Any Surprises While On Safari In Africa?

[buck wild]

1) How short the PHs shorts really were
2) Pine trees
3) It wasn't exactly like National Geographic
4) Most folks from SA I met seemed to want to live in the US and all I could think about was trying to find a way to live there
5) What they call hamburgers didn't taste anything like a hamburger

 

[Desert Dog]

4) Most folks from SA I met seemed to want to live in the US

This surprised the hell out of me as well. It didn't matter if you talked to blacks or whites, they all aspired to move to the USA one day.

 

[sheephunterab]

1) How luxurious that tenting can actually be!
2) How diverse the terrain in RSA is
3) How much better African game tastes than ours
4) How African animals die just as easily as those in North America
5) How long a piece of wood burns
6) How wild zebras and giraffes really are
7) How good zebra tastes
8) How good giraffe tastes
9) How good lion tastes
10) High fence does not equal canned
11) What good value Africa offers
12) You are lying to yourself when you say it's your one and only trip

 

[flyfishaz]

1. Didn't see many fat people.
2. How good Castle Beer is.
3. How fast and crazy my PH drove.
4. How bad the tick problem is.
5. A pet shooter bush buck name Bucky at the lodge.
6. How short of time spent glassing in one spot (here in Arizona we set up and glass sometimes for 2 hours in one spot)

 

[Upton O. Good]

The surprise was feeling like I was living a dream and longing to have it over and over again.

 

[edward]

how quickly our ,ONE TIME ONLY turned into 5 times and wanting more.

 

[Hogpatrol]

I was surprised
1. At how well I was treated by all in South Africa who were involved with my hunt, like I was welcome member of the family.
2. How cold it got. 20 something degrees F on departure day of my first trip. Brrr.
3. How lamb tasted when it was raised solely on the bush.
4. How great springbok backstraps on the braii tasted. Yumm
5. The variety of non game species.
6. The amount of eyeballs seen on night hunts.
7. How well I slept and how well I felt after a couple days of getting my lungs purged of U.S. I-95 corridor, east coast air.

Last but not least, pleasantly surprised I could live without TV, radio, cellphones, internet, email, music blasting out of a box and the news media. Pretty much go Amish when in Africa.

In retrospect, I'm surprised at how fast I decided to return, about a nanosecond after I realized I really was in Africa.

 

[dobber]

My first trip i was expecting what i have seen on many hunting shows, to drive around and perhaps a short walk but most animals shot within sight of the truck, well that changed real quick after the first 10km walk in a day
How addictive it is
Why did my legs look like they were attacked by several feral cats yet the PH's legs were barely scratched, and i was following him
The people, even the locals, always quick with a smile (albeit a one tooth smile)

 

[Ryan]

....How much I want to hunt the little ones.
Duiker and steenbok kicked my arse on my second hunt in Namibia.
Time for atonement.

 

[salesman]

Before going on my first trip I already spent a lot of time reading the old hunting books...so then I spent a lot of time studying the geography and history of RSA, as well as keeping up with the current news and weather going on there just prior to leaving. That all led to some understanding about what I was going to experience. Plus I asked my outfitter a million questions which he graciously and honestly answered. Now enough about not being surprised....here are a few things that did surprise me:

1. I cannot understand how there are not more car accidents in RSA. From what I saw most people including my PH have only two speeds...stop and as fast as the vehicle will go. But when in Rome do as the Romans do, so I kept my mouth shut and seatbelt fastened. While traveling down a gravel road one day at 120kph my PH did ask if I was a bit nervous, I said nope, but I can tell you this "if you lose control or hit the wrong bump we are going to slide for awhile on this gravel".

2. The overall friendliness of everyone I came in contact with...from arrival in Johannesburg, to the outfitter and his employees and everyone along the way. I am sure there are some not so nice folks there as well, but I have not come across them as of yet.

3. One of the biggest surprises I had on both of my trips was the thickness of the bush. After reading many books and hearing the authors talk about the "heavy bush" I was truly surprised. I have hunted in both the Free State and Limpopo and have been amazed at what more than one PH has considered and told me was "heavy/thick bush". I have told them all they have an open invitation to visit me in my home state of South Carolina and we will go coonhunting one night....and that I will show them what thick and heavy bush really looks like in a Carolina swamp or cutover. I am sure that Africa does have some thick places somewhere, but I can say that I have not seen them as of yet.

