For the "TLDR" crowd: this is gonna be written in several installments for the benefit of anyone contemplating a first trip to Africa. Be advised...

Hunting Africa is, without doubt, a disease. I accidently contracted a near-fatal case of it as a youngster back in the ‘60s by innocently reading the late Jack O’Conner’s tales of hunting the dark continent. My Dad evidently carried some natural immunity to the condition, as he never gave Africa a second thought, but his son lacked the necessary titer to resist the pervasive virus; and the only treatment that I found that offered any relief was to consume everything “African” in print that I could get my hands on. A personal library formed that included the likes of old Africa hands like Selous, Stigand, Roosevelt, Bell, Hemingway and Blixen. My self-medication continued with the addition of more modern-day works by Robert Ruark, Harry Tennison, Elgin Gates, Ian Nyschens and Tony Henley. Doses of their offerings always provided some measure of relief in the short term but, inevitably, the craving would return…and stronger than ever. By 1995 I was in my mid-30s, married, with a young family. Hard work (when I wasn’t daydreaming about Africa) and a frugal lifestyle meant that there were some funds available for permanent treatment, so I made a fateful decision: I would go and hunt Africa and purge my system of this disease once and for all.

So, in June of 1995 the She-Wolf and I pitched up in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. The trip was a little better than a year in the works, with planning and studying (and fretting and planning some more) preparing me for the exorcism of this demon that had plagued me all this time. The trip was, as almost all “first” safaris are, incredible. Every sight, every smell, every sound, every experience was brand new…and the realization that I was finally THERE was almost overwhelming. Every moment was fresh as newly fallen snow and yet seemingly as familiar as comfortable old clothes. As experienced hunters already, it only took moments for us to pick up on what we should (and shouldn’t) do as shooting clients, and we were quickly absorbed into our professional hunter’s merry band. Where Jane had initially been addressed by the formal “madame” by the trackers, she soon became “mama” to the guys, with all the respect that that name engendered. As for me, I was HOME…in a place I’d only visited before in my dreams.

But CURED? Hardly. My thinking that this would be a “one and done” exercise merely showed how little I understood about this disease. For the next twenty years, I fed my Africa addiction to the extent that a high-school graduate working for a major oil company could manage and, while the intervening trips were all wonderful in their own right, they never quite matched the excitement and enthusiasm of that FIRST safari.

But Africa finds a way! Enter Michael, a friend and co-worker of forty years whose career path has intersected mine repeatedly over the years. Michael has hunted extensively over the US and Alaska (no doubt pursuing his own disease!) but had never “done Africa.” During a visit here a few years ago, the subject came up and we swatted the idea around a bit, ultimately giving the thought of a “joint safari” a green light. I reached out to a few outfitters and got some current pricing (our last safari was in ’15) and started getting the requisite basic information together. Of course, REAL LIFE has a brutal ability to torpedo plans and the death of our daughter in June 2022 did exactly that. Oh, Jane and I remained fully functional in the aftermath, but that was about it…neither of us had much fire in our bellies to do anything “exciting”…

In times like that, friends can often be counted on to come to the rescue (intentionally or not!) and that’s largely what happened. Last fall, another friend contacted us with a suggestion: we’d had to scrub a “three couple” dove-shooting trip to Argentina back when the COVID circus was in town and he’d suggested that early 2024 was the time to finally make that trip happen. As a happy coincidence, Michael and his lady were one of the three couples! The six of us had a grand time: touring Buenos Aires for a couple of days and then hopping over to Cordoba for a few days of hot-barrel wingshooting and gourmet food and wine consumption. By the time we returned to the States, it was obvious that the remaining clouds from Liz’ death had parted and Africa once again beckoned.

So we picked up largely where we’d left off two years ago…and the puzzle pieces began falling into place almost of their own volition. While Jane and I had done four hunts in the western part of the country, we thought it was time to visit the southeastern part…and experiencing it with Guy Whittall of Roger Whittall Safaris in the Save Valley Conservancy sounded too good to pass up! Better still, we’d be sharing the “first safari” experience with friends in 2025…thirty years after our own first time!

Next installment: Make a Plan

Who ARE these children? The She-Wolf and I on our way to our first camp along the Zambezi River in 1995. That's the Batoka Gorge with Zambia across the river...

Inspiring and anticipating the installments. I too have long had the bug and made 'first' earlier this year at 59. Working on next one.

[quote=Working on next one.[/quote]

Welcome to the machine!

Great write up, looking forward to the rest of them.

Great story so far! Keep it coming!

On a side note, I lost my daughter when she was 6. I have always found solace and comfort in the outdoors when the intrusive thoughts of losing her inevitably come creeping in. My happy place is SE Alaska chasing blacktails and bears. It's a feeling that is hard to quantify or explain but I can tell you get it. It's not a club anyone ever wants to be in, but a club all the same.

I look forward to hearing the rest of the story!

John V.

