NB Safaris- Anyone?

Heading to Africa with this outfit in 2014. My Dad has been over there twice with them. Obviously, my Dad is sold on them and their prices. Has anyone hunted with Neil before? Just looking for some general feedback. Thanks.

Steve
Holder of a 2012 LE Utah Deer Tag!!

Nbsafaris.com

Steve, I looked at the above site. I do not know you, I don't think anyway, and I do not know this company.

I wasn't going to reply but after reading the web page of the above company several flags went up.

First it appears they have no home place. If true that means they have to rent a farm and a place to stay and come to an agreement with the landowner as to price of staying there and the game hit or killed. This is obviously a middleman issue, so prices may be higher.

Second, he seems to push a local taxidermist and if he does that to his clients it would make me uncomfortable.

Third his daily rate is a touch high on average, probably reflecting he has to hire farms for you to hunt. Probably not a hugely big deal, and maybe nothing to worry about.

Fourth, his trophy fees are higher than you could find at other places, but not outrageously so. I guess it depends what you want to hunt.

Fifth, he states that it's his job to show you a representative of the species,
And If a client wishes to require his own minimum In the size of a trophy, prices would be adjusted accordingly. Now the hair is standing up on the back of my neck. It is this section of his website that made me not skip over your question.
That sounds like it is unusually important for his hunters to shoot what he points at. Maybe I'm wrong, but maybe I'm not.

I have hunted with 2 outfits in SA, and neither looked like this. I could give you an excellent Bowhunt operator for you to research, and there are others on here that would do the same for you. I have hunted Cameroon twice and Tanzania one time. So there are more experienced hands than me here. One last observation, is that Africa is a big place, and though many people go back to the same place year in year out, I have never done so. It's up to what you want to see and how important a certain comfort level is to you.

I will follow along and hope someone alleviates my concern with the fluctuating price based on wether a hunter holds out for something better.


Wherever you go I wish you and your Father a great and memorable Safari.

Safe Travels

Scott- Wow....you went over and beyone. Thanks for your input. As I said, my Dad has gone on two safaris with Neil and has had a good hunt. However, your research is something I will bring up to him.
I know that my Dad has negotiated prices with NB on both of his previous hunts and that may be the case for the higher prices? Maybe Neil figures he'll get haggled down on price....that doesn't seem to be a very smart way to run your business though.

Regarding the areas to hunt- I do not know if he leases hunting rights to certain ranches or what. I'll need to ask my Dad about that.

I know that he will specify which animal to shoot. My Dad screwed up his first year there and shot the wrong impala. It was simply miscommunication. If I'm not mistaken, Neil let him shoot another impala but I'm not sure at what cost.

This trip will probably end up costing me thousands more than what I originally figured. I didn't figure airfare was going to be as expensive as it is. I probably won't be able to shoot as many animals as I'd like to as I am not a rich man and I still have 3 kids at home. I plan on either shooting a kudu or a gemsbok as my "big" animal and shoot 3 or 4 other inexpensive animals.

Daily rate- Well, we already bought the hunt at a Friends of the NRA banquet earlier in the year. It was an auction item and my Dad was the highest bidder. Its a hunt for two for 7 days. Lodging, food, drinks, transportation from the airport to and from the lodge, and an impala and one other animal (forgot what) for $2K. I thought that was an outstanding bargain. We split the $2K and we each will get to hunt. I'm pretty excited about it as most everyone I've talked to say once you go to Africa, you'll want to go back. I hope I don't want to go back cuz I don't know if I'll be able to afford it again. Thanks again for the info. Take care.

Steve
Holder of a 2012 LE Utah Deer Tag!!

You will want to go back. When people ask me why I drive a beater truck and am constantly skimping money so I can go back to Africa, I tell them because Africa feels like home. Enjoy it.

I don't know anything about NB. If you choose to look elsewhere check out www.blaauwkrantz.com and www.kanana.info.

You cannot go wrong at either place.

>I don't know anything about NB.
> If you choose to
>look elsewhere check out www.blaauwkrantz.com
>and www.kanana.info.
>
>You cannot go wrong at either
>place.


