Welcome Meat78,
I too am planning a first time African Safari. I have learned much from this site and you will too. All the AH members are more than helpful. Pretty simple...if you want to know, just ask. My advice to you is to check out the AH outfitters tab for information, links and reviews. There are several outfitters that are very active on this forum. A couple of them already replied to your post. I can tell by their comments from past post that they are very sincere about helping everyone. This genuine guidance will carry-over to the business they represent. I would start by contacting several of these outfitters. Give them a chance to help you by providing them with some general information so they can build a package that allows you to form a budget. Price is not and should not be the only factor. You are not buying animals! You are investing in an adventure that will be a accumulation of memories for years to come. Compare what they offer and decide for yourself what is more important to you.
Another tip: spend time perusing the shot placement gallery. African animals are built different than animals from North America. I copied and pasted these animals in full page color images then placed them in a folder so I can take with me when I hunt. This way even when I am in the bushveld I can review the location of the vitals of each species any time I want to.