We have always wanted to go to Africa. But at 78 & 75, not sure about the physical requirements.
We almost went and then right before we put our money down, we lost our daughter of 19 years.
She was my hunting partner and being out in the woods seemed to bring a little of her back to me for a time.
Africa got tossed into the corner. That was 25 years ago, and so I am thinking about it once again.

'Glad you're headed back. I've been in the Save, but not with Whitall's outfit. I did meet Guy when we were hunting their trial concessions in Mozambique. I think he closed down that attempt.

Capt.JVH and Mr. T,

You both have my sincere condolences. We lost Liz at 38...as Cap observes, it's a club no one wants to join. Like her mother, she was a fine shot with rifle and pistol but never caught the hunting bug (although she joined us in Zim in 1998).

Mr. T, I think you'd be surprised...I know a PH in Zambia that had a gentleman much older than yourself in the field and got him a buffalo! Speak with reputable outfitters and be honest about any physical problems you have and wonderful options will materialize. For the most part, Africa is neither an assault on Everest nor the Bataan Death March (unless, of course, you WANT it to be!).

I'd love any details you'd like to share about the Save. It's a real success story!

Did you hear that Guy got caught by a wounded spottie back in April? Another PH had a client wound the cat and Guy and others went in after it the next morning. He got his scalp ripped up and one arm chewed before another PH could stick a 10 gauge between them and blow the leopard off of him. Back in the field in less than a month!

I was on Hammond in the Save Conservancy; American owners (and big Obummer supporters). It's been awhile. I know the Whitalls were key to making Save work.

Nothing gets a camp quite as riled up as a leopard refusing to die! 'Glad it was "just a scratch" for Guy.

Well, there's "scratched" and then there's "SCRATCHED"...

Second Installment- “Make a Plan”

Planning for a safari is really no different than planning any large undertaking, and I’ve found the career guidance that I received from an old mentor years ago invaluable. He taught that you needed to know three things for any successful journey: where you’re going, how you’re going to get there, and the sense to know when you’ve arrived!

First consideration: Know “where” you are going.

This isn’t just about location; it’s about objective. Where African hunting is related, it’s really more about the species that you’re interested in hunting as not all species occur in all areas. For our trip in 2025, the top target species will be buffalo (as it was for me in 1995). Since many African countries have thriving buffalo populations, things get somewhat easier…but what OTHER species might you be interested in taking? It’s sometimes hard to get all those coons up the same tree! Plus, there are other factors to consider. For instance, what kind of “African” experience are you after? The further you get from “civilization”, the more spartan the camps will likely be. Also, costs will increase as the complexity of travel does. A trip to South Africa will land you in Johannesburg and, depending upon area, will have you picked up and hunting very soon. For our trip to the Save Conservancy, we’ll overnight in Johannesburg, fly up to Harare the next morning, and then charter down to the hunting area…and all that adds to the bottom line.
One thing is certain: communication between “here and there” is phenomenally easier today than thirty years ago…so getting questions asked and answered is a snap by comparison. Heck, I still have copies of the LETTERS I wrote to my professional hunter prior to our 1995 trip. Yep…snail mail. In contrast, for 2025 I’ve been swapping information with Guy Whittall via email and WhatsApp…it doesn’t get much faster than that!

Second consideration: how are you going to get there?

Now, a trip to Africa isn’t a journey to the dark side of the moon and back…and that’s a good thing. There are potential pitfalls and, thankfully, there are folks who live and breathe this stuff that can help out! I’ve done it both ways (with help and without) and using your resources (especially for a first safari) will likely make things go SO much smoother and help make the trip a dream come true…and not a waking nightmare!

Begin with a reputable outfitter here in the States. They know the hunting operations that they have access to and can steer you to areas (and operators) that can deliver what you seek. Keep in mind that both the outfitter here and the hunting operation there WANT you to have the time of your life so it’s imperative that they understand your expectations so they know whether they can meet them. A case in point: after speaking to the stateside outfitter that I’d selected back then, he recommended a) a country (Zimbabwe, as it had the species I wanted), b) a hunting operation (Matapula Hunters) and c) a professional hunter (Mark Butcher, a partner in Matapula Hunters). He also suggested that I come over for the Houston Safari Club show and visit with “Butch” and see what I thought. I arrived and met briefly with Butch but arranged to speak with him at length a bit later in the day. When I returned, Butch was visiting with a man who was interested in taking a lion. As I eavesdropped, I heard Butch explain that while he HAD lions in his area and they WERE on quota, he was reluctant to book a hunt for lion exclusively as he felt the chance of success was too “iffy”. Instead, he suggested that the potential client book a buffalo hunt and that they’d spend the bulk of the time focused on taking a lion…and if that didn’t materialize then he could take his buffalo and not be entirely disappointed. I don’t know what the client ultimately decided, but I watched a man potentially lose a “sale” in the interest of honesty. Yeah, I booked with him…and ultimately made four safaris with Matapula!

