What PH to book an elephant hunt with?

I'm 70 but have been walking up to 5 miles with a 12lb rod. I need to hunt an elephant before it's to late. For those of you who have hunted elephant. Who did you book with? How was the terrain, how was the hunt in general? An area that is more flat walking would be better for me.
Thank in advance.

Tsala in Mozambique, alot of walking but gentle slope,lots of elephant, highly recommended

I Don't think you can currenty export trophies from Mozambique to U.S.

eyedok said:

Tsala in Mozambique, alot of walking but gentle slope,lots of elephant, highly recommended

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What he said!!!

I had another wonderful experience with Tsala this past May.

mitch4570 said:

I Don't think you can currenty export trophies from Mozambique to U.S.

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That’s my understanding as well.

Well… first… awesome! You must do it so this is the right place to start
1) I wouldn’t do Mozambique as noted above first unless you don’t want the ivory
If not, great because it represents a “good deal” as the Ivory is NON IMPORTABLE
2) Zimbabwe (Western is flat in particular) and Botswana is IDEAL for you..
3) Budget… Budget depends on size you want… a 40 pound or so area… around 40k, 50-60 pound area… $60k. Also Western Zimbabwe is $60k. Higher end for Big Botswana Bulls…$80k+

However…. Botswana is likely your place for two or three reasons
1) Botswana is flat and very easy walking
2) Botswana is a lot more “spot and stalk” where you will generally not have to walk miles and miles. You will see lots of Bulls and you will mostly have short and pleasant walks
3) Botswana has hunts in numerous price ranges. There’s a AD right now you can see that’s perfect for what you want at around 50k. You can hunt from 40-50K all the way up to 85k+.

You also have the Caprivi Strip in Namibia but quality relative to price is not there IMO (and I’ve hunted all these areas FYI)
Price is directly relative to area and trophy quality and size.

My advice to you based on your comments… Hunt Botswana and don’t look back and go asap.
You will not regret it

Note: if you state your budget it will help with specific area and outfitter recommendations
For example, we could say to you….Talk to Tholo in Botswana as they control some 30% or so of the tags and numerous areas, But it may not fit your budget and be bad advice (like Moz is likely bad advice unless you specifically don’t want your ivory which you didn’t state)
Look at the AD here in Deals and Offers right now as example too

Fixfire said:

That’s my understanding as well.

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You definitely cannot which is why I would never recommend it unless the person clearly didn’t care about that.. Moz does represent a “good deal” as a result but you must know this going in

So what outfitter do you use in Botswana.

Mitch… take a look at this for two reasons
1) it’s a good offer from an outfitter here on AH
2) look at the map someone attached that will show you these areas.

Imagine each of these hunting blocks is issued 10 Bull Tags. Not all areas are “equal” in terms of quality or expected size of Bulls.
So when you do talk with people or outfitters you can clearly picture the area,
The CHOBE has THE MOST Elephants on Planet Earth.l. The Areas next to the National Parls and the Okavango Delta.. that’s where the monsters roam and people each year take a 100 pounder.

Like I said above.. Tholo has I don’t even know how many of the tags right now. 80-100 I think of the 300 or so total tags.

You've laid out your request fairly well, but I think budget is the next thing.

You obviously want the ivory as per the Moz comment, Zim is generally the best value, so it all depends on your price point for this hunt.

Last year I went with Marius Goosen to Ndumo Safaris on the Caprivi Strip in Namibia. I shot a decent bull elephant with nice tusks. Terrain was flat. It was pretty cold at night. I was 72 at the time.

If hunting Botswana, check out Hardus with Cabassa Safari. He took over NG4 this year. Very nice man, hard working. His wife’s family is Tholo Safari if looking for bigger ivory and have a bigger budget. Think you could likely hunt two bulls in NG4 is technically Kalahari area, so huge bodied bulls, shorter thick ivory, that is smaller than the bulls of the Delta. Prices are dramatically less as well, and NG4 has Delta bulls roll through with regularity, so it’s the kind of hunt that can lead to lucky surprise for those who are fortunate with timing.

I hunted with Hardus and a young PH from Tholo named James at the end of April and into May. Loved it and have nothing but wonderful things to say.

NG4 will also give a wonderful mix of tracking and spot and stalk at times. Hardus had 1 permit left for 2026 when we last spoke a week ago. Think it was $35k all in, 10 day hunt, regardless of weight. He’s gotten a number of bulls in the mid to upper 50lb range this year.

Zimbabwe also has wonderful options, some areas very reasonable for longer, thin ivory, smaller bodied bulls. Some great tracking hunts in the $20k-$37k range, ivory size and other options depending. Zimbabwe also has some areas with bigger bodied bulls and some with impressive, heavy ivory, but you are also then getting into some pricier hunts topping $55-$65k all in. For Zimbabwe, have to always encourage checking with Dalton & York. Wonderful outfit and sponsor here.

I had a very unexpected easy hunt in Dande for elephant. It’s not the area I’d recommend to you though. I’d contact charlton McCallum safaris for Zimbabwe. They have quota in several areas of country and have some good PHs working for them. When you look into other outfitters and PHs, I’d recommend looking into references on the PH as much as the terrain. Some PHs are very accommodating, some especially in Zimbabwe, are not known for their people skills. You’ll want a PH that will work at your pace combined with right area.

