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| You are off on the greatest adventure ever following in the footsteps of
Livingstone, Roosevelt, and Hemingway. Who don’t you know who doesn’t have an
African Safari on life’s to-do list? Isn’t it one of life’s major quests?
Still, you won’t come across too many desk jockeys who have actually been able
to check off too many boxes in the top 10 things to do in life before heading
to the big safari in the sky. And Africa is still the place the great Hemingway
and Roosevelt wrote about and surely never stopped boasting about their days in
the African savannah, nor will your photo album be allowed to sit in your
library collecting dust. Years after your voyage it will still be major
water-cooler fodder.
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| Here at Hemingway Outfitter, we are ready to get your safari under way. We have
some nice packages or you are more than welcome to plan your own package. Or we
can set you ala carte where you will be charged a day fee which covers use of
the professional hunter and their staff and full accommodations and basically
hunt from a menu and pay per animal. |
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| Once you have selected your safari tour you need to start getting ready for the
big trip. Start sifting through airfare to South Africa. We are not travel
agents but can help point you in the right direction.
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| Most of Hemingway Outfitter concessions are in Malaria-free areas and close to
medical facilities. Always check ahead in case if you are headed to other
areas where there may be Malaria, etc. Some vaccinations take several weeks to
complete and are good for only certain periods of time. Do not forget the
little yellow immunization record book nor forget to have the Dr.
sign off that he gave you the required shots for the country you are going
into. Ask your doctor for a strong antibiotic (Cephalexin), something strong
for intestinal worms (Metronidazol). NEVER GIVE YOUR MALARIA MEDICINE AWAY!
TAKE IT ALL. Listen up and heed the water and malaria warnings!
Start taking it before you go. If you get home and get ill with flu like
symptoms make sure your doctor tests you for malaria.
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| Make photocopies of your passport; shot record book and prescriptions
in case you lose them. Keep them separate from the rest of your luggage. Life
will be much easier when you show up at our embassy to get new passport etc.
Some countries require a visa too. Go to U. S. Customs before leaving.
Take your firearms and they will give you a form 4457 to fill
out showing serial numbers etc. Your return into the U. S. at Customs will be a
breeze because it shows these were the firearms you left the country with. No
duty owed. You must take the firearms (not just the serial numbers) when you go
to Customs. Also, check with the airline(s) flying to see if they have any
restrictions. Seemingly the airline rules are always changing along with the
changing times.
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| I suggest you travel in a rolling hard case made by Tuffpak.
You put your firearms inside soft padded cases and then into this super case.
It looks like a hard, black golf case instead of an obvious gun case. You will
be amazed at what you can put in this great case besides your firearms. Saves
you from carrying allot of other luggage. You can only take 3 long guns,
no pistols, no semi auto anything. Ammo limited to 5 kilograms
or 11 pounds. Note: In South Africa one person can not have two firearms in
same caliber. Take the best ammo (usually the heaviest grain weight in your
caliber) and the best optics possible. I think 8 by 30 or 42,
full size (not pocket size) binoculars are the best. You will spend long
periods looking through these optics. Good optics locate trophy animals and do
not cause eyestrain. German / Austrian optics are the best no matter who says
what. |
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| Hemingway Outfitter supplies transportation to and from the airport. A
representative will greet your party and transport you out to the game farm. We
have several sites throughout southern Africa so it will depend on which
species you are interested in as well as sites convenient to the airport you
are flying into. You will meet up with the Professional Hunter (PH) and/ or
Outfitter as well as their team.
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| You will be shown to the safari lodge where you will be dining and sleeping.
Our safaris are all inclusive unless otherwise noted. All meals and drinks
including beer are included. Of course it is customary to share some Afrikaans
‘Mountain Water’ after the big meal at night. Afrikaans love to barbecue which
they refer to as a Braai so look forward to some great eating. If you want to
partake in some of the game taken on the trip please ask. Marinade the
Springbok or Warthog Ribs are some great eating around a bonfire. |
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| We have nice Shooting ranges on the farms where you can site in your
rifles and practice up for the big game. Also, we need to check out your
competency with the rifle. But not a crisis, if a novice we have expert firearm
trainers at your service who will give you some top notch lessons in a couple
of hours. Also, a quick class in hunter safety is always a good thing for all
hunters and non hunters as well.
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| The skinning and dipping of the animals taken are included as well in the
safari tour. Not included is the taxidermy fee if needed done in South Africa
we can arrange that (prices are in the taxidermy section of this site) or we
can have it prepared to send home as well as do the documentation to get it
imported into the US and onto you. |
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| Tips to the Outfitter’s staff are not included and basically works as it works
here in the US. Tipping: I base tips on 5% to 10% of the daily rate. I leave
camp staff a good tip but after consulting with PH. Staff may want tips in
local currency. |
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| We can arrange side trips as well while here on Safari. We have nearby
attractions such as Golf, photo hunt, wing shooting, fishing of all kinds, as
well as tourist attractions. |
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| WHAT TO BRING WITH YOU? |
| Consider these items. (Bold items I consider very important) |
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Nights and even some days get pretty chilly
—May need to pack gloves, jackets, and regardless of weather great walking
boots are a must.
