Price wise:
For perspective, I started researching early, 24 months in advance.
I figured out how many outfitters there were in RSA and Namibia. I decided to contact a particular percentage of the total number of outfits; 1% of the total number.
I also focused my internet search very narrowly, using all the tools at my discretion and gathered information on every one of them.
I chose to avoid agents on the first hunt. (Not that agents are bad, I had confidence in my abilities to research.)
I also wanted to interact directly with the farm owners/PH's/Outfitters.
I started my search by bouncing every outfit that did not post their rates.
After the first round, I contacted many places (email) that looked good and asked for price lists and references.
I created a spread sheet and compared prices on everything. Welcome to Excel.
I created my wish list of trophies and I ranked every last one of them.
All costs in. Soup to nuts. NOT just trophy fees and day rates.
When I looked at the web sites, I looked for openness and good, current information.
For interests sake I returned to the net a year later and quite a few of the outfits had disappeared off the internet!!!
Time is a good screening tool.
After doing all this it was simple to avoid any outfit that was so out of line that they were ridiculous.
I now knew what "value for money" was.
During the screening process: The "best one" I ran into was a pornographer in RSA that was running a scam hunting outfit. Amazing what you find when doing background checks on these guys sometimes.
Qualities I was after:
They had the game species I wanted and a good history of trophies.
(Indigenous species to the area, I could & did travel)
One current picture of a Kudu bull from a trail camera. I had it up as a desk top image.
Type of facilities I was looking for at a price within the expected range for that quality.
$3500.00 per night or $110 does not matter if the facility and service do not meet with the price.
Communication - Gut feeling.
This all shows the business model and attitude.
Cancellation Refund policy- open to re-dating the hunt.
Deposit policy- negotiable, small, etc.
Payment method accepted. Cash Credit Card, etc.
I had actually departed Namibia without paying for a safari, solely due to issues at the bank in Namibia during my attempt to pay.
The outfitter only had a $500 deposit in hand upon my departure.
I had the money sent from home immediately and I emailed two days later from RSA to make sure they got paid. They had been and everyone was happy.
References were just a good confirmation of what I already knew.
I still contacted every last one though.
Important, but many had not hunted the same species I was going to be.
The last straw that tipped the cart for me was participation on AH.
One of the final contenders in my spreadsheet contest was an active member of AH and actually had donated a hunt recently to a very satisfied customer. The report was honest and showed personality. Niel Uys was the PH was active on AH.
The donation hunt, participation here on AH, comparative value for money, good communication and good policies set the decision.
That turned into good business: a wedding; 10 people showing up for ten days; Four hunters taking a list of trophies from Warthog to Buffalo.
AH WORKS