South Africa Plains Game Outfitter Recommendation

[Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS]

Hi all, new member here! I am planning my first African hunting safari to coincide with my oldest son's college graduation in May/June 2027. There will be 2 families consisting of my wife, my two sons (20 & 22 at time of safari), myself and another adult couple on the trip. Of the 6 of us, my oldest son, my wife, the other husband and myself will be hunting. My younger son and the other wife would like to "participate" but will not be shooting. We have been to a few DSC conventions and have spoken with many outfitters and friends who have been on safari before. It seems easy to be overwhelmed with opinions and recommendations, so I thought I may post here with some specific "wishes" and hopefully receive some more tailored responses from those with real world experience. For some background, all hunters in our group are fairly experienced and have hunted whitetail throughout the Southeast as well as western big game (Elk, Mule Deer and Pronghorn) in Wyoming, Montana and Utah. We have also hunted exotics on several high-fence ranches throughout Texas, but none of us has been to Africa on safari yet.

Wish List:
1) 10 to 12 day trip including travel with 8 hunting days (we all reside in North Florida and Delta has a direct flight from Atlanta to SA). If this duration is not appropriate or consistent with the rest of the wishes below, please suggest a shorter or longer trip.
2) Luxury/Very Nice Accommodations to include 3 rooms...2 with king beds for the two couples and 1 room with 2 beds that my sons can share.
3) No preference on fair chase or high fence but prefer to stay on a large property and not drive from preserve to preserve each day. Minimal driving on up to 2 to 3 days max would be acceptable if necessary.
4) Between my son, my wife and myself, our species list would look something like (one of each...shooter TBD): Kudu, Eland, Cape Buffalo, Sable, Waterbuck, Bushbuck, Nyala, Impala, Gemsbuck, and either Roan or Warthog. The other husband will likely take 3 to 5 of the same species.
5) Collectively, we are open to a hunting "package" or to daily rates plus trophy fees. What I am not open to, is an open-ended budget. I am targeting an all-in budget of $65,000 to $75,000 for my family (including taxidermy and shipping but excluding our airfare to/from SA). I am also not interested in shooting an animal just to complete a "package". We want true trophy animals for each species we decide to take and we will be content to refrain from taking an animal if it does not suit us. I am not interested in a "package" that requires us to settle for management or cull animals.

Questions:
1) Is my budget of $65,000 to $75,000 (including taxidermy but excluding airfare) for my family of 4 in the "ballpark"?
2) Since my family of 4 consists of 3 hunters, is it customary or acceptable to switch up the hunting parties each day? For example, I pair up with my hunting son and my wife pairs with our observing son one day and then we switch the next day? Maybe one day my two sons are paired together and my wife and I are paired together? Is this frowned upon or can it be accommodated?
3) I notice a lot of PH's get specific with allowable cartridges (mostly .30 cal & up) and forgive if I offend, but many of their opinions on cartridges seem to be stuck in the past. My wife, although very tiny, shoots her 28 Nosler very well and has a high level of confidence behind her rifle. Myself and my sons prefer to shoot either a 6.5 or 7 PRC. We are all confident with our personal guns and I have no intention of buying .30 cal rifles as we have no need for it back home. I am fine with using a guides gun for the cape buffalo portion of the hunt but we prefer to use our own rifles for the plains game. Are our preferred guns really not adequate as would seem to be suggested by some of the caliber suggestions I have read? Conventional wisdom would suggest a properly placed shot from a smaller bullet would be better than a poorly placed shot from a bigger bullet.

Thank you in advance for any outfitter recommendations that may fit my criteria and for any other suggestions along the way. Happy Hunting!

welcome welcome welcome

 

[Keelebilly]

No matter what outfitter you choose, I’d recommend spending a couple of days in Kruger. It’s definitely worth a visit. Any of the outfitters will help you arrange a trip there

 

[Marcus bock]

Sent you a personal.

 

[DE KLERK SAFARIS]

Hello Bhinson29 FG
We will be a good match for what you are looking for.
We own our own properties so you are dealing directly with the landowner.
Our lodge has been recently (2025) upgraded so your family will stay in luxury.
Lodge is situated in the middle of the hunting area so no long drives every morning to get to the hunting areas and no long drives to get back to the lodge in the evenings.
Start hunting from the lodge. No gates to open or fences to go through just one very large open block with no internal fences.
Your budget will be more than enough for what you are planning.
Regarding the calibers you want to bring (6,5 and 7 mm PRC) I personally think they are a little light and too fast. If you use the calibers with good bullets like Barnes TSX they can work but on the larger animals like eland, sable, roan you might want to use a little bit more gun.
In Africa we prefer a heavy slow bullet for better penetration.
A super fast light bullet can get deflected easy by some brush or grass.
But it your personal decision to make and if you wait for the perfect angle on the animals the lighter calibers can work as long as you do not go through heavy shoulder bones or muscle.

Regarding your question about mixing up the group.
It can easily be done.
We come back to the lodge for lunch every day so you can have for example your two sons paired up in one vehicle and you and your wife paired up in another vehicle in the morning and then in the afternoon change it up as you wish.

If you are interested just send me a quick e-mail and I can work out a quote for you and your friends.

Sincerely
Hans de Klerk

 

[HTK Safaris]

Good day sir @Bhinson29FG

I've send you a DM. If you're looking for a place that prioritize your needs and overall experience, we'd be a great fit. We go the extra mile to ensure you have an exceptional stay. Plus, we don't do double bookings - your family and friends will have the camp to themselves.

Kind Regards

 

[rhoward252]

@LJ SAFARIS I HIGHLY recommend LJ Safaris in the Eastern Cape. They can accommodate all of the animals on your wish list. My wife and I hunted with Juan and Lauren 4 months ago, and we had an incredible experience! They are extremely flexible and will work with you to build the exact package that you want. I had a very similar list to yours and we had opportunities on nice trophy animals with virtually every species that we were after. The accommodations were almost TOO nice for my standards and I was beginning to feel a little spoiled, but I made it through.... The meals were top-notch and included some of the finest wild game recipes that I've ever eaten. Your non-hunting companions will love it, as well. If you have questions or want to chat on the phone, send me a PM and I'd be happy to speak with you. I do not have a stake in the company but I can not say enough good things about them. If you search within this forum you'll find many recommendations for them. I'll attach some pictures. They speak for themselves. Good luck and good hunting!