HSands
AH member
- Joined
- Apr 11, 2019
- Messages
- 30
- Reaction score
- 83
- Location
- Pennsylvania, USA
- Media
- 27
- Hunted
- Plains Game
A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to take my son, brother, nephew, and a couple of my best friends on a safari with @HENRY GRIFFITHS SAFARIS in the North West Province of South Africa.
I’ll split this into two parts: a short review for those with limited attention spans (of which I proudly count myself), followed by the full long-form version so I can relive the memories.
Quick Review: Henry Griffiths Safaris was phenomenal for our family and friends group of six. From the pre-trip communication (which spanned over two years), logistics, airport assistance, PH quality, accommodations, food, camp staff, hunting properties, trophy quality, and overall experience — I genuinely have zero meaningful suggestions for improvement.
Do your due diligence, but if you’re looking for a first-class safari, Henry Griffiths Safaris should be near the top of your short list. The only minor feedback I gave Henry was that he should consider offering branded merchandise for clients. On our return at JNB, we ran into several hunters whose experiences were noticeably less positive than ours.
The Full Story:
This was my 5th safari and roughly my 20th guided hunt. I like to think I’m getting better at separating average from excellent operations, so hopefully this review isn’t overly colored by rose-tinted glasses.
The saga begins after several years of trying, I finally convinced my brother that a $7k whitetail hunt where half the group sometimes goes home empty-handed wasn’t as strong a value as a 6-animal practically guaranteed safari package. We booked the trip roughly two years in advance and stayed in regular contact with Henry and his wife Tanya throughout the planning process.
On May 14th, our group converged from Pennsylvania and flew United direct from Newark (EWR) to Johannesburg. Bag and rifle check-in went smoothly, and the flight was wonderfully uneventful. Upon arrival, representatives from RiflePermits.com met us, assisted with baggage and firearm clearance, and escorted us to the attached City Lodge at OR Tambo. There we had a great dinner and headed straight to bed.
Day 1: Early pickup by Henry and PH Nico Vos. After arriving at the concession, we checked zeros at the range, then headed out for a game drive with rifles “just in case.” That “just in case” turned into a fantastic Golden Wildebeest for my brother — an animal that wasn’t even on his original list. A clean stalk, one shot, and we were off to an excellent start.
Day 2: The group split up and had a very productive day. In the morning, the party took trophy Blue Wildebeest, Springbok, Blesbok, Impala and I specifically harvested an old, worn-out Red Hartebeest cow that was a perfect cull animal. That afternoon my son (on a cull package) and I got to practice the famous “Gemsbok Stalk” with Nico — walking single file with shooting sticks held up like horns. It worked far better than expected! My nephew and son both made nice stalks using the technique resulting in Blesbok and Blue Wildebeest respectively.
Day 3: My son Adam and I hunted Waterbuck. After a long morning we finally found a solid old bull. After a couple of failed stalks and a long shot, we got him. That afternoon Adam got in some great cull work with Henry’s suppressed .308. The rest of the group had success on Gemsbok, Blue Wildebeest, and Red Hartebeest.
Day 4: Spent this day off site with my nephew Bob. Henry put us onto some fantastic Blesbok and Impala trophies. Real quality animals for sure. Back at the lodge property, Adam took a waterbuck cow and the others focused on Zebra and Gemsbok.
Day 5: This was a big day for me — my first Cape Buffalo (a cow cull). After a careful search we found the right old girl. The stalk went perfectly, followed by a textbook shoulder shot. While tracking, the old girl charged out of the brush straight at us, and two more quick shots from my .375 Ruger put her down, followed by an insurance shot. Quick note - She only had three teeth left — one of which fell out as we loaded her. Very exciting hunt.
Later that day I also took a beautiful Blue Wildebeest and a Red Hartebeest bull at 325m after several failed stalks. The group continued filling packages with Zebra, Gemsbok, and more.
Day 6 – Giraffe Day: This was an add-on I’ll never forget. We were specifically looking for an old, post-breeding cow. After locating the right animal (wh so were sharing the area with a large, grumpy herd of Cape Buffalo), I made a solid double on her. The recovery was intense — we had to be very careful with the buffalo still in the area. Once down, the real work began. A flatbed and telehandler were already staged, and the skinners had her broken down into quarters and hide in just a couple of hours back at camp. An absolutely awe-inspiring animal.
That afternoon, Adam harvested a beautiful Cape Eland bull — a true bucket-list trophy. The size of these animals up close is humbling.
Final Tally tally thus far? Six hunters harvested 45 animals over five full hunting days with zero wounded and lost. A truly outstanding result.
Day 7 was a well-earned rest day. We slept in, relaxed by the fire, finished paperwork, and took final photos. Our last dinner was at the local favorite “Lilly’s,” where Henry is clearly a local celebrity. Great food, plenty of drinks, and good memories.
On Day 8 we packed up, handed out well-deserved tips, and drove to our (thankfully) uneventful flight home. The group is already started making plans to return — next time to Henry’s Limpopo property!
