Snakes sightings on your safaris

[matt85]

I've never seen a poisonous snake, but i did see some venomous snakes.

While hunting pigs in RSA, we saw an extremely long black snake in the vines we were walking through. We suspected a mamba, but it was too fast and the brush was too dense to get a good look. Thankfully it decided we werent worth the trouble and fled.

One morning a puff adder was hanging out in the sun just outside my cabin. It didnt bother me, so i didnt bother it. I regret not taking a picture.

 

[BourbonTrail]

1 safari in Aug ‘22 on Botswana border

1 snake on last evening of last day

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

I feel really lucky.
6 trips. Northwest, Limpopo and Kalahari regions South Africa. 86 hunting days.
Months of May and June.
1 Puff Adder and drag marks across road of Mamba. That’s it.

 

[Hogpatrol]

Ten trips, one cape cobra and one puff adder in transit on the road shoulder. Nothing while hunting.

 

[Doug3006]

Last April in Namibia, I saw this one on a Namib Desert tour. I’ve seen poisonous snakes on each of my 6 safaris but never had a real close call.

 

[Tgood1]

First trip to sa was in last week of September, very hot and dry, , seen a huge black mamba from a distance, glad I wasn't any closer, and seen a cobra of some variety sunning on a termite mound. Never any other snake encounter on other trips

 

[fourfive8]

Sheesh, I can barely remember the types of snakes much less where or when mostly May, June, July.

Hand full of various cobra spp in Zambia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. A Python in Zimbabwe. A Mamba in Botswana, a couple of Puff Adders in Zimbabwe. Can’t remember seeing any snakes in RSA.

 

[Hannay]

Namibia (northwest corner), May, 7 days, 1 zebra spitting cobra, 1 puff adder
RSA (KwazuluNatal), May-June, 9 days, 0 venomous snakes seen (though I did see one rock python)
Zimbabwe (Zambezi River valley), July, 10 days, 1 Mozambique spitting cobra
RSA (Eastern Cape), August, 7 days, 0 venomous snakes seen
Zimbabwe (Zambezi River valley), July, 14 days, 0 venomous snakes seen

 

[Ridge Runner]

4 trips to Africa

First trip: 1st week of June, East Cape, RSA only, 9 days, 0 (live) snakes. (However, 1 black fake rubber snake).

Second trip: last week of May - first days of June, East Cape, RSA only, 12 days, 0 snakes

Third trip: 2nd week of May - 2nd week of June: 28 days total: 14 days Zimbabwe plus 14 days RSA

1st 14 days Zimbabwe: arrival day 1 black mamba, we followed it for photos and videos though tall grass and it went up a tree, we left the area 10-15 minutes later. Also 1 unknown snake in water/ at a nearby "pan".

I didn't see it but a tracker did. He almost stepped on a black mamba on the fourth or fifth day of my buffalo hunt. It was cold that morning and the snake couldn't, or wasn't able to, move as fast as the tracker back pedalling. The PH and I expected a charging buffalo coming at us. A very intense few seconds, an eternity, before the situation calmed, then we laughed at the event.

2nd 14 days RSA: no snakes.

Fourth trip: 7 weeks in RSA. 29 April - 06 June
North West Cape: 14 days, 0 snakes
Limpopo: 7 days, 0 snakes
1st outfitter in East Cape: 11 days, 1 puff adder
2nd outfitter in East Cape: 8 days, 0 snakes

 

[Andrew62]

22 safaris, I’ve seen 3 mambas, 1 Mozambique spitting cobra, 1 cape cobra, 1 puff adder, 1 rock python. Hope to never see another snake in Africa!

 

[wesheltonj]

Africa: RSA no snakes; Zambia, python; Tanzania no snakes.

USA: NM no snakes, Texas, lots of Diamondbacks, 1 Copperhead, 2 coral. Fishing and General swimming in rivers, a boatload of cottonmouths.

 

[FlowHamed18]

Limpopo in August.

Had a Cap cobra that chose the space between my legs as the direction for the escape.

I was just walking as the 3rd person after the PH and the tracker. Kneehigh grass with some rocks to step over.

PH saw it first, yelled "snake" while I was taking my next step I froze my movements... this beautiful colour of golden orange on the ground between my legs... I will never forget it

If this snake wanted to kill humans, it could have killed all of us easily on this day. Gin Tonic tasted better than ever on this evening...

 

[mark-hunter]

It looks like mambas are most visible snakes in Africa.

 

[Spearhead]

Namibia, Otjozondjupa Region, July 3-8, 0 snakes seen in camp or while hunting.

Namibia, Swakupmund, July 13, one sidewinder (and the tour guide had to go looking for and dig it up to show us)




View attachment 732426

Fantastic camouflage.

 

[eswan68587]

I have seen the following snakes over the course of more than a decade of safaris. I don’t know how many hunting days total - maybe 350-400.

Black Mamba - Zim
Puff Adder - Zim
Boomslang - Zim
Unkown Viper - Zim
Vine Snake - Namibia
Spitting Cobra - Namibia
Green Mamba - Tanzania
Rhino Viper - Congo
Gabon Viper - Congo

I’m sure I’ve forgotten one or two. I see snakes far more often in Texas than Africa.

 

[BryceM]

7 trips to Africa. All in Namibia.
1st trip - Kalahari. 1 cape cobra spotted from a distance, 1 cape cobra flared up and hissing 18 inches from my ankle as were were moving quickly to intercept kudu. Acrobatics ensued. One puff adder spotted from the vehicle.
2nd trip - Kalahari - One dead cape cobra seen on the road. No live snakes, IIRC.
3rd trip - Khomas Hochland region. Saw an unknown snake twisting and fighting a lizard between me (in the shower) and the door to exit the bathroom. I eventually found a way out. We later found the snake again. Unknown species to the PH, venomous???
4th trip - Central Namibia. One puff adder spotted swimming. Pretty cool.
5th trip - No snakes
6th trip - Caprivi. No snakes seen, but fresh mamba tracks seen in camp 2 or 3 times.
7th trip - Kalahari, Central Namibia, and Khomas Hochand region - no snakes seen, but very cold that trip. Almost stepped on a big monitor lizard. Thought it was a snake. Again, aerial acrobatics ensued. Good laugh.

Each trip was between 6 and 12 days, in country.

 

[grand veneur]

It's difficult for me to give a answer because I have hunted in Africa several times and cannot remember all was happened. I can only recall two snakes sightings more clearly: a Cobra in southern Zimbabwe during a 10-day elephant hunt and a Black Mamba in Burkina Faso during a 7-day buffalo hunt. The latter had fallen into a cistern of the camp and therefore could not be safely recovered. Unfortunately, we had to kill it with a shotgun.

 

[JG26Irish_2]

Snakes were (are) one of my greatest fears while on Safari. But, while on the hunt, I only rarely ever think about them. After all, they are not really that common. Limpopo 2024, Free State 2025 and Limpopo 2025 covering 8 concessions, I have never seen a snake of any kind.

 

[Brandon.Gleason]

1 puff adder on my first trip to Limpopo RSA in 2017.
2 black necked spitting cobras in Upper Lupande Zambia last month.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Between 1974 (my first Safari to Africa) and the current time of writing, I’ve seen:
Black Mamba
Rock Python
Spitting Cobra