What are the more important features that you look for in a hunting lodge?

BRICKBURN said:

This is just asking the guys what they want.

Now lets add another thread, "You are also taking your wife along...."
Now what is the most important feature of the lodge?

Think it will change the list much?

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AAAAHHHH,,, but that's not the question, If you and I were hunting in Africa, that's the question.... My wife was astonished at the "quality of living, so to speak" she was all ready for a roughing it type safari. But, to answer your last question, of course it would change the list.

Count me in on the luxuries. My trip will include the wife and she's not the "roughing it" type. So, everything nice is appreciated. Comfortable beds, clean sheets, hot water, are a must, especially with my wife in tow.

For me, top of the list is good food, featuring as much local game dishes as possible. This is particulary important being we can't bring the meat from our trophies home. I want to experience the local cuisine.

In a nutshell, Bert the Turtle's description about sums it up for me.

Dont be bashful about speaking up if you find yourself sitting down to chicken and beef often. It has happened to me twice and it annoyed the heck out of me. Sometimes to the locals who often eat game all the time, domestic fare seems like a nice change to them. We of course want to eat all the meat we put on the ground but like I said, sometimes you have to squeak to get it.

sestoppelman said:

Dont be bashful about speaking up ...... We of course want to eat all the meat we put on the ground but like I said, sometimes you have to squeak to get it.

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Could not agree more. Just ask and they will very likely deliver.

billc said:

I hope some outfitters are watching this post.Though I guess most already have there great lodges in place so not sure how they can cut back.

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It is ALWAYS important to know what your client expect. No substitute to KNOW your client. The replies to this thread is valuable. Thank you all for your feedback!

sestoppelman said:

...sitting down to chicken and beef... It has happened to me twice ...the locals who often eat game all the time... We of course want to eat all the meat we put on the ground ...

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This is part of the essence of the experience! Get exposure to game meat since there is no opportunity to take it home...!

If I'm by myself I want something clean & comfortable, good food, and a good bottle of whiskey and a cold beer! I don't need much more! If i have the wife along that would be a little different story!

A thatched roof with lots of timbers hooks me every single time!

This will be my 1st(and probably only hunt) to Africa.
What I MUST have is power(even 12V batt) for my Cpap machine so I can sleep at night!!
I do not need the pool/spa and such.
I want a roof that does not leak if it rains. A good bed with sheets/blanket or sleeping bag. So I will be rested. I want to eat the wild game since I cannot bring it home which I would like to. Also good food and company at dinner etc. A hot shower and clean bathroom.. No need for a bath. Laundry so I do not have to bring as many clothes. Large or small a pleasant staff. A clean room and general eating/meeting area. Someone who speaks english to guide me and such. Not about the lodge but good working transportation.
Things which would be nice includes game mounts, electric convertor in my room, alarm clock so I get up in time, a bottle of rum and some diet cola for drinks after hunting. Diet sodas as I am diabetic.
I understand this is a long list. I have hunted the hard way most all my life and would like something alittle better but not need all out as I am there to HUNT.

You will have all of that and more in virtually any camp you go to, except for perhaps some of the more remote camps in out of the norm countries. Even there the basics will be provided.

Well guys I'm going to say 3or4 star accomadations no I don't need a pool because I hunt during the winter months and in the evening I would rather be standing by a fire then splashing in the pool, but I do want comfort I didn't fly thousands of miles to sleep on the ground I can do that at home in the deer woods laundry as needed even if it means every day, good food, friendly staff and a bed to sleep in. I don't mind tented camps as long as they have Comfort, hot water to wash up with and a hot meal in the evening Oh and coffee is a must. But to me the most important thing is Attitude and honesty of the outfitter and the PH's that work for them when they need to make you feel like your really wanted there not just a job.

I like simple things , Good bed , Hot shower and Good food. I am not used to luxury. I don't live in Luxury, it make me feel uncomfortable. Not a hole in the wall place but homey, but if it is better well I can live with it.

Revival!!

I was very close to starting a thread exactly like this but now Iam so glad I found this one because already the information I have obtained is priceless. But a little more info/feedback would be great so I am putting my ideas out there.

