A brief writeup on a fantastic hunt with Bergzicht Game Lodge, Namibia
Hi all, as I’m new to the forum, I thought I had better do a brief write up to get the ball rolling… I’ll keep this brief as I am doing a fuller, longer write up for the MyHunt blog (www.myhunt-app.com) from a first timer’s point of view. Feel free to give that a read too!
Now there doesn’t seem to be much written about Bergzicht Game Lodge on here which is puzzling as I had a wonderful time and would have expected them to have more publicity out there.
Outfitter: Bergzicht Game Lodge (https://www.bergzichtgamelodge.com/)
Location: Hour east of Windhoek
Time of year hunted: July/August 2023
Animals hunted: 2 x Baboons, Kudu, Springbok, Impala, Blue Wildebeest, Oryx, Warthog
Rifle used: Steph’s (PH) .300 win mag with custom loads (Norma Oryx heads) and Zeiss optics
Whilst this was my first hunting trip to Africa, I have visited the continent before as well as been lucky enough to hunt across various countries. Taking all of that into account, I was still blown away by the accommodation and general setup at Bergzicht. From being greeted with warm towels and fresh fruit juices on arrival to refresh myself after a long flight (and thankfully short transfer of one hour from the airport) to some of the best food I’ve had on any trip, never mind at a hunting camp, the hospitality definitely exceeded my expectations.
Lodging at Bergzicht is in a very lovely large farmhouse so it feels much more like you are staying with the family rather than a commercial setup. You normally have the entire area and lodge to yourself too which can be nice if you are coming with friends or want to decompress.
I hunted the entire trip with Steph as PH, who is great fun, very patient with my never-ending questions about the local flora and fauna and also has very high standards when it comes to which animals are suitable to take and which need more time. I originally had a shortlist of outfitters I was interested in hunting with and whilst I couldnt make it over to SCI to speak to them directly, my friend Bee (who works for SCI) agreed to do my due diligence for me and advised me he thought that I would get on best with Steph out of my list. He was right!
As for the hunting itself, I won’t give a blow by blow account here but I was lucky to take some great animals, a 54” Kudu up in the hills, a fantastic Oryx bull after a thrilling 1.5km stalk and a big old warthog, taken whilst we were marvelling at a cheetah’s scratching tree visited earlier that day, amongst others.
One particular highlight from the week was hunting an incredibly old blue wildebeest, with one eye badly scarred, a broken horn, no hair on his forehead and teeth worn down to his gums. He was the perfect embodiment of a trophy for me and all the tracking team were impressed by his great age.
It is also worth noting that I saw an incredible amount of wildlife whilst out each day, not just game species (of which we saw A LOT) but also all the other signs of a well-managed landscape, it is obvious that the team take the long-term health of their surroundings very seriously.
I would not hesitate to add Bergzicht to your shortlist if you are looking for a Namibian outfitter for an ethical, fair chase hunt with good company and amazing food.
I’ve just got to save up for a trip back now!
Hi all, as I’m new to the forum, I thought I had better do a brief write up to get the ball rolling… I’ll keep this brief as I am doing a fuller, longer write up for the MyHunt blog (www.myhunt-app.com) from a first timer’s point of view. Feel free to give that a read too!
Now there doesn’t seem to be much written about Bergzicht Game Lodge on here which is puzzling as I had a wonderful time and would have expected them to have more publicity out there.
Outfitter: Bergzicht Game Lodge (https://www.bergzichtgamelodge.com/)
Location: Hour east of Windhoek
Time of year hunted: July/August 2023
Animals hunted: 2 x Baboons, Kudu, Springbok, Impala, Blue Wildebeest, Oryx, Warthog
Rifle used: Steph’s (PH) .300 win mag with custom loads (Norma Oryx heads) and Zeiss optics
Whilst this was my first hunting trip to Africa, I have visited the continent before as well as been lucky enough to hunt across various countries. Taking all of that into account, I was still blown away by the accommodation and general setup at Bergzicht. From being greeted with warm towels and fresh fruit juices on arrival to refresh myself after a long flight (and thankfully short transfer of one hour from the airport) to some of the best food I’ve had on any trip, never mind at a hunting camp, the hospitality definitely exceeded my expectations.
Lodging at Bergzicht is in a very lovely large farmhouse so it feels much more like you are staying with the family rather than a commercial setup. You normally have the entire area and lodge to yourself too which can be nice if you are coming with friends or want to decompress.
I hunted the entire trip with Steph as PH, who is great fun, very patient with my never-ending questions about the local flora and fauna and also has very high standards when it comes to which animals are suitable to take and which need more time. I originally had a shortlist of outfitters I was interested in hunting with and whilst I couldnt make it over to SCI to speak to them directly, my friend Bee (who works for SCI) agreed to do my due diligence for me and advised me he thought that I would get on best with Steph out of my list. He was right!
As for the hunting itself, I won’t give a blow by blow account here but I was lucky to take some great animals, a 54” Kudu up in the hills, a fantastic Oryx bull after a thrilling 1.5km stalk and a big old warthog, taken whilst we were marvelling at a cheetah’s scratching tree visited earlier that day, amongst others.
One particular highlight from the week was hunting an incredibly old blue wildebeest, with one eye badly scarred, a broken horn, no hair on his forehead and teeth worn down to his gums. He was the perfect embodiment of a trophy for me and all the tracking team were impressed by his great age.
It is also worth noting that I saw an incredible amount of wildlife whilst out each day, not just game species (of which we saw A LOT) but also all the other signs of a well-managed landscape, it is obvious that the team take the long-term health of their surroundings very seriously.
I would not hesitate to add Bergzicht to your shortlist if you are looking for a Namibian outfitter for an ethical, fair chase hunt with good company and amazing food.
I’ve just got to save up for a trip back now!
to AH.
