Other activities

[btheis13]

I'm planning a trip to Limpopo for my wife and I along with my parents. It will be all of our first trip to the Dark Continent. I've already booked a 7 day hunt with a PH (dad and I are hunting, the wives will likely be along for the ride).

When doing week+ long hunt here in NA I find that it's nice to take a 1/2 day or even full day off at the middle of the hunt to rest and recharge. It seems to help with the mental grind even more than the physical. Does anyone else do this?

So if we want to take a rest day in SA what activity would you recommend? ie. National Park, elephant rides, cultural village, etc.

 

[Ryan]

Ask your outfitter first, they know where you're hunting and what's within easy driving distance. Kruger National Park comes to mind immediately, but South Africa is a big place and you may be hours from it or it may be right next door. Find out where you'll be and look up the SANPark (South Africa National Parks) website and see what's in the region.

 

[btheis13]

Ask your outfitter first, they know where you're hunting and what's within easy driving distance. Kruger National Park comes to mind immediately, but South Africa is a big place and you may be hours from it or it may be right next door. Find out where you'll be and look up the SANPark (South Africa National Parks) website and see what's in the region.

I guess I was kind of looking more for thoughts and past experiences of others. Are the National Parks worth the time, or will we see just as many animals and beautiful scenery when we are out hunting on the concessions? Visiting a cultural village interests me, but are they more of a "tourist trap" experience?

The PH lists these items on his website:

· Marakele National Park
· Horse back riding
· Zipline
· Predator Park
· Fera Care Rehab Centre
· Elephant Interaction and Riding
· Bird Shooting
· Day Bush Spa​

 

[Ryan]

I have been to Etosha NP in Namibia, Addo and Bontebok NP in South Africa along with a couple private reserves and enjoyed them all. Personally I'd go to Marakele NP. You aren't going to see elephants, rhino and possibly the big cats on your hunting area. The rest of the activities are personal preference.

 

[Hogpatrol]

As far as taking a mid hunt break, that depends on your list or package. Nothing is guaranteed including the weather and hunting conditions. In other words, if you take a day break, how will that affect the main purpose of going? Having said that, along with my PH, we went to Hluhluwe-iMfolozi in Kwa Zulu province. Saw male lion, elephant, rhino, cape buffalo, zebra and the usual plains game. Really enjoyed that side trip. If Marakele isn't too far and they have those animals, I'd go there for a break day. Some of the others on your list would be my second choice. Some pics of that tour.

 

[Hogpatrol]

Be advised, you probably won't want to do any trail hiking or walking in these parks.

 

[Cajun Hunter]

I'm planning a trip to Limpopo for my wife and I along with my parents. It will be all of our first trip to the Dark Continent. I've already booked a 7 day hunt with a PH (dad and I are hunting, the wives will likely be along for the ride).

When doing week+ long hunt here in NA I find that it's nice to take a 1/2 day or even full day off at the middle of the hunt to rest and recharge. It seems to help with the mental grind even more than the physical. Does anyone else do this?

So if we want to take a rest day in SA what activity would you recommend? ie. National Park, elephant rides, cultural village, etc.

If you are doing these site seeing activities you apparently don’t need the rest. When I go I use all time on front end hunting and then may have some leisure time before leaving.

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

I have done 5 trips to SA hunting. In the 5 trips I took the last day on 2021 safari to do one of the parks. That was on a 21 day hunt. If I am going to hunt! I hunt! This June's trip is 18 days. If I get everything I want then I may do some sight seeing. I get my sight seeing and rest between camp moves. This trip 3 camps in 14 days.

 

[btheis13]

I get it. Trust me when I say that when I work, I work hard and when I hunt, I hunt hard. With that being said, my hunts are also my vacations and while the goal is for my hunt to be successful, success to me is not determined by the killing. I hunt because I love the chase and challenge but hunting also allows me to see beautiful scenery and experience different things.

 

[Doug Hamilton]

I'm planning a trip to Limpopo for my wife and I along with my parents. It will be all of our first trip to the Dark Continent. I've already booked a 7 day hunt with a PH (dad and I are hunting, the wives will likely be along for the ride).

When doing week+ long hunt here in NA I find that it's nice to take a 1/2 day or even full day off at the middle of the hunt to rest and recharge. It seems to help with the mental grind even more than the physical. Does anyone else do this?

