Ohioians Headding to Namibia

Hello all,

Myself and a collective of 3 others are headed to Namibia on Safari. I am looking to gather info on our trip and pickup some tips/tricks from you whom have made the journey before.

We are traveling via SAA to Jo-berg and finally ending in Windhoek. We will have a 6 day safari. Broken into pairs, we will hunt an animal each day. We are all shooting 300 Winchester magnum or ultramag rifles to take our plains game in Namibia:

Gemsbok
Kudu
Burchells Zebra
Red Hartebeest x3
Black Wildebeest
Blue Wildebeest x2
Impala x2

PH/Outfitter : African Days (Pieter Stofenberg)
Taxidermy in Africa: Reiser Taxedermy
Shipping from Africa to US: (Still unknown.. taking suggestions!) ????
Import and Taxidermy in US: Dan Johnson Taxidermy (WI)

Though reading and advise, we are taking all but one hartebeest home with us to allow us to import in one crate. However We are still unsure who we will ship the hides and horns home with.

Another point of contention seems to be how many bribes are required to get though the airports with our rifles... some are saying as much as $200 was spent to get out for the airport in Namibia!

If anyone has any experience with the above companies, I would appreciate your feedback! If you have any tips or tricks for packing and saving a few bucks here or there, I would be glad to hear them. We leave in about a month, so its crunch time for us!

Welcome to AH.

Make sure you take a bunch of pictures

Daily reports to post when your return

Welcome to AH Chris! Browse through the site, lots of info… Here are a couple of links to get you started:
- http://www.africahunting.com/threads/namibia-hunting-information.14219/
- http://www.africahunting.com/community/safari-planning-guide/

welcome to AH chris
have a great hunt .

Chris Miller said:

Another point of contention seems to be how many bribes are required to get though the airports with our rifles... some are saying as much as $200 was spent to get out for the airport in Namibia!

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Who ever gave you that advice is an idiot and anything else they may have given for "advice" should be taken as suspect......

The Windhoek airport is stupid easy to get through with a gun and there shouldn't even be a hint at a bribe needed either coming or going.

I've built private homes that are bigger than that terminal.

I agree that Namibia is one of the easiest airports to move in and out of...no bribes needed.

AfricaHunting.com said:

Welcome to AH Chris! Browse through the site, lots of info… Here are a couple of links to get you started:
- http://www.africahunting.com/threads/namibia-hunting-information.14219/
- http://www.africahunting.com/community/safari-planning-guide/

Click to expand...

Wow that is some awesome information! Thank you for posting it. I am already feeling more at ease about our trip.

Dinsdale said:

Who ever gave you that advice is an idiot and anything else they may have given for "advice" should be taken as suspect......

The Windhoek airport is stupid easy to get through with a gun and there shouldn't even be a hint at a bribe needed either coming or going.

I've built private homes that are bigger than that terminal.

Click to expand...

Dinsdale,
Thank you for the response! That is a load off my mind. We had heard horror stories about clearing the airport. I am glad that wont be an issue for us. The outfitter has mentioned that they will be looking for us at the gate, so we were hoping for a smooth entry. I believe the person that mentioned that information was discussing a trip into SA, so perhaps the conditions are different at the large international airport in Jo-berg.

I am really looking forward to the trip and have already got a nice camera photos and videos will definitely be taken!

To give you some more information, our group is 4 young men from 25-27 years old and we are all friends from highschool. We plan to have an awesome trip, however we were cautious as none of us are truly as affluent as most safari travelers. (To be perfectly fair, we have been saving for quite some time to make the trip). For each of us, this is our first international trip, so we are somewhat nervous. I have been reading lots of the tipping guides and really gathered a lot of answers that have put my mind at ease. We have no problem paying for the services, or paying to enjoy the trip, but were very weary of the hidden expenses. (dip and back, shipping, tipping, all the libations we plan to injest etc.) All in all I feel like we have our eyes open and know the basics of what we are getting into.

Keep the tips and info coming! I would love to hear some experience with the Reiser dip/pack and the African days safari outfit itself. From what I gather its a top notch outfit but there are not a ton of reviews other than what is on their website, so we just want the full picture of what we are getting into. I have seen that Pronto is a favorite shipping service, and I plan to contact them directly.

Again, thank you all for the warm welcome and your advise. It is much appreciate and very useful!

Reiser dip/pck is respectable. Pronto is good too.

Chris Miller said:

Hello all,
…………….
Shipping from Africa to US: (Still unknown.. taking suggestions!) ????.

Click to expand...

http://www.africanshippingservices.com
the shipping company suggested to me and they did a good job. Minor issues with intransit locating. Other than that, competitive, communicative and professional. Reiner will handle your shipment with care.

