Head to South Africa in July

2lumpy

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My son recently purchased a hunting Safari in South Africa, Limpopo Province, for the last week in July this year. He was invited my wife and I to go. We are very much looking forward to the opportunity.

I've always been interested and fascinate with the African Continent and the vast history there. Some years ago I read Mitchener's "The Convent" and found it very insightful and very informative. I need to dig it out again and refresh my memory.

We have discussed traveling to Johannesburg four or five days prior to the start of our hunting activities, in order to visit some of the other special places in So. Africa.

We have considered renting a vehicle and driving out to Kruger National Park, to see some of the sights there. I don't believe we'll have enough time to see it all but would like to see some of what is there to see, in two or three days. We would appreciate any suggestions as to what others have found most interesting at Kruger, and we sure could us some input into the ins and outs of a "do it yourself tour of the Park", vs hiring a tour company, from some of you folks who already been down that road.

I've been told there are some other very interesting and worthwhile things to do/see in Johannesburg, such as a visit to the open air market places, so see, feel and smell the culture of the city. Has anyone had that experience? Is it safe, if you are DYI.

Are there other places, in Johannesburg or Limpopo Province, to see and things to do, that you could suggest, that we should see while we are there.

I know there are many MMers that have spent a lot of time in So, Africa, and I can't think of a better group to ask than you ladies and gentlemen, in as much as our interest, in all things outdoors, have a very common thread. I'm pretty sure, if you enjoyed it, so would we. :)

Thank you for your assistance!

DC
 
Other than the Johannesburg airport, I have no experience there and cannot comment on any activities around there.

I have been to SA twice and am perfectly happy to sit in the passenger seat and leave the driving to the locals. They drive on the "wrong" side of the road and I constantly feel like I should be on the right side. I considered renting a car and doing a short drive up the Garden Route and at the last minute hired a guide. Sooo glad I did as I would have been road pizza on more than one occasion.
 
if your going in towards the end of july and planning on heading over to kruger swing by camp. i will be in a camp in the timbivati ony 30 minutes from the kruger main gate. gonna hunt a buffalo and other things and then take my wife down to cape town where all the winerys and vineyards and pretty things are. steer clear of sun city. its a waste of time. have someone take u out spotlighting the river edges at night for bushbuck and african wildcats. its awesome. anyways i will be around in the area so if u get in trouble u might wanna look into getting my sat phone number.
 
Thank you for the invite Stomper. I read your post about taking your Bride to Africa this spring. I was glad to hear you were doing well and had found a special lady to share your life with. I wish you all the best.

PM me your Sat phone number. I may very well get in touch with you while we are there. If anyone knows their way around over there I'm sure it's you. If your only 30 minutes for Kruger I will defiantly try to come see you. Hope a world record buffalo wanders out of the brush for you.

Do you drive or fly from Johannesburg to Cape Town. I'd really love to go there but not sure if the distance and the time will make it possible.

Thanks for the intel on Sun City and the night spotlighting on the river edges. I will make sure we do that.

Good to hear from you T.

DC
 
I always stay at Africa Sky guesthouse when in Johannesburg, and use their excellent service to clear the rifles. Most fellows stay there for only one night after their flights but I like to stay a bit longer. They do airport arrival pickup and departures, will make local arrangements for you, and they do a very nice steak dinner.

It is a good idea to get to the destination country early enough to rest after the long flight before starting a hunt.

The lion park may interest you.

Keep a close eye on your belongings in the Johannesburg airport!
 
if you took a short flight to cap town I dont think you would be disappointed,beautiful city. I choose to surf jbay for 5 days, along with endless animal parks, and dove with white sharks,in a cage ,just outside cap town. I would do it all over again every time I go.
 
>if you took a short flight
>to cap town I dont
>think you would be disappointed,beautiful
>city. I choose to surf
>jbay for 5 days, along
>with endless animal parks, and
>dove with white sharks,in a
>cage ,just outside cap town.
>I would do it all
>over again every time I
>go.


Cage Diving with sharks is an absolute scream and worth every cent.
 