I have attached some photos of where we want to put our acommadation, please excuse my cows
I will skip the finer details, if you want to know more you can see the thread I created
http://www.africahunting.com/threads/mentorship-program.16426/

Below is a dam teeming with bass and generally a place of having fun, swimming and doing some kayaking. Our plan is to build 4 comfortable safari style tents as shown in the sample photo (that is only a sample i have taken from the internet and NOT one of our tents) around a "boma" styled dining room with thatched roof and open fire and decking pathway down to the dam. Its nothing over the top fancy but will be comfortable and relaxing. Hot water, outdoor shower, laundry and sufficient electricity. (by that i means lights)
Please by all means feel free to add ideas as to what you would like, avoid, be cautious of, enjoy etc...The more I learn the better.
The final photo shows the spot where the tents will be looking over the dam.
p.s. Angus cattle will be replaced with wildlife!

Sable123 said:

…………

Below is a dam teeming with bass and generally a place of having fun, swimming and doing some kayaking. Our plan is to build 4 comfortable safari style tents as shown in the sample photo (that is only a sample i have taken from the internet and NOT one of our tents) around a "boma" styled dining room with thatched roof and open fire and decking pathway down to the dam. Its nothing over the top fancy but will be comfortable and relaxing. Hot water, outdoor shower, laundry and sufficient electricity. (by that i means lights)
Please by all means feel free to add ideas as to what you would like, avoid, be cautious of, enjoy etc...The more I learn the better.

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Electricity for my camera to recharge is certainly required.

When you build those tents make sure there is enough room between them (privacy) and distance from the Boma for the early to bed folks.

Looking at your pictures I was about to start looking for an Elk herd to be coming into water through those "slow Buffalo."

I have to chime in. Seeing as how a lot of hunters view a hunting trip to Africa as a "once in a lifetime" trip, or a "bucket list" trip, I think that the amenities are somewhat more important than for those in the states.
We all dream of going back .....someday. But will we ever be able to? Will health issues or financial hardship prevent use from doing a second trip? With that being the case, I think all the little "extras", like nice rooms, clean sheets, private baths, etc., go a long way in making a "special" trip just that more special and memorable......if I never get back (I certainly hope I do!), I'll always remember the trip I had in S.A. with Cruiser safaris this past summer.
Having said that.......
In this age of "instant information", i.e. the internet, when I do my research and go to a website of an outfitter, then I expect that everything that I see on that website will be available to me.....whether it be game sighting, food, accomodations, etc. DON'T expect me to be happy if I show up in camp and are then told that "Oh, those facilities are only available during bow season".......or similar excuses. It had better be laid out for all to see on the website. Any disclaimers better be in BIG, BOLD LETTERS, for all to see.
To be frank, I was seriously thinking about cancelling my trip with Cruiser's this summer, because of a disasteous trip a friend and I had in the states last fall. We booked a deer hunt with a North Carolina outfitter and basically got scammed for $2000 apiece. I thought I had done my research, and I couldn't find anything negative about the place until a couple of months before our trip.....then a few negative reviews started to trickle in. We went to the place and found deplorable hunting and living conditions:
- 1 deer spotted in 5 days of hunting by 20+ hunters
- one bathroom for 20+ hunters (even though they advertised on the website that they only took 8 hunters a week).
-we were promised "3 meals a day"; their idea of a "meal" is little debbie snack cakes for breakfast and a frozen hamburger that you get yourself and cook in the microwave!
- On the first morning, the "guide" started with "DON'T YOU M-------- F-------S LEAVE YOUR STANDS! IF I CATCH ANY OF YOU M--------- F---------- OFF OF YOUR STANDS, I'LL THROW YOUR F--------- A------ OFF THE F-------- PLACE AND YOU AIN'T GETTING NO F--------- REFUND!!!!!" I thought "great way to start a client relationship". It went spiraling down hill with the "guide" talking about how his tips weren't big enough, he couldn't wait for the end of deer season so he didn't have to up up with us F---------, etc. The owner wasn't much better: his excuses were that it was the weather, the moon phase, etc. There idea of 'changing things up' was to take you from an unproductive stand and put you in a stand where somebody else had seen nothing for 4 days........
- I won't go into the other safety violations: faulty wiring, poor food (all of us came down with GI complaints), etc.

