- Length
- 14–21 days
- Where
- Zimbabwe
- Party size
- 1-2 hunters
- Season
- May to October
Hunted over bait on the same ground as our elephant hunting, and occasionally in the Hwange area as well. Fourteen to twenty-one days. We start baiting a week before you arrive, so the hunt is already running by day one. Quota is small and allocated annually, so these dates book well ahead.
The permit comes first
This is the one hunt on our list where the dates are not yours to choose.
Quota is issued against a particular block. We apply, and the permit comes back allocated — to that block, for that period. Your safari is then built around what came back, not around the week you had in mind.
Raise a cat at the first email. Not after you have booked flights.
How leopard is hunted
Over bait, from a blind, in the dark or close to it.
Baits go up early in the safari and are checked daily. A mature tom may feed for several nights before he comes in during shooting light, and he may never do it. You will spend long, still, cold hours in a blind for a few seconds of opportunity that may not arrive.
It is the most patience-dependent hunting we offer and the least predictable.
Honesty about success
Cat hunts fail. Not often, but they do, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling you something.
We will give you a straight assessment of what the block has been producing before you book, rather than a success rate that flatters the brochure. Go into it wanting the hunt as much as the animal.
And check the import position for lion and leopard in your own country early — both carry requirements beyond the export permit.
What you would be hunting
Every animal below links to its own page, where the trophy judging, rifle and season are covered properly. The figures here are the same ones we would quote you in writing.
| Species | A good trophy | Rifle | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lion | Males 6 years+ | .375 H&H minimum | Demanding |
| Leopard | Mature toms, 60 kg+ | .375 H&H and up | Accessible |
What is included
Your professional hunter, trackers and skinners, hunting vehicle and fuel, accommodation, all meals, laundry, standard drinks in camp, and field preparation of your trophies. We help arrange airport transfers, though the transport cost is for your account.
Not included: gratuities, trophy fees (including on any animal wounded but not recovered), dip and pack, shipping, taxidermy, charter flights, international flights and rifle rental. Each of these appears as its own line on your written proposal, so nothing arrives as a surprise. Full detail is on the what's included page.
On price
We do not publish prices. Trophy fees and government licence fees change annually, and a fourteen-day elephant hunt and a seven-day plains game safari are not comparable numbers. What we will do is send you a written proposal with the daily rate and every trophy fee itemised separately. Gratuities are never included and never expected; the tipping guide sets out sensible amounts if you would like to.
This is a starting point rather than a fixed menu. Most of our safaris end up as something between two of these.