LAST EDITED ON Mar-20-17 AT 10:36PM (MST)[p]Gentlemen, thank you for the suggestions, I'm sure the cage dive with the sharks was amazing. I think Cape Town is a little too far away for us to see, although, the city and the land animal parks would be of most interest, if we are fortunate enough to get there.

Seamaster, I did a little research on the Africa Sky Guesthouse. I appreciate the suggestion, it looks like it would be an ideal location to stay, while in Johannesburg. Very reasonably prices. It would be great if there were lodging facilities of that quality and price in the US or Canada. If there were, I do a lot more traveling here at home. :)

The Lion Park looks interesting. It looks like they provide a lot of very close proximate to lions and lion cubs. In as much as we are planning a visit to Kruger National Park, do you think we'll be duplicating the viewing of lions, if we go to both locations?

We'll do what we can do watch for our baggage at the airport. Any specific suggestions.

Has anyone flown to Johannesburg via Emirates Airlines, through Dubai?

Thanks
DC
 
When I stay at AS and use their service I am guided through customs by a fellow that will be holding a sign with my name on it. He hands me off to the driver (most likely Gilbert - a fine fellow!) who will be waiting after customs. He guides me through everything you need to do at JNB, including clearing firearms.

Just do not accept "help" from anyone that is not approved by the driver. JNB is a den of thieves so do not let any of them near your luggage, luggage cart, or pockets.

My wife normally travels with me and she really enjoys staying at AS also. Oueen and the rest of the staff are top notch, and the owners are usually around and very helpful. For dinner I almost always order the steak and the cake covered with custard for desert. There are plenty of other things on the menu but that is my favorite by far.

Whatever sights you see will probably be decided by the amount of time you have. If you are going to stay in Joberg for a few days there are the local historical sights celebrating the takeover of the country by the indigenous population, shopping (such as it is), and some excursions (lion park, etc.). I like to stay on the grounds for a day or so just to get normal before venturing out. The travel and the time change can be exhausting.

We used to fly through Europe but now we just bite the bullet and fly directly from ATL. We have not traveled through Dubai, but I have heard from some guys that it is worth the bit of extra travel time that it takes.
 
I fouled up typing and am having trouble editing.

I meant to say "Queen and the rest of the staff are top notch, and the owners are usually around and are very helpful", but it looks like I typed Queen's name as Oueen.
 
Thanks again Seamaster.

We are going to rent our firearms from the outfitter. Not what we would do if we were planning to hunt dangerous game but for plains game, we would rather do that than mess with the "clearing process" associated with bring our own weapons. Unconventional I suppose but that's what we'll be doing.

I appreciate your sharing the airport information, we will be sure to keep your cautions in mind as we enter the country.

DC
 
DeLoss,

You've gotten some good advice so far. Tell Scott to feel free to call me if he'd like to discuss some ideas about South Africa. Been there before and probably gong back again next year.

One note of caution... I would not go anywhere unescorted, especially in bigger towns and absolutely not in Joberg. I used to walk all over downtown Johannesburg many years ago. It was about 3/4 of a mile from the Landrost Hotel to Carlton Center and I always felt safe. Now, that area is flat out dangerous for any tourist to be on their own. The politicians, especially Zuma, are stirring up hate toward whites right now, so you want to only travel escorted by knowledgeable South Africans. I've traveled around Kruger on my own and would feel safe doing that, but only after getting to the park or a nearby town like Phalaborwa.

Tell Scott to feel free to call me if he'd like.
 
I second what CAelknuts said, I was in Joberg last May and June, it was a scary place. We had to be escorted at night to dinner and the place where we stayed had razor wire all around it. The PH's recommended that the next time we come to RSA to visit Cape Town as someone suggested, that's what I would do. By the way, I wondered why the PH's all carried sidearms, now I know. Many local ranchers have been attacked and killed, that's no way to live! Good luck and be safe!
 
I was hoping you'd be available to offer your insights Dan. I have been after Scott to call you, I will get right after him to do it. With the comments made here I think we need some very specific direction, especially if we are going to go touring prior to head off to our hunting destination. That will mean the PH will not be meeting us at the airport, so it sounds like we need to be sure to make other arrangements to get us out of Johannesburg in one piece.

