NAMIBIA: KHOMAS HIGHLAND HUNTING SAFARIS (Report)

[Andrew Short]

I’m current sitting in the airport (Atlanta) having just landed from JoBurg. My father and I just spent 7 great days in the highlands of Namibia. Of note, 16.75 hours on a plane is a long time…. There were good times had as well several lessons learned. Hopefully the next few posts will help someone in the future.

 

[mark-hunter]

Following!

 

[7mmFan]

can't wait to hear about it!

 

[DillonG]

 

[JimmyJack54]

following

 

[Andrew Short]

I’ve long dreamt of hunting Africa. As far back as I can remember, I’ve been consumed with Africa. The fauna, flora, folklore, all culminate in what can only be described as truly fascinating. If you have ever read Hunter by JA Hunter or Death in the Long Grass, you have likely become ensnared by Africa as well.

I booked this hunt 2 years again and life happened and the trip was postponed twice. We discussed things with Philip and then rebooked flights via Turkish Airlines. We drove to Atlanta from Birmingham and boarded our flight to Istanbul. We flew business class on this flight and while it wasn’t lavish it was a contrast compared to economy on the same flight. Once in Istanbul, we had an 9 hour layover. This was excessive to say the least…. Battling exhaustion we struggled for 9 hours. We then boarded an our flight to Joburg which was 9 hours/50 min. Turkish had business class seats but the “system was down” and they couldn’t take my $$$. Frustrating to say the least. We also had a 6 hour layover in Joburg before flying to Windhoek via Airlink. (Do not recommend Airlink), details coming. Also, just because an entity is a board sponsor, does not make them the best… (May ruffle some feathers).

Lessons:
1. Business class is always worth the $ to upgrade if you booked economy. No reason to suffer if you don’t have too.

2. Layovers matter. Being ignorant to international travel, I did not consider this. I wasted an entire day in layovers. Please consider this when booking flights as direct is much better.

 

[280AI]

Looking forward to it as we are off in 97 days for our first time in Africa.

 

[Randy F]

 

[Doug3006]

I’m really looking forward to reading your report. I’m headed to Namibia in April and there’s nothing like recent boots on the ground experience.

There’s another thread currently running on the subject of traveling to Namibia. We Americans must connect at least once and the layovers can be lengthy. It’s just a fact of life. Connection times that are too short are risky. If your arriving flight is delayed, you can miss your connection. Now your delay may be days rather than hours!

 

[CBeck]

I’m in following along.

 

[Stetsonham]

Following along and looking forward to it. Khomas is on my shortlist for trips

 

[Schmidty]

You have my attention and will be following

 

[CamoManJ]

I’m following as well with interest.
Right off the bat…upgrades to business class, airlines, aircraft type, VIP meet & greet service, and especially layovers add up affecting the overall experience. Traveling should be fun and relaxing.

 

[Av8or]

Business is the way to go . But no matter how you go......, it is a long trip over . I always plan for 30 hours to be in camp, whether driving, airline connection etc. If you fly direct flight to JNB usually have to spend the night before transporting next day ( but you can get a decent meal and a little sleep)
It is just a long trip . Fortunately is is WORTH IT !

 

[Andrew Short]

Day 1: We were met at the airport by Rick and Linda who work with Philip. Very sweet people! We had several good discussions on the 1.5 hour ride to camp as Rick has a wealth of travel experience from Australia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. We arrived in camp on Wednesday evening around 6 where zebra steaks were waiting! Zebra is out of this world delicious and I would eat it everyday if I could.

After introductions, dinner, and plans made for the following day we went to bed.

Let’s talk about the accommodations:

Philips new lodge is top notch. My room had double beds, air conditioning and was everything a hunter could have wanted. Outside my room were two Adirondack chairs for relaxation!

The Kudu bar and dining area are a nice touch and have room for 10 or so guests.

 

[Lmcquin]

I’m there with Philip in September. Originally was set to depart the day Covid shut the world down. Can’t wait to read your posts

 

[jpr9954]

I'm anxious to read your posts as well. Khomas Highlands was recommended to me by an experienced hunter at the DSC Convention who had hunted with them multiple times.

One question if you don't mind. Since you were flying out of Atlanta why did you go with Turkish Airlines instead of Delta?

 

[Hornyman]

@jpr9954 I cant speak for the OP but historically Delta is quite a bit more money than Turkish and Qatar. You can usually fly business on the other two mentioned for the same price as DAL economy.

 

[Andrew Short]

I chose Turkish due to pricing but I ended up flying Delta on the return.

The highlands have been blessed with significant rains filling all the dams (ponds). Philip has the second largest dam in the area measuring several acres. He also has numerous other dams on the hunting properties providing water for months to come. The grass is thick and high. My PH was Isaak. He has been hunting for most of his 58 years and knows that area better than anyone.

Day 2: We started the day off at the range. I carried an AHR custom in 375. I chose Federal Premium Swift A Frame (300 grain). My first shot off the bench was 8 inches low. A second shot confirmed this. Several adjustments made with 2 sequential bullseyes proved satisfactory and off we went.

We cruised around the area looking for my primary targets of Kudu, Gemsbok, and Zebra. Of course, if we spotted Eland, Wildebeest, or Warthog they would be in danger. We covered a lot of ground spotting several Zebra, Gemsbok, Steinbok, and Springbok but nothing worthy of pursuing. We finished the day late and had a very nice dinner of zebra schnitzel.

Day 3: We started at 7 after a light breakfast. We cruised the property behind the lodge spotting Sable, Waterbuck, Oryx and Hartebeest. Day 3 passed without an opportunity.

As previously stated, the highlands have been blessed with significant rains. We saw numerous animals each day and were very pleased with this. we are happy to see 2-3 whitetail deer each hunt here and we consider this to be a good day! Due to our ignorance, we thought this was normal hunting in Africa! Apparently, Isaak and Philip were discussing the hunts each day promoting Philip to explain to us that the animals were spread out due to the abundance of water and grass available. We had no idea that animal sightings were down. We finished the day with a great birthday dinner and early bedtime. Philip had plans for us to visit a neighboring farm called Terra Rossa for the next days hunt.

The 14th was my birthday and celebrating on safari was spectacular. The entire crew sang and danced! They even made a chocolate cake with strawberries!