A lot to consider from all the responses.
I'm just going to add my very long 2 cents response to consider.
My first African safari was in 2017 to RSA; 7 days 9 days total for 5 animals and added 2 more. I felt the trip was more rushed than relaxing. As a first timer I felt the hunts were good and my trophies were well earned.
From experiences learned from my first trip my second trip in 2018 using the same RSA outfitter as in 2017 was for 10 hunting days, 12 days total, hunting 7 animals, with 2 days of sightseeing. This trip was much more relaxing and again I felt all my trophies were well earned.
My third trip was planned for 2019. Unfortunately Covid delayed my third trip till 2021. I wanted to see and experience other African countries and to hunt dangerous game the choice was to go to Zimbabwe for 12 hunting days, 14 days total and again to include another 12 hunting days, 14 days total to hunt with the same East Cape, RSA outfitter I hunted with in 2017 and 2018.
The Zimbabwe trip was an overall bad experience due to a bad outfitter/ PH. However, ivwas able to kill a cape buffalo and unfortunately, bad PH, a cow with a calf hippo.
A third trip to my previous outfitter in the East Cape, RSA was aauthentic second previous trip, relaxing and enjoyable with some sightseeing. On this trip a lot more memorable hunts for that included 5 packaged animals, 1 day of deep sea fishing, 1 additional animal, and 3 bonus animals with sightseeing days. This was another relaxing trip successfully hunting all quality animals.
A month ago I returned from a 40 day trip in modern Republic of South Africa. I hunted with 4 different outfitters in 3 different areas of RSA.
The first outfitter
@HENRY GRIFFITHS SAFARIS, was in North West Province, 12 hunting days, 14 days total, my package was for 6 animals, added 3 trophy animals and 7 cull animals and 2 days of sightseeing. Included in the cull number is one wounded and lost animal. This was a very relaxing first leg. The package, the add-on package animals, and 3 of the cull animals were quality animals. All of the hunts were top notch with each animal hunted well earned.
The second outfitter was INFINITO Safaris in the Limpopo area. The primary hunts were for 5 different night animal species. Unfortunately, the late rains, full moon, the thick green bush and the lack of cooperation of 4 of the 5 species of night critters the night hunting was abandoned and we finished the last 2 days hunting daytime plains game animals. A total of 7 quality plains game trophy animals, 2 bonus plains game animals, and 5 bonus fowl were successfully hunted.
The third and fourth outfitters are in the same general area of the East Cape, RSA. Two different styles of hunting the general same type terrain.
The third outfitter was the KUBUSI SAFARIS. The initial package included 5 animals was changed. I ended up successfully hunting 7 IMO quality trophy animals and losing 1 wounded animal. Again these were top notch hunts over 11 days 13 days total.
The fourth and final outfitter on this trip was Settlers Safaris, 6 hunting days, 8 days total for 3 animals: 1 cull cow buffalo and 2 trophy waterbuck bulls: 1 successfully hunted and 1 wounded and lost.
Overall hunted totals: 41
Successfully Hunted Trophy and Bonus Animals: 38
Wounded Lost Animals: 3
I don’t have the exact total costs of the trip in front of me at the moment, but it was roughly rounded up between $38,000.00 to $40,000.00 USD including airfare and tips. I'm still waiting on my taxidermy estimate which I roughly calculated around $14,000.00 to $15,00.00 USD plus shipping.
I hunted several of the same species that I hunted on previous trips and a few multiple first time hunted species on this trip and some various color phases of the same species.
My reasons for doing such a long trip and perhaps doing future long trips vs short trips is being able to see more of the country, in this case RSA. And in the costs savings on airfare.
Consider airfare economy class at $1400.00 round trip. On an annual basis 1 short trip per year 4 years airfare alone is $5600.00 vs $1400.00 a savings of $4200.00. Factor in the savings of doing a mix of cull and trophy hunts vs trophy only hunts, checking the Deals and Offers Section here on the forum.
Sure I could have done a one area, 14 to 21 day total, 1 to 4 dangerous game animal hunt(s) or a mix DG & PG hunt(s) for the same costs.
. With all the information and knowledge available nowadays, I wouldn’t have gone nor would have any other member of that hunting group but it was one helluva of an adventure looking back.