Get a travel agent: overseas air travel is a moving target and I’ve learned that I’m best served by using their services; they keep on top of stuff that I don’t even know needs keeping on top of!

And that third consideration: Having the sense to know you’ve arrived? Trust me; there won’t be any doubt in your mind. One evening by the fire under the Southern Cross is all it’s gonna take…

Some of the results of the 1995 "plan":

I think Whittall's place is known for leopard, just sayin'.

Oh, absolutely. They drag some real toads out of there...like this one from a few weeks back.

That's a big cat!

Huge !

Timely stories for me. At 59 I'm finally able to "afford" Africa without the encumbrances of raising kids and working for a living. I just bought my first plains game trip to Limpopo and Dumukwa Safaris with my son and we're planning for 2026. I won the auction for the trip at the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation North Texas banquet a week or so ago. I look forward to reading your installments. It's going to be a long couple of years of anticipation for me though....

That’s gonna be a blast, enjoy it sir

That’s gonna be a blast, enjoy it sir [/quote]


Thanks. I hope to. It will be pretty special getting to share my first safari with my son and his first as well.

Third (and final) Installment: Tools of the Trade

Of course, as things started to come together for our “two couple” safari, the talk turned predictably to guns and ammo. That’s certainly part of the fun of safari planning because simply thinking about African hunting conjures up visions of the shoulder-fired armament required to stop charging, rhino, elephant or buffalo!

The truth is, unless you’ve specifically included one of the true heavies (lion, buffalo, or elephant) on your target species list, the vast majority of African antelope species can be taken with your favorite deer/elk rifle that you shoot right here in Texas. For example, on our last trip to Zambia’s Kafue area, my wife dropped five animals (Kafue Lechwe, reedbuck, Lichtenstein’s hartebeest, puku and impala) with five shots from the same .270 Winchester she’s carried during most of our thirty-five year marriage. Another lifelong friend regularly hunts South Africa’s Eastern Cape helping a professional hunter friend cull excess animals on some of the area’s game ranches and does wonderful work with the lowly .243 Winchester! He’s a fine shot, of course (as is my wife) but the point is that shot placement is key to success…Africa OR Texas!

I guess it’s presumptive of me to think that no one would take an elephant or lion on their first safari, but the fact is that VERY few folks that I’m aware of do. Buffalo, on the other hand, are often taken on first safaris…and for good reason: they’re plentiful in a lot of areas, not nearly as pricey as other dangerous game, and they’re just so durned much fun to hunt! They will, however, require more ballistic persuasion to get their attention but you don’t have to shoot the cannons I alluded to earlier (or raid the kid’s college fund to pay for one!).

I know, much has been written about the bulletproof nature of Cape Buffalo, but a GOOD bullet in the RIGHT place will put on in the salt every time. For my money, that GOOD bullet is virtually any of the premium 300 grain offerings in .375 diameter, launched from either the vintage Holland &Holland version or the newer .375 Ruger cartridge. Both can be had in reasonably priced, reliable rifles and with (if you’re not a handloading addict like me) a good selection of factory ammunition. Michael has a .375 Ruger that he’ll bring along; I’ll have my old warhorse .375 H&H Sako Safari Grade (but it may stay on the bench). My little Chapuis double rifle in 9.3x74R with premium 286 grain slugs may get the nod, but not because it’s a better answer…just because I want to!

So, see? The rifle question for a first safari doesn’t have to have a complicated answer. What else?

Clothing? Easy, peasy…just forget the camo if Zimbabwe is your destination. For years (since the Independence War in the ‘70s), Zim has had a law on the books barring the use of camouflage. Over the years the use of camo has crept back in and many use it…but I’m hearing reports that certain local law enforcement groups are cracking down on the practice and enforcing the old, dusty law. Whether this is just a dodge to collect a “fine”, I have no idea…but camo isn’t remotely necessary. Dull greens, browns, khakis all work just fine…and don’t offend any local constabularies. And daily laundry service in camp is standard, so two pairs of hunting stuff are usually plenty. Jackets are a question of location and time of year: ask your outfitter, they won’t steer you wrong!

Other gear? Again, easy…and it’s stuff you likely already have. Quality, wee broken-in boots or shoes (that you can stalk in without sounding like a drunken hippo ankle deep in potato chips). Good binos. A decent knife (folding is fine…the trackers and skinners get paid to do the heavy work). A way to carry extra ammo on your person without rattling. A little gun maintenance kit. A small pocket tape measure.

And a way to get PICTURES! First safaris are filled with new plants, birds, people…and pictures and video are a great way to be able to still remember a lot of the little details thirty years down the road.

OK, I’ve hopefully scratched the surface and have maybe got you considering Africa where before you’d dismissed it. I hope so. Just beware the nature of this disease; Jack O’Connor should have warned me about it all those years ago…but I doubt that I’d have listened!