Help Me Choose my 2nd Safari

Inspired by the recent thread on where/why everyone went on their 2nd safari. Having just finished my first, I’ve been thinking a lot about where I want to go next, what species I want to hunt, and what experience I want. I’d love to get input from this group’s experience.

This second safari won’t be my last, so I don’t need to accomplish everything I want on one trip. But right now, here’s my current priorities for safari #2 (somewhat in order):

• Tracking hunt for cape buffalo
• Trophy sable and kudu
• Presence of lions and elephants
• Wilderness experience
• Total cost considerations
• Other game opportunities (probably plains game)
• No other parties in the same camp
• Would prefer hunt is completed between end of April and mid-August
• Tiger fish opportunity (lowest priority, but could be a tie-breaker)

This will probably be a 2029 hunt. I’m thinking 10-14 days of hunting, plus arrival/departure/travel.

I’d like to go back to Namibia at some point and hunt the Caprivi, just not this next trip. I’m also not interested in South Africa. Tanzania is out due to costs and other trips I already have planned in 2027 and 2028.

Based on current research and reading a ton of trip reports, I’m really interested in the Save Valley with Mokore. Some of the other options that stand out are:

• Mokore and their Moz Coutadas
• Roger Whitall safaris in Save Valley
• Dave Langerman’s Niassa hunting concession
  

Anyone or anywhere else should I be considering? Open to any other input or ideas.

Nyakasanga with CMS?

I think you’ll get most of those wishes there.

Moz with @TSALA HUNTING SAFARIS or @THAT'S AFRICA SAFARI?

Following....

Charlton McCallum Safaris in Dande. There are two reports under my name from there. July and August would be better no matter where you go. Early season can be exciting close quarters buffalo hunting but until visibility improves and there’s less water PG can be difficult.

joker2400 said:

Nyakasanga with CMS?

I think you’ll get most of those wishes there.

Moz with @TSALA HUNTING SAFARIS or @THAT'S AFRICA SAFARI?

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Unfortunately that area has some problems at moment. Dalton and York holds the quota for 2026. 2027 onwards to be determined still. Also no sable on quota there but other species could make up for it. Regardless what concession someone hunts they should ask what year the outfitter holds the rights to the concession and if they are the direct concession holder or buying quota. Either option can be good, but sometimes outfitters are overly optimistic they’ll get a roll over or quota when it’s not guaranteed.

@DryFly1995 Before I got to the end of your post I was thinking “He should give serious thought to where I’ll be in six weeks”, and then I saw where you posted about Mokore in Mozambique. I’ll be hunting Coutada 9 and their new Mahimba block for 12-days in mid-September, along with 3 friends who are first time African hunters (one of them has been before, but it’s been 30+ years since his last safari).

Coutada 9 has excellent hunting for Buffalo, Kudu, Sable as well as many other desirable PG species like Nyala & Eland. And, lions & elephants are around too. It’s wild Africa, no fences just hundreds of thousands of acres of wild country to hunt. Mahimba is new to Mokore, it sits north of the Zambezi, about 35 miles NE of Coutada 14. Buffalo, excellent crocodile hunting, more sable, excellent bushbuck plus waterbuck, reedbuck and lots of pigs. Crocodiles breed there in August & September and you have a good chance to kill a giant of 14’ or larger.

I’ll be filing a report on our safari, so you’ll get a good idea of what to expect. You can also find a great report just posted by another member, @Huntforever, who had an unbelievably fantastic bowhunt on Coutada 9. His report is titled ‘Mozambique, Little Rock to Tete.’

375Fox said:

Charlton McCallum Safaris in Dande. There are two reports under my name from there. July and August would be better no matter where you go. Early season can be exciting close quarters buffalo hunting but until visibility improves and there’s less water PG can be difficult.

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Appreciate the feedback. Thanks for pointing me back to your trip reports. I was under (the clearly erroneous) impression that CMS's areas were not prime plains game areas. Clearly from your trip reports, I was wrong. And, I kind of assumed I'd look towards CMS or D&Y for a strictly DG 3rd safari in the future.

DLSJR said:

@DryFly1995 Before I got to the end of your post I was thinking “He should give serious thought to where I’ll be in six weeks”, and then I saw where you posted about Mokore in Mozambique. I’ll be hunting Coutada 9 and their new Mahimba block for 12-days in mid-September, along with 3 friends who are first time African hunters (one of them has been before, but it’s been 30+ years since his last safari).

Coutada 9 has excellent hunting for Buffalo, Kudu, Sable as well as many other desirable PG species like Nyala & Eland. And, lions & elephants are around too. It’s wild Africa, no fences just hundreds of thousands of acres of wild country to hunt. Mahimba is new to Mokore, it sits north of the Zambezi, about 35 miles NE of Coutada 14. Buffalo, excellent crocodile hunting, more sable, excellent bushbuck plus waterbuck, reedbuck and lots of pigs. Crocodiles breed there in August & September and you have a good chance to kill a giant of 14’ or larger.