+1

Wiszard,
I don't know anything about NB safaris. You got good advice from Navaluk. Since you already bought the hunt through a fundraiser, go and have a good time. You may find your ability to negotiate a bit limited since you are already committed, but you should still have a good time.
Try to get a commitment on where you will hunt when there. I don't mind outfitters that don't hunt their own properties in RSA, but I do want to know I won't be hunting a small property with limited species available. Understand that once you identify your priority species the outfitter will book a location that is suitable for those animals. Ask more questions of the outfitter, and don't necessarily rely on what your Dad tells you from previous trips. DOnated hunts can come with more restrictions than otherwise typical.
Bill

I hunted a huge area in RSA but there are some that are like shooting fish in a tub sadly enough. Just be very upfront that is not your thing. Even the people over there don't like the small pasture areas. Hunt 80k acres and it is amazing.

This is my 6th year with NB Safaris. Let's look at some of the prior comments/suppositions:

1. Neil Barnard owns the farm Rietfontein, the large ranch which headquarters his operation. The property is 2834 hectares or 7000 acres. Terrrain varies from a vast plain to mountains with valleys in them.

2. Species are varied to include cape buffalo and leopard. Hunts for lion can be arranged with cooperating ranches. If you want a particular species, e.g., copper springbok, you will be flown to the Kalhari. There is a good working relationship with an outfitter in Mocambique.

3. During the second week in June 2014, fifteen record book trophies were taken.....all at no upcharge in price. One bushbuck is now no. 16 in the SCI book. The no. 7 waterbuck is fron Neil''s ranch. There are,however,exceptions for exceptional kudu. PHs are well trained and carefully selected.

4. Accommodations are 4 star. Staff have been with Neil for years, are appreciated and treated well.

5. Re taxidermy. Neil does recommend a particular artist and stands behind the work to the extent that if there is a problem he will ahoot another trophy for you at no cost. He does not recommend dip and ship. Write to himm for a copy of the "Dip and Ship" monograph.

6. Pre- or post-hunt trips to Kruger Park,, Botswana, Capetown, and Inhassoro, Mocambique (for fishing) are available at reasonable price. Trips are escorted by a professional staff member.

7. Pricing is fair and equitable. There are no hidden charges.

8. Neil has built his business by hard work, exceptional client service, and personality. He is one of the largest outfitters in South Africa, his clients harvesting 800 to 1000 trophies per year.

Go on your hunt and enjoy!!!

EagleOne

This is just my opinion, nothing more, so take it for what its worth.

I've looked at NB Safaris, as they seem to be a donor at nearly every Ducks Unlimited or California Waterfowl Association fundraiser I've been to for the last few years. They always have a minimum bid price which is high and not a deal at all, especially when you take into account their fee schedule for trophy fees. They strike me as over-priced compared to some other operations that I know to be quality safari operators and they also strike me as a high volume safari operator, which I have always tended to avoid. I go for the smaller, more personalized operations as I believe the quality is higher.

I understand that NB has fans and some people have nice hunts with then. I however, seek a different experience and when I go back to Africa either next year or in 2016, it'll be with a different operator. I've only been on 4 safaris spanning 68 hunting days, but all of my safaris have been very good, never had a problem with any safari operator or PH I've been with in South Africa, Botswana or Zimbabwe. I'm not sure which country my son and I will go to next, so the exact safari company hasn't been selected yet but we've narrowed it down to one or two operators in each country, and all are safari operators that I know to be good and reputable at producing quality hunts for the animals we are interested in hunting. For us, NB is not on the list.

If anyone goes with NB, good luck and I'd be interested in hearing how you do.

Hi Steve I'm still new to this site but check out our website www.inyalasafaris.co.za

I saw this post earlier when I was looking for similar info on NB Safari. I recently returned and thought I'd add my experience for future readers...

I'm sad to say my NB Safari experience was my worst vacation experience ever. My overall experience with South Africa, Johannesburg, and the bush were great, but if I were to ever go back for another Safari, I would definitely find another outfit.

Neil Barnard (the owner of NB Safari) is 100% business and is best described as a used car salesman. His first priority is to squeeze every penny from the hunters he can. Providing hunters with quality animals and a good hunting experience is somewhere further down his list. On my first day he asked what I wanted to hunt. The Gemsbok was 2nd on my list. In spite of them advertising the animal on their Web site, he told me they don't have any on their property and ?We'll see if we go somewhere else to hunt one. In the meantime, I needed to hunt the property HARD. Afterwards, he'd see what he could do.? I'm not quite sure how to take what he said, but I'm pretty sure he was trying to tell me that if I hunt enough animals on his property, he might help me out. I was given 2.5 HOURS on my final day to find and shoot a Gemsbok on a different property. Obviously, I didn't find anything and went home empty handed. Nonetheless, hunting someplace else gave me an opportunity to see another ranch. Based on what I saw, the other ranch had way more animals and much much nicer animals than they had on the NB Safari Ranch. The irony, is if I had a chance at a full day to hunt a Gemsbok earlier in the week and came up short, I would likely have taken a Nyala in place of a Gemsbok (FYI, the Nyala is a much more expensive animal than the Gemsbok). Since my opportunity to hunt a Gemsbok on my final day was from 3:30 to 6:00 at night, I really didn't have an opportunity to hunt anything else even if I wanted.