I knew there had been a lot of changes in South Africa in the last 15/20 years but I was not aware that things had move as far as they apparently have, so far as been a dangerous place for American tourists. In light of that, are there other alternatives to flying into Johannesburg, if we are hunting in Limpopo Province.

All most large African cities as dangerous as you;ve described Johannesburg?

Thanks for sharing Sako75.

Thanks
DC
 
Johannesburg is a dangerous city as any other city is...

These guys can help:
http://www.aftonguesthouse.com/
http://www.africasky.co.za/

http://www.hunterspermitsafrica.co.za/


From OR Thambo it is rather simple to go to Limpopo / NW or Mpumalanga Provinces - one way in and out from the airport and no need to go through Johannesburg. Take the R21 from OR Tambo to the N1 North to Limpopo, or N4 East to Mpumalanga or N4 to the NW province. From the airport it roughly about 15 miles to reach all of these intersections.

If you don't have enough time for visiting KNP, rather route to Pilanesberg National Park (BIG 5)and or Sun City - 100miles from OR Tambo. Hartebeestpoort Dam has a open flea market (Chameleon Village) on route to Pilanesberg National Park





Patrick
Think it...Dream it...Experience it...
 
DeLoss,

You can fly from OR Tambo to either Phalaborwa or Hoedspruit, both of which are in Limpopo. If you fly into Phalaborwa, you can rent a vehicle and drive right into Kruger from town. You'd then spend the night at Letaba Camp, which typically has some huge elephant bulls around, as well as the elephant museum. If in Letaba, you must go there, as they have most of the great tusk eras on display. It's awesome. No matter which camps you stay in, all reservations must be made in advance. My favorite camp is Satara, and they have excellent options there for lodging and better food than the other camps.

You guys will love South Africa, just gotta be smart and careful how you go about the trip.
 
afton house and all those places are ok but i love the hotel in the airport. its much easier and nicer than the guest houses and you font have to worry about being picked up. if your going on a safari im sure you will have ur outfitter take care of you. so the afton house etc are kinda a waste of money.

just let your ph take care of you. once you land EVERYONE is an expert and a pro. just minimize your interaction with all the locals as much as possible. if u need a city guide just ask ur ph or call me.


its also a wise call tonrent guns. every moron thinks they HAVE to take their guns. guns only make traveling a nightmare. they take up so much friggin space. i wont be traveling with guns on safari anytime soon. all guns ive used shoot straight enough and dead is dead.
 
Next time I go to RSA I would stay at the airport as Stomper suggested. I was supposed to stay at Afton House but Annelise over booked and we were bought to The Eland House. The gentleman that owned the Eland House was a great guy, nothing fancy but very clean. This gentleman shuttled us to Afton house for dinner. I had a very small steak for $25 at Afton House. When we were leaving Eland House the gentleman wanted paid even though Annelise said to pay her and she would work it out with him. We paid for our stay and went back to Afton House for breakfast and Annelise didn't charge anyone for breakfast because of the confusion.

My hunting buddy and I used the gun permit service through Afton House and when I arrived at the airport the "gun guy" didn't have my permit and he had to go back to Afton House to get it adding an hour onto to the process and after a 15 hour flight from JFK I wasn't real happy.
 
LAST EDITED ON Mar-23-17 AT 10:28PM (MST)[p]I'm headed back in July for the 3rd time. Hunting the same area Lumpy. Send me a PM if you'd like.

I'd advise the following:

1- rent a gun.
2- do not over night in Jo-berg. Your Outfitter should take care of you the second you get off the plane.
3- meet and greet is a waste of money
4- leave most of your trophies there, take a lot of pics.
5- Stay about 10 days. 7 days is too little imo.
6- be sure your phone provider knows you are traveling. Make sure your plan will cover it.
7- Use whatsapp (if you have wifi)
8- Take 1/4 the clothes you think that you'll need
9- Take a coat. It's actually cold in the mornings

And finally, Stomper knows a lot about Africa and knows a lot more than me.