My friend and I wrote letters to the area chamber of commerce, fire marshall, DNR (the guide was supposedly "licenseed"), N.C. attorney general, and anyone else that we thought might have an interest or who might be of some help...........we got replies from NOBODY!!!! So, having experienced that, I've decided (as has my friend), that we will no longer hunt in the state of N.C. There may well be some good, dedicated guide services there, but I'm not willing to take a chance on getting scammed again.
So, when it started to become "real" that I was going to Africa, I started thinking....what if it turns out to be a cluster like it was in N.C.? I didn't find anything negative about Cruiser's, but I didn't find anything negative about this other place, either. I thought about what if I got into a similar situation........far from home, in a foreign country, etc? My imagination ran wild.......
Thankfully, I didn't cancel my trip and had the time of my life in S.A. with Pieter and his crew......and I hope to get back someday. Everything that was promised on the website, both pictorially and verbally, were met and then some.
So...........that's basically my take on it. The extra amenities are nice, and while I can live "without 'em", why do you want to?

P.S. If anyone wants to know the name of the outfitter that scammed us in N.C., feel free to send me a P.M. and I will gladly share the information with you. I don't want so see some other poor soul scammed like we were.

Food, Cold drinking water and Good Coffee! Give me a blow up camp mattress and mosquito net and I will be fine but if the food is just OK or below par this hunter is not a happy camper. I don't even mind cold showers but food and snacks is where it's at!

I am very content with basic sleeping arrangements. If there is "luxury" I won't push it away. Like many said, a hot shower, a decent bed, some great food. I don't need every type of alcohol known to man to be present. Some cold beer, maybe some whiskey to have when sitting around the fire. The people and the staff will make the experience for me. I can tolerate a hard mattress for a while. But I can't or won't tolerate a bad attitude, no fun loving PH, or one who makes the staff feel that way. Just my .02 cents.

I'm a bit of a romantic I would like my first trip to have the feeling of the safari's of old. Tents lots of traveling, moving around taking in all that Africa has to give as she has done for so long. Also I would like to be able to take the family and have them comfortable and enjoy themselves. I think there is a place for both.

Biddleman said:

I am very content with basic sleeping arrangements. If there is "luxury" I won't push it away. Like many said, a hot shower, a decent bed, some great food. I don't need every type of alcohol known to man to be present. Some cold beer, maybe some whiskey to have when sitting around the fire. The people and the staff will make the experience for me. I can tolerate a hard mattress for a while. But I can't or won't tolerate a bad attitude, no fun loving PH, or one who makes the staff feel that way. Just my .02 cents.

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I agree 100%. It doesn't really matter if it's a tent on the side of a mountian, a 5 star lodge on the Zambezi or accomadations somewhere in the middle, it's the people I am hunting with and their attitudes that can make or break the trip. Comfort is good and it's always nice to relax and get a good night sleep and have good local food especially if that's what I am paying for. But I have had more fun hunting in the driving rain, eating mountian house and drinking Budweiser around a campfire with good company than spending a lot more $ on a "sure thing hunt" and sitting in my room at night on the computer or watching TV.

Sable 123, I really love the look of the property! And, your plans seem very well thought out. But, as described, it would not be my first choice only because of what I want in an African safari:

My goal in hunting Canada is to get as far into the bush as my Land Rover/canoe/boots will take me; rustic cabins or four season tents, mosquitos, mud and the elements. A multiyear endeavor of small steps and targeted training so the only body being brought out is the one I have a tag for. However, my goal for Africa is different because I anticipate that I will be spending my children's inheritance on a memorable trip to a place that comes to me in stories. I am looking for old world luxury and old world adventure. After 24 hours of travel in a plane seat built for a pigmy (plus the indignity of airport security) I want to hunt the land, taste the game, enjoy a drink and sleep like a king! Luxury is definitely a part of the African experience for me, but it may not be if it was more accessible.