Pros:
The NB Safari Ranch staff were very nice and were wonderful people. The cleaning staff took exceptional good care of the rooms. The cooks did a good job in preparing wild game for lunch and dinner.

Maids did daily laundry

Our PH was an amazing spotter and tracker.

Cons:
NB Safari misrepresents what animals they have to hunt

I was cheated of one of my hunting days (7 days paid for) because he wanted to take everyone on a one day Dove hunt at $450/person. I did not go since I wasn't on Safari to hunt dove which I can do in my back yard.

The PHs will tell you every animal you have an opportunity to shoot ?is a nice one?. After you start seeing more animals after initial takes, you start to realize there are many nicer animals out there with plenty of opportunities to take them (not all, but definitely for a few species).

When we first got there, I was excited to see all the animals. Unfortunately, if they weren't on your list to shoot, the PH wasn?t about to stop to let you look at them.

Our PH barely spoke English and was very soft spoken, so for the week we were there we didn't get much of an opportunity to learn about the animals or South Africa.

The Driver who took us back to the airport was falling asleep at the wheel. I had to start talking to him and asking him questions to keep him awake and from running us off the road.

GrandFX, I'm sorry to read of your experience. Unfortunately, I'm not at all surprised. You just confirmed my impression of them. I'll be interested in seeing them at a fundraising dinner soon, and will ask them some rather pointed questions.

I was a little concerned after reading GrandFX's message after I had already booked a hunt with NB Safaris'. Well my son and I just returned from our hunt with NB Safaris and it was the best vacation I have ever had. Our experience with Neil and his staff was outstanding. The accommodations, food, and equipment were top shelf. We were treated like family. Both my son and I purchased the plains game package and our PH and tracker put us on the game and we harvested six animals each. All of the animals were very respectable trophies thanks to our PH recommending passing up numerous opportunities at lesser size animals.
Neil owns the ranch where the lodge and accommodations are located and it is approximately 10 square miles in size. We had four other hunters in camp making it a total of 6 hunters which is the maximum Neil will book for his facility. To keep the pressure on the animals limited, Neil put us and the other hunters on three other ranches. This was done in rotation over the course of a week. From my discussions with the other hunters in camp, one was a return client, all indicated that they would be booking hunts with NB Safaris' in the future, I know I will. In regards to the taxidermist, She and Neil have a long history together. They work together to ensure your trophy's are properly prepared for mounting and that it is a hassle free experience and the rates are reasonable. Frankly, NB Safaris' earned every penny and my son and I had an experience of a life time!

Interesting that you appear 2 years after this thread died and that your very first MM post is a ringing endorsement. Just sayin...

I saw that as well and wasn't going to say anything. I just checked their website and how they stay in business with their pricing is beyond me. It's stupidly outrageous especially when they don't get glowing reviews. I just recently got back from a trip with Kowas Safaris whom get many high remarks from everyone that goes there but more importantly they also don't think their animals are made of pure gold. If I would have paid these kinds of prices, I'd have spent $22,325 just in trophy fees for plains game. Yes plains game! 7000 for my Kudu alone. Even if they had good reviews online, I'd never even remotely consider them and I'd always steer people in a different direction to companies that will give you a great safari at a fraction of this cost, while being able to shoot just as big animals as well. Good thing we have choices, literally hundreds and hundreds of other choices....

A couple of years ago I went to NB Safaris and it was a nice trip but a few things that were just stated above I did not see. Every animal we saw was a nice animal(per the PH) and we were never told to pass, wait the one large Impala we saw and we would told we needed to pass on it.

I thought the "SHE" in taxidermy is Neil's ex-wife, assume its part of the breakup deal and the pressure to use her is fierce.

Prices are high and not worth the quality I saw and this 3 ranch thing we did not see and never heard about rotation. Also they have huts for well beyond 6 people and the way Neil is he would put as many people as he can.

Again it was my first hunt to Africa and we had a good overall experience, but would not go back to NB again.

MDNDEER