Tholo Safaris in Botswana and have Rian guide you

Wildwillalaska said:

If hunting Botswana, check out Hardus with Cabassa Safari. He took over NG4 this year. Very nice man, hard working. His wife’s family is Tholo Safari if looking for bigger ivory and have a bigger budget. Think you could likely hunt two bulls in NG4 is technically Kalahari area, so huge bodied bulls, shorter thick ivory, that is smaller than the bulls of the Delta. Prices are dramatically less as well, and NG4 has Delta bulls roll through with regularity, so it’s the kind of hunt that can lead to lucky surprise for those who are fortunate with timing.

I hunted with Hardus and a young PH from Tholo named James at the end of April and into May. Loved it and have nothing but wonderful things to say.

NG4 will also give a wonderful mix of tracking and spot and stalk at times. Hardus had 1 permit left for 2026 when we last spoke a week ago. Think it was $35k all in, 10 day hunt, regardless of weight. He’s gotten a number of bulls in the mid to upper 50lb range this year.

Zimbabwe also has wonderful options, some areas very reasonable for longer, thin ivory, smaller bodied bulls. Some great tracking hunts in the $20k-$37k range, ivory size and other options depending. Zimbabwe also has some areas with bigger bodied bulls and some with impressive, heavy ivory, but you are also then getting into some pricier hunts topping $55-$65k all in. For Zimbabwe, have to always encourage checking with Dalton & York. Wonderful outfit and sponsor here.

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I was talking to Tholo about a family PG hunt and was surprised to learn Hardus (Cabassa) was married into the family. Both were very good to communicate with and just didn't work for my budget and timeline.

But will always keep them in mind for future hunts! It was good to know. I think when my boys get older, a trip to Tholo may be in order to introduce them to Africa.

Adam Stevens said:

I was talking to Tholo about a family PG hunt and was surprised to learn Hardus (Cabassa) was married into the family. Both were very good to communicate with and just didn't work for my budget and timeline.

But will always keep them in mind for future hunts! It was good to know. I think when my boys get older, a trip to Tholo may be in order to introduce them to Africa.

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Not to sidetrack Adam, but Tholo is where I took my family for the first “family safari” I did…
It’s a great choice….
Now… back to our regularly schedule program and Mitch’s quest for Elephant

375Fox said:

I had a very unexpected easy hunt in Dande for elephant. It’s not the area I’d recommend to you though. I’d contact charlton McCallum safaris for Zimbabwe. They have quota in several areas of country and have some good PHs working for them. When you look into other outfitters and PHs, I’d recommend looking into references on the PH as much as the terrain. Some PHs are very accommodating, some especially in Zimbabwe, are not known for their people skills. You’ll want a PH that will work at your pace combined with right area.

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I thought about telling him this, but I was hesitant to mention based on his criteria
I think he should stay away fro the Zambezi Valley in general.
Buzz may walk him to death lol (not really Mitch as Buzz hunts with several repeat clients of your age)
So Mitch knows,,, an Elephant hunt in say Dande is a 40k hunt for a 40 pound tusker.
Maitingwe or Kazuma in the West are flat and easy but 60k hunts for Bulls out of the Hwange or Botswana
Having done two hunts in the “Valley” I would simply not recommend this as a preferred option but CMS Safaris are an absolute premier outfitter for Elephant. I’ve hunted their areas twice myself including last year.

You should look at the South Africa hunts in the greater Kruger.

The elephant are grossly overpopulated. The terrain is such that they can be spotted and stalked without many miles of tracking. In places like Zimbabwe the areas with the best terrain are parks or farms or something else. The rough areas are left for the hunting which can make for a wonderful yet demanding

It has its issues in that the areas you can and can’t hunt can be a bit complex. There will be a size restriction. In my case I was limited to 30lbs. Permits for larger bulls are offered. We saw many bigger bulls, but the hunts are structured towards very specific conservation goals.

It is also probably the best place in the world to hunt dagga boy buffalo.

I was able to import my bull, but that situation is constantly changing.

There are also areas in Botswana where elephant hunting is not dependent on tracking.

I would look more in depth as to the concession and time of year more than the actual P.H. Research the Save Valley in Zim and also the Caprivi with Karl Ndumo late season when it's dry and the elephants are coming over from Botswana. There are lots of good choices but timing is much more important with elephants. An area that has them in June may not have any in September, or vice versa. Size also dictates price and sometimes how hard the hunt will be. Passing 40 pounders to get a 60 pounder means you may hunt a lot longer and farther. Good luck and let us know who/where you decide

kpoynter said:

I thought about telling him this, but I was hesitant to mention based on his criteria
I think he should stay away fro the Zambezi Valley in general.
Buzz may walk him to death lol (not really Mitch as Buzz hunts with several repeat clients of your age)
So Mitch knows,,, an Elephant hunt in say Dande is a 40k hunt for a 40 pound tusker.
Maitingwe or Kazuma in the West are flat and easy but 60k hunts for Bulls out of the Hwange or Botswana
Having done two hunts in the “Valley” I would simply not recommend this as a preferred option but CMS Safaris are an absolute premier outfitter for Elephant. I’ve hunted their areas twice myself including last year.

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I have watched some of the videos on you tube and he the valley is some rugged looking terrain.