Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa First Safari advice!

Bring a journal to record all the memories from your safari. I leave in 3 days for my sixth Namibian safari and I’ve used the same journal to record sightings, stalks, side trips and even the various venison dishes served in camp. After my 5 prior trips I’ve exhausted wall space for trophies so I take tons of trophy pictures and email them to Costco back home while still in Africa. For less than $40, Costco will enlarge the pictures to 11” X 14” and enclose the print in Acrylic, complete with a mounting bracket.

Knowing how to tip was tough for me. My hunt for 5 animals was only $6000 but when I asked the guide for advice on tipping he gave me a list of everyone there and an amount for each. It added up to over $5000. I went to him and told him I didn't have enough to cover those amounts.

As the only hunter in camp that week he had asked me to tip 5 trackers and skinners, 3 house keepers, 2 guides, along with everyone else including a huge tip for his wife who did absolutely nothing from what I could see. It soured the experience quite a bit on what was otherwise a great hunt. I ended up giving the guide $1500 to distribute as he would.

When I came back 3 weeks later to get my guns before I left a staff member asked why I was not happy with my hunt because no one had received a tip. Next time I'll give the tips to who I want individually as I see fit based on what they do and how they do it.

Bb

In June, it's the dead of winter, th eone thing Iwish I'd brought that Istill remember is a pair of slippers, the floors are COLD when you have to go pee at 3 am.

I have hunted the Eastern Cape with Frank Bowker's outfit twice and had a good time both trips. There are a lot of species to hunt there. One thing I learned going to Africa is to take some things we take for granted that they have a hard time getting. Swiss Army knives are popular with the trackers and skinners and multi-tools are a hit with the PHs. Common medical stuff like tylenol/advil/excederin and antibacterial cream and bandaids are always welcome.

The big thing with Africa is you never know what you will come across. Take enough extra cash to cover an animal you didn't even plan on. If the bush offers you a gift, take it. I once took a nice waterbuck that I hadn't planned on. He just stepped out of the brush. It was a lot cheaper to take him then rather than pay for another trip for one.


Also don't pass on things like jackals and baboons. They can be fun to hunt and neat trophies.



Take or borrow a shotgun for birds if you have the time.



Don't turn your nose up on the little guys because they are a lot of fun to go after


As soon as you are done with your first trip over there do not be surprised if you immediately begin planning the second trip.

Roy:

Congratulations on your getting your first trip underway.

You’ve got some good advice so far and I’ll try and provide some advice/recommendations that I’ve learned over the years and answer your questions in the order you posted them.

“Heading to the Eastern Cape next June for my first Safari and have some questions and hope u fellas may be able to answer. I really want to take my own guns and plan on using an outfit over there called RiflePermits.”

I have not personally us the Rifle Permit folks in Jberg but, I’ve met and talked to them several times while waiting in the SAPS office to clear my own rifles thru. I’ve also had a few people I know use them in the past and all were very happy with them. My face to face time with them has been great and seem like they know what they are doing. Older retired couple and they know every SAPS officer working there by their first names. I’ve done it enough that I do my own permits. Not that complicated once you’ve gone thru it once or twice.

“Lots of stuff needed and seems to be worth it but really have no clue what is involved and how hard it is.”

Granted, the temp rifle permit process can be a bit daunting the first time but is actually pretty ease and you’ve got more than enough time to sort it out. Just 4 things you’ll need to get and supply (email) to Rifle Permits are:

1. A US Customs Form 4457. Since the US doesn’t require an actual “license” for long guns, like the vast majority of foreign counties do, those counties accept the 4457 as your “license” to own it. It’s easy to obtain. The form is not much bigger than your passport and a fallible version is available on-line https://www.cbp.gov/document/forms/form-4457-certificate-registration-personal-effects-taken-abroad

A couple of things about the form. For US use/purposes, once it is filled out, signed and stamped by US Customs, it is valid for life. Unfortunately, the form has an expiration date in the upper right hand corner. To a foreigner, that means your “license” expires after that date as well. That date actually just mean that version of the form expires on that date and must be reviewed and re-issued. So, for now, just find the closest US Customs office to you and after the first of the year get it. Just fill out the form with your name, address, make, model serial number and caliber and print it out. Then, just take your unloaded rifle to the Customs office. Leave it in your vehicle and go in and tell the agent(s) you’d like to have your 4457 for a rifle certified. They will either have you bring it in or come out to the vehicle to verify the data. They will also run the info thru the NICS database to make sure the rifle wasn’t stolen. They will sign it and stamp it. Keep this as your master copy.

2. Your PH/Outfitter will send you what they refer to as an “invitation” or “motivation” letter. This is simply your justification for wanting to bring your rifle(s) in and who/where you will be taking it.

