South Africa or Namibia for a first safari?

[Adrian]

Or somewhere else?

I've been looking through the forum, reading hunting reports and adding them onto what was already in my mind I am thinking of taking my first safari in one of the above mentioned countries.

Are there any pros or cons to each of these places from members who have travelled before? Any areas preferred for plains game over others?

I would be interested and grateful to hear your thoughts, opinions, suggestions for my first safari if possible please.

 

[enysse]

Well, there are lot of great places to hunt! Tell us more about what you are looking for in the hunt, is it big open places, certain animals you want to take. If I was going on a safari for the first time, I'd go Botswana. TOM on here represents the company. Big area, remote, great prices and good animals!
Kanana Safari is the name, I'd go right now if I had the time.

 

[Bobpuckett]

South Africa or Namibia for a first safari are both great places and I would recommend either one for a first Safari check under Hunting Deals for a good start. Bob

 

[Cliffy]

BobP is correct. Both are very good for first time hunts. Both are different and you job is to learn and identify which will suit you best. Start here on AH by digging into the archives, remember, the planning is half the fun of the entire trip. Learn the differences in the two, define what you want to hunt (not all animals are in all areas) and then pick a good outfitter, Ask all the questions you want here, many of the very experienced guys here are willing to help.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

Adrian,
It's a no brain-er. South Africa of course! Joking aside, whatever you chose, I'm sure that you will have an awesome time!
All the best with your planning.


Take Care,
Marius Goosen

 

[Adrian]

Thank you for your replies so far Gents.

I'll add a little more detail as I realise my initial post was a bit vague.

Basically I want to go on a hunting safari with my family (wife and daughter) and have the experience of Africa. I want to walk and stalk and have my family be involved too even if they aren't shooting. I understand they might not be able to follow every footstep as hunting wild animals is unpredictable and the more people, the less chance of success there might be.

The safari should cater for this and be an informal and friendly experience for all, no pressure to hunt the biggest and best as we will appreciate the experience more than having to fill a set quota of heads on the wall.

There should also be other activities to do on an 'off' day, for example, if the wife and daughter don't fancy hunting on a particular day, there should be other things for them to do while I go hunting even if it's just sitting around the lodge relaxing or going for on wildlife spotting trip, seeing local culture. I would also be interested in doing this if the opportunity arises during our stay.

My list of desired animals to hunt is not unreasonable. Top of my list is Kudu followed by Impala, Gemsbok and one or two others, Springbuck, Blesbuck, Red Hartebeest as suggestions.

We aren't posh or expect fully five star treatment, somewhere comfortable to sleep and three meals a day will suffice. I also want the outfitter to be able to include airport pick up and drop off in the price.

I want a package deal for everyone so we all know what is expected and I know how much I need to budget in the lead up to the trip and the PH knows what to cater for.

I'm not the type of person to be able to dip my hand in my pocket and pay for such a trip just like that and my safari will be earned the hard way by me working for it and in return I want to work for my hunting, to get the full experience and appreciation of being there and having the opportunity to participate in such an adventure.

I want a fair deal for a fair price and to be involved in everything to learn but I most of all want to be in Africa and see and enjoy the wildlife, the location and absorb myself in my surroundings.

I have been trawling the forum looking at reports, stories and looking at outfitters based upon the tales of others. I am saving the respective websites of those and all apart from Kanana mentioned by enysse in post #2 are in South Africa or Namibia which is why my choice seems to be between those two locations.

 

[oddsix]

Adrian, either South Africa or Namibia will suit your wishes well. I had the same dilemma when I planned a hunting trip with my wife. I wanted to plan the whole trip so I did what your doing, came and read the trip reports
From there I checked out the PHASA, NAPHA, found who was registered with them and their respective tourism boards and sent each outfitter that had what I wanted a e-mail with what I was looking for. When I received quotes I created a spread sheet and made comparisons between all of them comparing prices with activities and lodging etc. outfitters that sent me incomplete quotes or told me to reference their price lists were discarded. If they didn't have the time to work out the complete price I didn't have the time to spend my money with them. From there when I narrowed the choices down I checked references and searched the outfitters names on here and other forums which helped narrow down the search even more. The last thing I did was ask questions directly to the outfitter to try and get a feel for their personality and compatibility.

I ended going to Namibia for exactly all the species you are looking for plus a zebra and had a great first African Safari wouldn't change anything.It took 2 years of planning but it was fun from start to amazing finish and it taught me that I need to go through the process again and again.

Trust in what you can do and research, research and research and ask question here there is a wealth of knowledge at your finger tips.

Good hunting!

 

[TOM]

Boy, that's a tough one! Both will be a lot of fun for sure.

 

[joester]

My vote would be Namibia...The ph training is more rigorous and the minimum standards for game are higher. I don't mean to disparage South African hunting, just giving my lone opinion.

 

[MT Griz]

Adrian,
You are on the right track! you can't go wrong with either country. Oddsix has given you some great advice. I will add to that, at this point as you continue to plan your adventure the country will start to matter less and the safari company and the PH will start to matter more. Both countries have the animals you are looking for, travel in and out are no problem. So keep looking and talking to Safari companies and do your research and you can't go wrong. There are some really great operators on this board that can put together the trip you are looking for. It's kind of one of those "you will know it when you see it" kind of things.
Good luck!

 

[KAROO WILD Safaris]

Adrian
You seem to know exactly the hunting and holiday experience that you want, that's the most important thing in planning a safari. Both countries are exceptional and I'm sure either will exceed your expectations. My advice - it's a long international flight so try keep the travelling in a vehicle from the airport to your chosen hunting area to a minimum once you're in Africa. It's also a good idea for you and your family to get hunting fit. Climb a mountain or do a weekend hike, something that will simulate the terrain you'll be hunting in. Most of us aren't used to walking/hiking 6-10 days in a row, it's a different kind of fitness to being running or gym fit. Enjoy it.

 

[JamesJ]

They are both great destinations and either way, you won't go wrong. However I would suggest RSA for a first trip, easy in and out of the country, in-country flights are easy, the list of amenities and sightseeing for you and the family are very good. The available species and the trophy quality is also very good.

Number one rule, know who you are hunting with, check them out and make sure they legit. If a deal is too good to be true it probably is.