Final Verdict: If you’re looking for a personalized, high-quality safari with an excellent outfitter and professional team, I can wholeheartedly recommend Henry Griffiths Safaris. We could not have asked for a better experience.
I’ll split this into two parts: a short review for those with limited attention spans (of which I proudly count myself), followed by the full long-form version so I can relive the memories.
Quick Review: Henry Griffiths Safaris was phenomenal for our family and friends group of six. From the pre-trip communication (which spanned over two years), logistics, airport assistance, PH quality, accommodations, food, camp staff, hunting properties, trophy quality, and overall experience — I genuinely have zero meaningful suggestions for improvement.
Do your due diligence, but if you’re looking for a first-class safari, Henry Griffiths Safaris should be near the top of your short list. The only minor feedback I gave Henry was that he should consider offering branded merchandise for clients. On our return at JNB, we ran into several hunters whose experiences were noticeably less positive than ours.
The Full Story:
This was my 5th safari and roughly my 20th guided hunt. I like to think I’m getting better at separating average from excellent operations, so hopefully this review isn’t overly colored by rose-tinted glasses.
The saga begins after several years of trying, I finally convinced my brother that a $7k whitetail hunt where half the group sometimes goes home empty-handed wasn’t as strong a value as a 6-animal practically guaranteed safari package. We booked the trip roughly two years in advance and stayed in regular contact with Henry and his wife Tanya throughout the planning process.
On May 14th, our group converged from Pennsylvania and flew United direct from Newark (EWR) to Johannesburg. Bag and rifle check-in went smoothly, and the flight was wonderfully uneventful. Upon arrival, representatives from RiflePermits.com met us, assisted with baggage and firearm clearance, and escorted us to the attached City Lodge at OR Tambo. There we had a great dinner and headed straight to bed.
Day 1: Early pickup by Henry and PH Nico Vos. After arriving at the concession, we checked zeros at the range, then headed out for a game drive with rifles “just in case.” That “just in case” turned into a fantastic Golden Wildebeest for my brother — an animal that wasn’t even on his original list. A clean stalk, one shot, and we were off to an excellent start.
Day 2: The group split up and had a very productive day. In the morning, the party took trophy Blue Wildebeest, Springbok, Blesbok, Impala and I specifically harvested an old, worn-out Red Hartebeest cow that was a perfect cull animal. That afternoon my son (on a cull package) and I got to practice the famous “Gemsbok Stalk” with Nico — walking single file with shooting sticks held up like horns. It worked far better than expected! My nephew and son both made nice stalks using the technique resulting in Blesbok and Blue Wildebeest respectively.
Day 3: My son Adam and I hunted Waterbuck. After a long morning we finally found a solid old bull. After a couple of failed stalks and a long shot, we got him. That afternoon Adam got in some great cull work with Henry’s suppressed .308. The rest of the group had success on Gemsbok, Blue Wildebeest, and Red Hartebeest.
Day 4: Spent this day off site with my nephew Bob. Henry put us onto some fantastic Blesbok and Impala trophies. Real quality animals for sure. Back at the lodge property, Adam took a waterbuck cow and the others focused on Zebra and Gemsbok.
Day 5: This was a big day for me — my first Cape Buffalo (a cow cull). After a careful search we found the right old girl. The stalk went perfectly, followed by a textbook shoulder shot. While tracking, the old girl charged out of the brush straight at us, and two more quick shots from my .375 Ruger put her down, followed by an insurance shot. Quick note - She only had three teeth left — one of which fell out as we loaded her. Very exciting hunt.
Later that day I also took a beautiful Blue Wildebeest and a Red Hartebeest bull at 325m after several failed stalks. The group continued filling packages with Zebra, Gemsbok, and more.
Day 6 – Giraffe Day: This was an add-on I’ll never forget. We were specifically looking for an old, post-breeding cow. After locating the right animal (wh so were sharing the area with a large, grumpy herd of Cape Buffalo), I made a solid double on her. The recovery was intense — we had to be very careful with the buffalo still in the area. Once down, the real work began. A flatbed and telehandler were already staged, and the skinners had her broken down into quarters and hide in just a couple of hours back at camp. An absolutely awe-inspiring animal.
That afternoon, Adam harvested a beautiful Cape Eland bull — a true bucket-list trophy. The size of these animals up close is humbling.
Final Tally tally thus far? Six hunters harvested 45 animals over five full hunting days with zero wounded and lost. A truly outstanding result.
Day 7 was a well-earned rest day. We slept in, relaxed by the fire, finished paperwork, and took final photos. Our last dinner was at the local favorite “Lilly’s,” where Henry is clearly a local celebrity. Great food, plenty of drinks, and good memories.
On Day 8 we packed up, handed out well-deserved tips, and drove to our (thankfully) uneventful flight home. The group is already started making plans to return — next time to Henry’s Limpopo property!
Final Verdict: If you’re looking for a personalized, high-quality safari with an excellent outfitter and professional team, I can wholeheartedly recommend Henry Griffiths Safaris. We could not have asked for a better experience.
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