Enjoy your trip
 
LAST EDITED ON Mar-24-17 AT 10:53PM (MST)[p]Dan, Scott has sent you a PM. He's trying to get a hold of you. Thank you so much for your assistance.

STOMPER, I really appreciate your help. I'd like to give you a call, if you don't mind. If you don't mind, PM me you NM phone number.

woodruffhunter, I very much enjoyed you message. It added a few more specifics that will be helpful, for sure.

I so very much appreciate everyone's suggestions, cautions, specific and general information. It has been most insightful and I am starting to, at the least, get somewhat of and idea as to the processes, systems, and detail, of how these Rep. of So. Africa hunts/visits come together. Please, those that have sharing information, know how much I appreciate it. and to those that haven't as yet participated in this discussion, please don't hesitate to post your experiences and knowledge as well, even if you think it my be incidental or repetitive. What may incident or obvious to you, I assure you, isn't incident or obvious to me. :) Also, if it's repetitive, it will just reinforce what others have said, if that makes sense.

I'm a guy that don't deal with surprises very well, I'd way rather have too much information, that not enough. ;-)

So.... havng said that, we are moving forward, getting things put in place.

Here is where we are at, at this point, in as much as, it will help clarify why I'm asking some of the questions, that may seem obvious but because we are going about this a little differently, or at this point wanting to, it might help explain why I'm asking questions with otherwise obvious answers.

We have now booked our flights, we are traveling by way of Seattle, Dubai, and will arrive in Johannesburg early in the morning.

Our Outfitter, from Limpopo Province, would be more than happy to pick us up at the Airport, however.......we are arriving five days prior to the start of our hunt. We did it that way, so we would spend some time seeing some of So. Africa before we start hunting. So it doesn't seem practical to have the Outfitter meet us at the Airport, as he normally would. We are not frustrated, at all, with our Outfitter. As I mentioned previously, many of our friends and neighbors have hunted with him and we have met him here in Utah. He is very well liked and he has been more than happy to do what ever works best for us.

We are renting firearms from the Outfitter, because we do not want to encumber the trip worrying about permits, going and returning home. STOMPER pretty much stated it how we feel. As have others, We don't see the need. We've all shot umpteen different rifles, over the years, I can't image we can't adapt to whatever the Outfitter is renting.

Our Outfitter has offered to arrange a tour for us, however, commercial tours are not what we have typically done, on other trips, to other places we've visited, because we prefer the flexiblity of get a list of the good places to see, then travel to them on our own, so we can leave early or extend our stay, if we find that we want to see more of what perks our interest. Or to change our schedule, if some changes our mind about what we want to see. That is our normal practice but we know we are traveling to an entirely different environmemt-culture-system of government-law enforcement - business practices, etc. than anything we've previously encountered, so we are wanting to make sure that we're not doing something foolhardy or worse. And your assistance has been most helpful, to say the least.

Just got a message from another hunter, that the lodging facilities in Krugar National Park get sold out, a year in advance, so the only option is to find lodging outside the Park. Can anyone confirm that. Also, we've been told the lodging facilities charge considerable more for tourists, than they show on their web pages, which they say are the prices they charge residents of RSA. Have you found that to be the case?

Thanks again.
DC
 
As it looked at google's maps of RSA, it looks like there is a rather a complex road system that must be navigated to get from the airport at Johannesburg to Kruger National Park. Have any of you driven there in a rent car? Was it straight forward or somewhat difficult.

Are there motels/hotels/lodging, in and around Kruger National Park, that aren't Tour only facilities. ie: that you can book, spend the night and then move onto another, down the road, like we do here in America when we are touring the country in a rental car? Most every thng I've seen on the internet, associated with Kruger, when it comes to lodging, are all including day tours along with their lodging, and their prices reflect the extra services offered.