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Matches
. Any kind is better than none if you get caught out and need a fire.
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Benadryl tablets and cream. Zinc Ointment. Aspirin.
Drixoral. Aleve, great for bad necks, back pain etc. Q Vel
(for muscle cramps).
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Surfak (stool softener). Imodium AD
(anti diarrhea). Preparation H. Mylanta II (heartburn & indigestion)
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Wash & Dry Moist Towelettes (for the trip to the timber
etc.!) Lambs wool. Moleskin
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Spenco Blister Gel Kit. Foot powder. Corn cushions. (If
you can not walk you can not hunt
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Ace bandage. Q tips. Tweezers. Kleenex tissue packs. Sunscreen. Bactine
Hydrocortisone. Mentholatum. Eyewash, Band-Aids (all sizes
& shapes), eye patches, Iodine & Iodine swabs, Ambesol
(toothache), nasal spray, cough drops
(no noise in the leopard blind), Unscented liquid soap for body, hair &
clothing if needed.
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Dental floss & sewing needle (dental floss makes great thread). Swiss
Army knife (Hunter model) has tweezers, game saw, corkscrew and
bottle cap opener (there are no pop-top or twist off tops in third world
countries). Leatherman Tool
. With the Hunter model Swiss Army and a Leatherman you can ‘fix’ the world!
Leave your sheath knife at home.
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Any eyewear you might need plus extra pair
. Small magnifying glass (in case you lose / break your glasses).
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Various size 4 mil Zip Lock bags, rubber bands, safety pins,
electrical tie straps, and a couple of 39 gal. trash bags
. (I put my luggage in a trash bag to keep out bull dust and spilled diesel
fuel on one trip.) Roll of nylon strapping tape (not silver duct tape) which
will fix nearly anything.
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Lens cleaner fluid and tissues for various optical lenses. Take down rifle
cleaning rod (#1120 Rapid Rod from Atsko Inc.) Small whetstone,
compass, orange surveying tape (mark your way or location of kill), screwdrivers
& wrenches necessary for screws on firearms and scopes
. Wood matches and 100% cotton balls soaked in common Vaseline Petroleum Jelly
will make super fire starter in any rough conditions.
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Bug spray with Deet. Leather gloves and full brim hat (not a
baseball cap). 3 pair of everything... long pants, long sleeve shirts,
long socks, underwear etc. Laundry is done every day in camp. You can always
cut off legs and sleeves. (Remember, if it is summer here, it is winter there.)
Two of broken in footwear
and extra laces (I wear running shoes). Shower thong shoes. The
most important clothing item I took was a Shannon Bug Tamer Jacket. This saved
me from bugs and flies. You can tape the bottom of your pants around your leg
or use a rubber band to do the same thing. Down jacket. Bandannas. Rain poncho.
Sweater (One with the product called Windstopper inside is great.).
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Take a zillion batteries for any thing that runs on batteries.
Electrical converter (nothing is 110 volts over there). Two
good flashlights. A great canteen (I like the 2
qt. Bladder type as used in Viet Nam. As water goes down so does size) Have
water purification tablets on your person in case you are a long
way from the truck and need to refill from the local source. Do
Not Share Your Water With Anyone! I repeat... do not share your water!!!!!
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Take a zillion photos (of everything) in case your trophies do
not make it back. The photos are some of you best memories in later years and
may be all you have. I kept a diary, which I wrote up each night. Animals seen
and shot, birds, camp life, names and addresses of people met, etc. The
diary and photos of my trip are as important years later as the trophies that
now hang on my wall
. Have your taxidermist make up 4 laminated shipping tags for each trophy you
intend to bring home. One each for skull, horns, feet and skin.
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Keep taking things out condensing and re-packing. Items packed in clear Zip
Lock bags are easy to see and they pack flatter as they slide into place. I
take my ketchup, hot chocolate mix, candy and plenty of Crown Royal whiskey.
One bag, my day pack and my rolling gun case are all I take even for 21 days. I
only have two hands! I carry any keys needed on a chain around my neck.
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You might want to take an inexpensive Polaroid camera and film to take photos
of you and your trackers with your trophy. Give the photo to your tracker. They
appreciate being included and having a memento of the hunt.
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| Leave any items you do not wish to bring home like old clothing, extra
medicines etc. What you might think is worn out or no good may be a treasure to
camp staff. Less to pack and bring home. |
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| You will need a CITES permit to get your cats and elephant home. And there a
few species which need an US FWS import permit before you are to import them
back in the US. For these animals, you need to make sure the farm you are
hunting on is licensed to issue you a permit as well. |
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