4. Another surprise is the apparent ease that some species of plains game can be approached to within shooting distance, as compared to say how a whitetail deer can be here in the eastern US.

5. The opposite of the plains game...is how spooky and hard to slip up on the Cape Buffalo can be. Also how easily something as big as they are can move off without making a sound.

6. I am still astonished at just how addictive hunting in Africa can be. Planning third trip for 2018 already.

 

[jpr792]

Thank you for taking the time to respond. It always remain interesting what the surprises are. Keep the "remarks" coming in, since we learn a lot from the responses.
African greetings from Namibia.
Ansie

 

[tarbe]

My top three surprises:

1. How much I enjoyed hunting Zebra. I ended up taking three on my trip!

2. How much having my wife along added to the trip. We are best friends...but I was afraid that she would either get bored, tired, or pull me away from hunting. The outfit we hunted with made sure that she had other options so that if she wanted to go to the bush, she could...but if she wanted to do something else, there was someone to do it with (if not me). We were on a 10-day trip, so I did take a couple days for tourist-type stuff...but I really got in all the hunting I had hoped for, and she had a blast. Her long planned-for trip to Hawaii is toast - she said she would rather go back to Africa.

3. How well I slept. I figured between time zone changes, anticipation of the hunt, sleeping in a strange bed, eating different food...sleep would not be ideal. I slept better than I do in my own bed at home!


Tim

 

[G Skinner]

This thing trying to come into the blind with us ....... My PH said if it comes in here I'd have to shoot it ...... My response was Hell No ! you got the gun (I was bow hunting ! ) LOL ! Kid you not this thing was like 6 feet long !
Glen

 

[BRICKBURN]

That is very cool. Wish I could have seen Godzilla's cousin in person.

 

[tedthorn]

As far as animals.....we saw an Ardvark one night as we returned to camp late.

But on a sour note.....or

After a night of the runs......I was surprised to find out that the bottled water in the PH's cooler wasn't store bought but rather tap water.

Only drink it if you hear and feel the seal crack

just a tip

 

[fgold767]

Ditto on the bottled water......for what you pay for day fees, one would think a case of bottled water for each
hunter could be provided.....this in RSA not way way out in the boonies. You know, if you can have someone go into town for beer and "food", you can buy a case of water. JMHO

 

[wapiti]

This thing trying to come into the blind with us ....... My PH said if it comes in here I'd have to shoot it ...... My response was Hell No ! you got the gun (I was bow hunting ! ) LOL ! Kid you not this thing was like 6 feet long !
GlenView attachment 196705

We had one of those try to get into the blind with the wife and I. All I had was a bow. There was no PH with us. I poked it with an arrow and then chased it. Boy are they fast!

 

[Hogpatrol]

Just thought of a few more surprises.
1. Not much aviation out in the boonies.
2. Manual transmissions ONLY on all vehicles. Something about no one knows how to work on them.
3. Dirtbikes but no ATVs or Quads.

 

[JimP]

On the bottle water that was one of the first things that our outfitter told us about, along with the fact to not drink the water out of the tap in the rooms. They provided clean filtered water in a pitcher for drinking. Once out on the hunt the PH's cooler was stocked with pop and store bought water.

Even on our tour the outfitter made sure that we had our own bottled water purchsed from a store, he was a little bit anal about it but he wanted us to be healthy. I also brought along some anti-diarrhea meds as a just in case. Never go anywhere hunting without them.

 

[Hank2211]

Ditto on the bottled water......for what you pay for day fees, one would think a case of bottled water for each
hunter could be provided.....this in RSA not way way out in the boonies. You know, if you can have someone go into town for beer and "food", you can buy a case of water. JMHO

Interesting comment about "how much" you pay for day fees . . .

I don't want to hijack the thread, but can't control myself!

Say the day rate is about $400 - which is about average in my experience.

Booking Agent: 15% or $60 (some take 20%)

PH with own vehicle (unless a staff member, then there is a salary but no vehicle): $100

We are now at about $240, and out of that comes three meals, snacks, liquor in large or perhaps moderate quantity, soda, all the laundry you can create, skinners, trackers, general costs of runnning a place in a rural environment, transfers, and amortization of the facilities. What would that come to in the US?

Yes, the bottled water should be "real", but frankly, the day rate is a bargain.