DC
 
DeLoss, go to the Sanparks website and you'll be able to find lodging options at each camp. I think you'll find the camps, lodging and food in the park to be fine, though the restaurant in Oliphants and Letaba left something to be desired. Satara had good restaurant and was my favorite camp. If you stay there, try to get the Stanley Guesthouse. It is a beautiful 2,600 sq ft home that sleeps 9. The cottages are also nice, but smaller. I would not recommend staying in rondavels at any camp.

Staying at a lodge in a private game reserve is well worth doing. Check out Monwana Lodge in the Thornybush Game Reserve. www.monwana.com We loved it there.
 
I would never book a commercial "tour", but have hired my PH or other local to give my wife and I a personal tour when in RSA. We've driven from Phalaborwa in the Limpopo all the way to Durban and Port Elizabeth. I would NEVER do this alone. With just one guide, you still set the agenda, do whatever you want, but have someone familiar with the local scene. It is inexpensive, and worth the cost. While I've done some limited driving in RSA, it is dangerous in general, with most roads 2 lanes, and you share them with everything from semis to donkey carts. Traveling after dark is something most locals won't even do, simply because of the hazards on the road.

You seem set on exploring Jo'berg, but I see no need to visit a large city. Go to Hoedspruit or Phalaborwa as mentioned earlier, direct from Jo'berg, and tour the park, the cheetah / lion park, or plenty of other tourist sights in the area. You will get the flavor of the Limpopo region.

Just like the diversity in the US, RSA is pretty different from one end to the other. Cape Town are is nothing like the Limpopo, nor the Free State. You can't see it all in even 2 weeks, so just enjoy the area you are in, and visit somewhere else next time.

BTW, you haven't mentioned who you will be hunting with. Curious minds want to know... :)

Bill
 
ok dont let ur outfitter pick u up and take you away from joberg. only shitty outfitters that have no f'ing clue do that. ive been to africa 30 or 40 times. when u get in at 8 u want a quick bite and bed. not a damn 2-4 hr drive to camp etc.

stay at the airport. if u need help call bruce. tell him u hate gracie travel and want only him. but if u cant ask for directions through an airport and want to drop $100 on bruck then so be it but bruce is a local contact who is better than everyone.

that being said rent guns. its so much easier.

finally dont hunt the same area/outfitter more than twice. you need experience and using the same outfitter and hunting the same area more than twice is just ludicrus.

everyone on here lumpy is a damn expert. if theyve been more than once their the only ones that know whats going on so dont waste my time.

however if you want some honest non opinionated advice please feel free to call me. if you need anything i have hundreds of contacts from cape town to centurion to gabrone, lusaka, windhoeke, pemba etc.

just one thing to keep your mind thinking. road blocks in mozambique. take extra drivers licenses because when they loose yours after checking your id its nice to have extra laminated photo copies for the next road block so you dont have to pay $5 each time to get your license back.

anyways thats just one of the millions of scams. just gimme a call at 575-616-1179. text ahead because if i dont know your number i dont answer. i have all my oil rigs running and im busy but i make time for hunting.
 
Thanks again T, you've been very helpful already. I certainly agree on the twice and move on comment. Like every other continent, Africa is a tremendously divers place and at seems like a guy should try to see as many different places as he can.

Glad to hear your rigs are all back on a hole. A guy has got to make hay while the sun's shining. Good times!!!

If we end up getting over near Timbivati I'll try to give you a call.

I sure understand you comment on "expert" comments. I think, at times, I can be that way myself. When people ask for information I like to offer what I can, and I know there a many that know far more than I do but I just want to try to help folks, when I can. I have really appreciated all those that have shared information. When you know nothing, you have to start somewhere and eventually, with enough input, from numerous sources, you begin to get better at sorting through the options, like those you mentioned regarding sleeping at the airport facilities, and renting rifles, etc.

I hope your sweetheart shoots a bigger Sable than yours!!!! :) She'll need to get up early!!

It would really be fun to share a diet Coke with you folks, over an African sunset.

DC
 
did you say diet coke? im preparing for another body building show right now. you think come july, 1 month after my show, im gonna drink a diet coke? watch your mouth!
 
Geez STOMPER, what you got against a few onunces of bad tasting, carbonated bottled water? I use it to brush my teeth. :D
 

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