I’ll be filing a report on our safari, so you’ll get a good idea of what to expect. You can also find a great report just posted by another member, @Huntforever, who had an unbelievably fantastic bowhunt on Coutada 9. His report is titled ‘Mozambique, Little Rock to Tete.’

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Appreciate the feedback. Looking forward to reading about your experience. I read the report by @Huntforever , which is what had me strongly considering Mokore in Moz. I knew the plains game was strong, but I was under the impression their buffalo population was still developing. Good to hear that's excellent too.

DryFly1995 said:

Appreciate the feedback. Thanks for pointing me back to your trip reports. I was under (the clearly erroneous) impression that CMS's areas were not prime plains game areas. Clearly from your trip reports, I was wrong. And, I kind of assumed I'd look towards CMS or D&Y for a strictly DG 3rd safari in the future.

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Dande isn’t an area with PG around every corner, but I’ve seen good numbers on both trips. It’s an area where you typically work hard for your primary animals then pick up a few PG. What’s your budget for this hunt?

DryFly1995 said:

Appreciate the feedback. Looking forward to reading about your experience. I read the report by @Huntforever , which is what had me strongly considering Mokore in Moz. I knew the plains game was strong, but I was under the impression their buffalo population was still developing. Good to hear that's excellent too.

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Coutada 9 has a decent sized buffalo population, plenty for good hunting. And, while there aren’t a ton of buffalo, the quality is excellent. Their new area, Mahimba, has a very robust buffalo population. The two areas combine well and give a hunter plenty of options for just about everything that can be hunted in Mozambique except for cats. The Tiny 10 options are abundant for 4 or 5 species. No leopard quota and 1 or 2 lions a year. They told my group we can each shoot a 2nd buffalo by taking it at Mahimba.

DryFly1995 said:

Inspired by the recent thread on where/why everyone went on their 2nd safari. Having just finished my first, I’ve been thinking a lot about where I want to go next, what species I want to hunt, and what experience I want. I’d love to get input from this group’s experience.

This second safari won’t be my last, so I don’t need to accomplish everything I want on one trip. But right now, here’s my current priorities for safari #2 (somewhat in order):

• Tracking hunt for cape buffalo
• Trophy sable and kudu
• Presence of lions and elephants
• Wilderness experience
• Total cost considerations
• Other game opportunities (probably plains game)
• No other parties in the same camp
• Would prefer hunt is completed between end of April and mid-August
• Tiger fish opportunity (lowest priority, but could be a tie-breaker)

This will probably be a 2029 hunt. I’m thinking 10-14 days of hunting, plus arrival/departure/travel.

I’d like to go back to Namibia at some point and hunt the Caprivi, just not this next trip. I’m also not interested in South Africa. Tanzania is out due to costs and other trips I already have planned in 2027 and 2028.

Based on current research and reading a ton of trip reports, I’m really interested in the Save Valley with Mokore. Some of the other options that stand out are:

• Mokore and their Moz Coutadas
• Roger Whitall safaris in Save Valley
• Dave Langerman’s Niassa hunting concession

Anyone or anywhere else should I be considering? Open to any other input or ideas.

Click to expand...

Go talk to CMS. Meet with Buzz at the DSC show and tell him what you’re looking for and he’ll tell you the area.

Dande would be fantastic for the Buffalo, fishing, seeing elephant and possibly lion (you’ll probably see tracks). It won’t be dense for plains game but they have sable and some very nice kudu. Nykasanga would fill the bill but not sure if he has quota there anymore. He has new areas in Mozambique and the lowveld that might fit the bill.

Dave Langerman would be next in Niassa although I’m not sure they have lots of elephant to see.

Edit I replied before seeing what 375 Fox said. I second everything he said.

Just before Covid, I hunted in Namibia w Dirk de Bod for plains game. Great trip and took about 10 trophies. The following year, Dirk and I were scheduled to hunt in the Matetisi in Zimbabwe, but Covid canceled the hunt. Now, re-planning to hunt buffalo, but in South Africa with a good friend. I think planning these trips are a lot of fun. I look forward to reading what you decide.

Following

375Fox said:

Unfortunately that area has some problems at moment. Dalton and York holds the quota for 2026. 2027 onwards to be determined still. Also no sable on quota there but other species could make up for it. Regardless what concession someone hunts they should ask what year the outfitter holds the rights to the concession and if they are the direct concession holder or buying quota. Either option can be good, but sometimes outfitters are overly optimistic they’ll get a roll over or quota when it’s not guaranteed.