Chris Miller said:

…………………….
Another point of contention seems to be how many bribes are required to get though the airports with our rifles... some are saying as much as $200 was spent to get out for the airport in Namibia!
……………….

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Perhaps you are confused with gun clearing services like PHASA offers. They cost money.


SAPS in Joburg charges no fees. I have been asked for a "cold drink". I went and got one for both the officer and I to enjoy while completing my paperwork. No money will ever leave my hands.

ZERO, NONE, NADA, NEVER..


Getting through the Airport in Windhoek with firearms is the easiest airport I have ever gone through.
A very small office and the guys work as quickly as they can to get you on your way.

Welcome to AH Chris! Looking forward to your hunting report and lots of pics.

Welcome to AH! Enjoy the hunt.

Welcome to AH Chris! Enjoy the planning and the Hunt! Looking forward to a hunt report!

I just came back from Namibia on Sunday so this is pretty real-time info:

1. The Windhoek Airport is small. Very small. You can't get lost and will have no problem finding your PH.

2. I was in Reiser's shop. He does fine work. Question - why a Namibian taxid and a US taxid?

3. I had absolutely no problem getting my gun in and out of Namibia. I provided the Namib P. Officer $5 "coffee money" when I entered, but would not have had a problem if I did not. Check your baggage and gun cases through to Windhoek and you should have no problem.

4. I use Flora and Fauna out of JFK Airport in NYC. They have been clearing specialized (including CITIES) US Customs for years. You can do it yourself with a bit of patience and there are others who do the same service, but I've used Flora and Fauna for 15 years and have never had a problem.

Couple of other comments that may be helpful -

Practice your shooting. Off sticks.

Be prepared to walk if you want good trophies.

A rangefinder is helpful. Good binos a must.

Don't overpack.

I take pics with a Nikon DSLR but also have a pocket digital camera. Take lots of pictures. As a writer I hunted with once said, back when film was still dominant "Hunts are expensive. Film is cheap. Take lots of pictues."

Enjoy the evening around the fire - "Bushman TV."

Wish you the best on your hunt, Chris !

blackdog001blackdog001 said:

I just came back from Namibia on Sunday so this is pretty real-time info:

1. The Windhoek Airport is small. Very small. You can't get lost and will have no problem finding your PH.

2. I was in Reiser's shop. He does fine work. Question - why a Namibian taxid and a US taxid?

3. I had absolutely no problem getting my gun in and out of Namibia. I provided the Namib P. Officer $5 "coffee money" when I entered, but would not have had a problem if I did not. Check your baggage and gun cases through to Windhoek and you should have no problem.

4. I use Flora and Fauna out of JFK Airport in NYC. They have been clearing specialized (including CITIES) US Customs for years. You can do it yourself with a bit of patience and there are others who do the same service, but I've used Flora and Fauna for 15 years and have never had a problem.

Couple of other comments that may be helpful -

Practice your shooting. Off sticks.

Be prepared to walk if you want good trophies.

A rangefinder is helpful. Good binos a must.

Don't overpack.

I take pics with a Nikon DSLR but also have a pocket digital camera. Take lots of pictures. As a writer I hunted with once said, back when film was still dominant "Hunts are expensive. Film is cheap. Take lots of pictues."

Enjoy the evening around the fire - "Bushman TV."

Click to expand...

Thank you for the tips blackdog.

I have a good Nikon DSLR. its somewhat of an "entry level" but I do a decent job of taking photos with it.

Glad to hear about the airport. A little coffee money isn't hurting us, we were just hearing all sorts of horror stories. Glad you put that to bed!

We use the taxidermist in Africa just to dip and pack the skins. The true taxidermy work will be done here in the US. We did not want to ship full mounts.

We just got back from Namibia yesterday. Getting rifles out of Windhoek airport was not a problem. Jerome talks about having invitation letter from your host. Make sure to print that letter and not have it on your phone. They work better with printed letters. We did not have a printed letter but the police sergeant called Kowas and after a brief discussion all was fine. Have fun! Overcoming challenges in your travel is part of the adventure.

It all went well and we enjoyed our hunt!

See the details and photos here:

http://www.africahunting.com/thread...n-days-outfitting-a-trip-of-a-lifetime.16632/

Windhoek International Airport is one of the easiest airports you will ever visit. we never had one client that had to pay any bribe money for anything.
Make sure you have an invitation letter from your outfitter signed with his signature.
PRONTO shipping agent is a very good option for sending your trophies. They are very reliable.
The long distance travel will be quickly forgotten after a great experience in our beautiful country.
Hope you have a GREAT safari.