Take your time getting this one right, and make her part of the decision process. Try not to make any assumptions. My bride and I travel together a lot (a real lot), and have a great time playing tourist. However, she is not into the whole African game experience. Probably something about having her fill of the great outdoors hauling water and herding sheep and cattle on a remote Kansas farm in all weathers growing up.
I dragged her to Namibia once, where we had very, very comfortable quarters, and fun doing some of the local cultural things to include the Skeleton Coast. (I particularly enjoyed educating our guide on the Herero War
) However, every day you are doing that, you are not hunting. And if she really isn't into the bouncing around the bush, optional things can get limited pretty quickly over a week or ten days. And make sure you are there when the weather allows use of the pool, etc. If it is a warmer month, make sure she really is OK sitting around reading a book while you are playing Ernest Hemingway - mine doesn't do that all that well.
For us, Africa really is too much of a hunting commitment to work well as a thing for us to do together. As others have noted, other non-hunting spouses have a totally different reaction and experience.
We have found what works for us is the three-day hunt combined with a week of playing tourist in Europe or South America. We will be doing that in Argentina in July and Austria in September. I then tend to go to the wild places in Africa on my own.
You have one shot to get her first experience in Africa right (no pressure at all!) - spend some time working on it.
I dragged her to Namibia once, where we had very, very comfortable quarters, and fun doing some of the local cultural things to include the Skeleton Coast. (I particularly enjoyed educating our guide on the Herero War
) However, every day you are doing that, you are not hunting. And if she really isn't into the bouncing around the bush, optional things can get limited pretty quickly over a week or ten days. And make sure you are there when the weather allows use of the pool, etc. If it is a warmer month, make sure she really is OK sitting around reading a book while you are playing Ernest Hemingway - mine doesn't do that all that well. For us, Africa really is too much of a hunting commitment to work well as a thing for us to do together. As others have noted, other non-hunting spouses have a totally different reaction and experience.
We have found what works for us is the three-day hunt combined with a week of playing tourist in Europe or South America. We will be doing that in Argentina in July and Austria in September. I then tend to go to the wild places in Africa on my own.
You have one shot to get her first experience in Africa right (no pressure at all!) - spend some time working on it.
) so her accompanying me as an observer is out of the question.