3. A photo copy of your passport

4. A copy of your airline ticket.

“Also plan on using a travel agent. Either Travel With Gun(TWG), Travel Express or Gracy travel. Is it worth the travel agency? Recommendations?”

For a first-timer traveling alone or with another first-timer, it probably is a good idea to you an agent that is familiar with the normal routeings to Jberg and your your follow on connecting flight requirements. The two you mentioned have a good rep and also offer a rifle permitting service just like RiflePermits. They also charge an extra fee for this that is about the same as the others.

Something you didn’t mention but need to think about is, depending on the airline and route you take, it’s very likely you’ll need to stay overnight in Jberg to make your connecting flight the next day. Several options here. You can book with several well known guest lodges that are off and away from the terminal or stay at a hotel within the airport complex itself. Personally, I tried several of the off terminal places and they were fine but, I prefer to stay at a hotel within the terminal complex. Cost is about the same but, convenience is better and takes one more potential travel complication (airport transit shuttles) out of the mix. Prefer to trust my feet and a 10-min walk vs a van breakdown, accident or worse between the airport and lodging.


“Also wanted to ask about Tips. What is acceptable on say an 8k safari for the outfitter? Do u tip Skinners, trackers, cooks, cleaning/laundry ladies?”

This is one of the tough ones as it’s all “opinion” based and how big is the “camp”, how many camp “staff” and are you the only person there (closed camp) or are you sharing a camp with others who may be arriving/leaving while your there (open camp).

Closed camps tend to be smaller operations and just have one smaller group of 1 to maybe 4-5 clients at time. Therefore, they also have smaller “staffs”. Usually the owner will be the or one of the PH’s, wife runs the “camp” over-sees the cooking etc. They may have one or two maids/kitchen helpers etc and maybe one or two workers to double duty as trackers, skinners and general camp handy work.

Open camps can have very large staffs of 30 or more to accommodate many simultaneous clients. I’ve done this ONCE and swore never again.

Now to the tipping question. Since I now only do small groups/small camps, my “rule of thumb” is it starts at 10% of the daily fee for the PH and goes up or down from there depending on how things go. IF all I’m seeing/being put on are just average or below or the PH is a bit lazy or lackadaisical it goes down. IF he’s working his ass off trying to get me on good animals, even if I don’t get a shot, it will go up. When it comes to tipping the rest of the staff, I usually start at $5 US per day for the maid depending on how the room was kept. Meaning, floors swept/mopped daily, bed made morning and afternoon etc. I don’t mean they are responsible for cleaning a client’s mess who lives like a pig in the room with kit and crap left everywhere. Maids are generally told to NEVER touch a clients personal items – ever. So, if you leave clothes on the bed, your be will likely NOT be made. You leave clothes and crap on the floor or in the corner instead of the laundry basket, that is where it will STAY.

Trackers/Skinners – Big open camp, you may have a different tracker everyday. Small closed camp you may or may not have a tracker with you. Same, starts at $5 US per day for PG and a good bit more if DG. I’ve you’ve seriously buggered the shot and the tracker(s) bust their coconuts and save you butt and find an expensive trophy for you, maybe add an additional 10% of that trophy fee for that tracker who just may have saved you the trophy fee on a lost animal. Skinners, depending on the animal and the mount, from $10-$50 per animal. If all I’m doing is simple European skull mounts, $10 and full flat skin zebra rug or shoulder mounts $50. Leopard or something complex like that, $75-$100. Some specialty mounts require a good bit of extra work.

General camp workers. These are the workers who collect and chop the firewood for the hot water donkeys so you get a hot shower every night and for the braais for cooking and enjoying your evening sundowners around. They likely also do the general outdoor picking up, cleaning, trash removal/burning

The big open camps are a serious PIA to me for tipping because to me, a “tip” is for extra good care/service I’ve received from an individual. It’s damn hard to get that individual feel in a bigger operation. Maybe just give the PH/Owner a percentage of the overall hunt and IF you do have one or more workers that provided you exceptional service, single them out privately and slip them “a little something extra” and tell them why”. If you give a bulk tip the the PH/Owner and he keeps it for himself, that’s on him. Also, be aware that some places do set aside the staff tips until the end of the season and disburse them. Sometimes, when staff get large tips during the season, they “disappear” for days at a time leaving the camp shorthanded.

“Shipping trophies home? Plan on having my taxidermist here I’ve used for 30 years doing the mounts. Do u use a shipping agency to get hides/horns back home? Just get pack/dip? Get stuff tanned?”