So if we want to take a rest day in SA what activity would you recommend? ie. National Park, elephant rides, cultural village, etc.

I took my.wife on her first Africa trip in August of '22. I was hunting in Zimbabwe. We spent 3 days before he hunt at a very nice hotel (A'Zambezi) and spent one day touring Chobe National Park. Park animals are acclimated to human tragic and go about their lives while ignoring the people, and !makes for great photo opportunities. You will.not get this in a hunting area. Doing it before the hunt gives everyone a chance to acclimate to the time change and become a little bit familiar with the wildlife. I wish I had done that before my first safari. Jennifer at Travel Express set up most of the extra activities for us. If you haven't spoken to her yet, I would. I can't recommend her enough.

 

[Neil Molendyk]

RSA and Namibia have so much to offer aside from the hunting.
First trip after a 8 day PG hunt in Namibia (south east of Windhoek): we spent the next two plus weeks touring Namibia ,Windhoek to the Namibi desert ( 4 hour ballon ride over the Namibia desert), Swakopmund, Damaraland, Twyfeltontein, (Namibias first world heritage site), Etosha National Park, Caprivi, into Botswana and the edges of the Okavango delta, then to Chobe and finally to Victoria Falls. Flew home from there.

Second trip: after hunting in Makuya and then various places in Limpopo, flew to Cape Town where we enjoyed a day cage diving with Great White sharks (amazing), followed by several days of touring the vineyards and sampling fantastic wines, Stellanbosh, a day trip to Cape of Good Hope and Hout Bay, and Table Mountain. Flew from Cape Town to Joburg to pick up our firearms and then home .

Third trip: Hunting for 8 days west of Queenstown in the Eastern Cape, we booked a tour following the Garden Route to Cape Town, taking in Ostrich farms, a walk with the Elephants tour, (very interesting experience with orphaned junvenile elephants, You don't walk in front of them, you don't walk behind them, you walk beside them as an equal. They send the elephants to venues or the wild just before they reach puberty as they become troublesome at that point, particularly the males. Then on to Cape Town where we got to see the Townships on the outskirts of the city. Thats an eyeopener. Flew from Cape Town home.

I feel that we only scratched the surface of things to see in Southern Africa. You will not have any problem finding something to do.

 

[btheis13]

RSA and Namibia have so much to offer aside from the hunting.
First trip after a 8 day PG hunt in Namibia (south east of Windhoek): we spent the next two plus weeks touring Namibia ,Windhoek to the Namibi desert ( 4 hour ballon ride over the Namibia desert), Swakopmund, Damaraland, Twyfeltontein, (Namibias first world heritage site), Etosha National Park, Caprivi, into Botswana and the edges of the Okavango delta, then to Chobe and finally to Victoria Falls. Flew home from there.

Second trip: after hunting in Makuya and then various places in Limpopo, flew to Cape Town where we enjoyed a day cage diving with Great White sharks (amazing), followed by several days of touring the vineyards and sampling fantastic wines, Stellanbosh, a day trip to Cape of Good Hope and Hout Bay, and Table Mountain. Flew from Cape Town to Joburg to pick up our firearms and then home .

Third trip: Hunting for 8 days west of Queenstown in the Eastern Cape, we booked a tour following the Garden Route to Cape Town, taking in Ostrich farms, a walk with the Elephants tour, (very interesting experience with orphaned junvenile elephants, You don't walk in front of them, you don't walk behind them, you walk beside them as an equal. They send the elephants to venues or the wild just before they reach puberty as they become troublesome at that point, particularly the males. Then on to Cape Town where we got to see the Townships on the outskirts of the city. Thats an eyeopener. Flew from Cape Town home.

I feel that we only scratched the surface of things to see in Southern Africa. You will not have any problem finding something to do.

That all sounds amazing! We'll plan on doing some of these things on our 2nd and 3rd trips.

 

[Troubleshooter]

I cannot comment specifically on Limpopo, but will second the advice to ask your outfitter. Visited several parks in Namibia that were fantastic, and provided viewing of many animals (cats, rhinos, elephant, etc.) that we would not otherwise encounter. Visited a private park in RSA Eastern Cape which was a disappointment. I will say that for the common plains game, we saw as many or more in the hunting areas than at the various parks.

The one cultural village visited (in Namibia) was outstanding and a highlight of the trip, but again -- ask your outfitter for advice regarding whether the one in your hunting area is worthwhile.