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Ahh, has been a minute since I was looking into the Zim areas. Unfortunate, by all accounts it was a premier concession.

Keep your list open for the opportunity when the PH says “oh boy, he’s massive” on an animal you weren’t planning to hunt. That animal will be the cherry on top of your well defined list

You've had good steers on the where — the Save Valley and Coutada 9/Mahimba options will give you the wild-country, tracking-buffalo feel you've put at the top, and it's good to hear the buffalo hold up there.

Two thoughts from the hunting side rather than the map. First, on a true tracking hunt: what makes or breaks it isn't the concession so much as the trackers and the PH's willingness to stay on a spoor when the easy option is to drive and glass. Ask straight out how they hunt buffalo day to day — if the answer is 'we cut track at first light and follow,' you're in the right camp. That's where the experience you're describing actually lives.

Second, on sable, since a couple of those areas carry them: a wild sable is one of the great prizes and worth holding your nerve for. Judge him on the cape going jet-black and the mass and drop of the horns rather than raw length — an old bull with a heavy, deep sweep beats a longer, lankier young one every time. Better to pass a good one early and take a great one late than the other way round.

Your April-to-August window suits nearly all of it, so timing won't box you in. What's your rifle plan — one all-rounder for the buffalo and plains game, or are you willing to travel with two?

Thanks to everybody that responded and messaged me so far. Great information. Very helpful.

@Chris Burger I'd be willing to travel with two rifles, but depending on location/species would also be will to go with a 375HH for everything too.

Chris Burger said:

Two thoughts from the hunting side rather than the map. First, on a true tracking hunt: what makes or breaks it isn't the concession so much as the trackers and the PH's willingness to stay on a spoor when the easy option is to drive and glass. Ask straight out how they hunt buffalo day to day — if the answer is 'we cut track at first light and follow,' you're in the right camp. That's where the experience you're describing actually lives.

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I really disagree with this. If I was hunting South Africa, the PH and his trackers would be a bigger consideration to me than the property. Too many PHs there are use to easy hunting and have farm hands rather than real trackers. Outside South Africa, the concession is most important to me. Choosing the right PH is important but secondary to the concession and hunt dates. The best PHs and tracking teams are going to have problems producing results on difficult concessions. Concessions have a lot more variables than fenced areas. You need to check a lot of recent references from the last 2 seasons to really get an understanding and compare concessions. I want to hunt areas I’ll get on tracks daily, but first light every morning is unrealistic.

@DryFly1995 — good, that gives you real flexibility. For what you're planning, a single .375 H&H will genuinely do the whole list. It's the legal minimum for buffalo, hits plenty hard for sable and kudu, and in that thicker Save Valley / Coutada country your shots sit mostly close to moderate — so you give up almost nothing by leaving a flat-shooter at home. Load a good bonded or premium soft, a 300gr, for plains game and your first shot on buffalo, and carry solids for the follow-up. That's a complete kit.

The case for two rifles is comfort and insurance rather than necessity. A lighter plains rifle — a .300, .30-06 or 7mm — means less recoil over the many sable, kudu and plains-game shots, and a second rifle is cheap insurance if one gets knocked about in transit, which does happen. The trade-off is more paperwork and more to carry.

So my honest steer: if you shoot the .375 well and don't mind the recoil, take the one and keep it simple — that's what I'd do for a buffalo-led wilderness hunt like this. If the recoil wears on you over a long trip, bring the pair and take the plains game with the lighter one. Either way, buffalo comes down to placement and a steady nerve far more than calibre — the .375 gives you nothing to apologise for.

One practical note whichever way you go: check the outfitter keeps a spare rifle in camp. A knocked scope on day one is the one thing that unravels a single-rifle plan, and most good camps keep a backup .375 or .458 on hand.

Any of the 3 you named. The Duckworths are just super people and have what it takes to make a great hunt. Have known them for years.
D&Y have Omay North and South which are great areas and produce good trophies and are easy to work with.
CMS has some stellar areas, and Buzz is an elephant hunters delight.
Nyakasanga has had its issues of recent but still has good hunting.
Thierry Labbatt hunts several areas and is a really good PH, reach out to him or at DSC. He is booked out a couple years. Hunting with Thierry is a great experience.
There are 3 really good operations in the Caprivi of Namibia that could fill most of your list! I talked to all 3 and know hunters who have hunted with all 3. Emile Kichner that has Kou Kuas Adventures and has the Bwabwata West unit I've personally hunted with for buffalo and Leopard and they also have
his families ranch which has abundant game and doesn't get hardly hunted. I'm going to plan another hunt with him and stay a few days at the ranch before heading to the Caprivi in the next year or two, maybe even as an add on to one of my hunts that I have planned next year.