That is generally up to you. Generally, the cost of taxidermy work is less there but, what you may save is offset by the increased cost of shipping the completed work home. Your PH/Outfitter most likely has a taxidermist they normally trust/use. After the initial skinning, salting/drying your items will be taken to a taxidermist for either follow-on work to be done or preparation (dip/pack) and export documentation. Then they pass it on to a shipping agent to gets it to the port of entry into the US. From there, it is your responsibility to either hire a US based importer and then freight forwarder to ship completed work to your door, or the taxidermist you hire in the US, sorts out the US receiving end of your salted/raw items to them.
“
“I would like ...Kudu, Nyala, Gemsbuck, Waterbuck, Blue Wildebeest, and Zebra"

Nice list – the Nyala is a very nice choice for that area.

“Rem 700 custom 6.5Prc with either 127LRX or 124 Hammer Hunters and a Sako Custom Deluxe 375H&H shooting 270gr Hammer Shock Hammers. The 6.5 will have a TBAC Ultra 7 on it.”

Be sure to CONFIRM with your PH that your 6.5 will be legal. Most counties and most Provinces have very specific minimum caliber requirements either for each species or a general overall minimum like 7mm. The 375 will be way more than sufficient. Just to proved you with a common caliber to compare to, a simple 308 Win, loaded with 150 TSX (not TTSX) and pushed to 2900 fps WILL be complete pass-thu’s on broadside zebra out to 200m. Done it personally a LOT and people I’ve taken over a LOT!

Not sure about taking a can over as I've never personally done it. From what I've read and know about RSA firearms laws, there is no restriction on bringing them in, possessing them ect. You can even walk into a gunshop there, buy one over the counter and walk out with it. Just not sure how IS Customs or TSA will view it going out and coming back in even if you have your US permit as well as a 4457 with it listed on it proving you bought it in the US. That could be a bit dicey and leave you a bit open to an induvial TSA agent or US Customs agents personal interpretation. Might be best to leave that home. If you want to hunt with a can, consider just picking one up there for a couple hundred USD and leaving it as part of your "tip" to your PH. Even if he can't or doesn't want it, he can trade/sell it for something he needs/wants.

Hope this was a bit helpful

What you described is of course ridiculous, however, this seems to be a common game now. The PH wants you to pay the staff's salaries for the month so he doesn't have to. At $5,000 USD you would have paid enough for a staff of 40. Unfortunately, I doubt the $1500 you gave him went to the staff or if it did, it was heavily "modified".

The US client is taken advantage of in my opinion simply because they don't know how to tip and come from a culture of tipping. European hunters don't typically tip and if they do it's peanuts compared to US hunters. So American hunters become the prey.

When you pay a PH a daily rate you expect him to work his ass off for you. You expect his staff to do the same. Don't get pressured to tip a cent unless you feel magnanimous and overly philanthropic. At the end of the day who gives a toss if the PH doesn't like you or how you tip. This is your money, your hunt, your pleasure. Enjoy the hunt and don't sweat the tip.

My advice is to be in shape, and get a guy to film the hunt.I've taken lots of pictures on my hunts but have never looked at them in the years that followed.However get a nice video, edit it yourself and put it on your lap top and enjoy it many times throughout the years.
For a 8K safari I would tip 500 in cash to the PH and about 100 each to the trackers and 50 to the laundry guy and cook.I feel the tip should be around 10% of the cost of the hunt.If you are going through hard times but still want to go on the hunt tip less-lol.

Regardless how excessive you tip, the PH is still going to laugh with all his friends about how badly you shot.

Just have fun.

Wheels up in 30 days! Everything is ready to go! Guns and all paperwork. Upgraded my list to include a few more animals as well! Can’t wait fellas!



Roy

A little off track, but VERY important. Practice shooting off sticks. So many guys shoot off a bench. When they get to Africa and come upon the first animal, the sticks go up and the hunter is baffled. We don't do it over here, so it's a big change. Practice here to avoid that common pitfall.

Yep...

Don't pack the kitchen sink. Go light and take some throw-away cameras and take a lot of pictures. Processors can transfer them to digital.

Hatari: I get why you advise not flying through Europe, you have direct flights from the east coast to the RSA. Living in western Canada, KLM through Amsterdam is the best I can do, AND it is easier than flying with a rifle through the USA.

Others: My wife tipped the house keeper directly. The PH was startled. He NEVER allows money to be given directly to that woman. He said she could be worse than the men, hitch hiking into town and drinking the money away. I now just give the money to the PH. He keeps their type money in his safe and acts as a sort of banker for them. I just take CAD and he will convert it to RAND on the books.

hi AB206

I think KLM is indeed the best you can do from Canada.

You are also correct about NEVER flying with a rifle via the USA, no matter how much cheaper the flight is!

I've had many flights from Canada to Europe, and KLM is the ONLY airline that didn't seem to try to make me feel like a criminal with my firearms.

Twice the KLM counter agent was clearly unfamiliar with firearms, but in both cases they called in a supervisor (or at least an agent who really knew the firearms regulations) and everything was handled so quickly and discretely that I doubt that the person in the que behind me had any idea I had weapons.

John

I hope this ended up on the wall !