will easily run 2X to maybe as high as 3X the actual outfitters cost for the hunt.
If you fly 'cattle class', you can save on air fare, and if you choose not to have animals mounted, you can save a whole bunch. Steer clear of outfitters who offer deals that look too good to be true, they probably are. A friend of mine just returned from SA, and had a bad experience with his outfitter, who wanted to negotiate prices of trophies while he was actually out hunting. Make sure the outfitter you choose actually has the game in his area that he advertises- I have run into this problem before.
