Getting ready
Over thirty-five years of watching what people wish they had brought, and what they wish they had left at home.
Muted colours
Khaki, olive, brown, grey — or camouflage if that is what you are comfortable hunting in. Either is fine with us. What matters is that it is muted and quiet against thorn, not that it follows a particular pattern. Leave the bright colours and the noisy synthetics at home.
Break in your boots
More safaris are ruined by blisters than by bad shooting. Walk at least eighty kilometres in the boots you intend to hunt in before you get on a plane. Do not buy new boots for the trip and wear them for the first time on day one.
Practise on sticks
Almost every shot you take will be standing, off shooting sticks, at between sixty and two hundred metres. Bench accuracy at three hundred is irrelevant. Buy a set of sticks, practise standing, and get comfortable getting steady in under five seconds.
Packing list
Clothing
Muted colours — khaki, olive, brown, grey, or camouflage if you prefer it. Laundry is done daily in every camp, so bring far less than you think.
- 3 × lightweight long-sleeved shirts (long sleeves beat sunscreen)
- 2 × pairs of hunting trousers, plus one pair of shorts
- A warm fleece or jacket — winter mornings drop near freezing
- A wind-proof outer layer
- Wide-brimmed hat and a beanie for early mornings
- Underwear and socks for 5 days
- Something comfortable for camp in the evening
- Light rain jacket if hunting Mozambique or early season
Footwear
The single most important thing you will pack. Blisters end hunts.
- Well broken-in hunting boots — at least 80 km of walking in them before you fly
- A second pair of boots or trainers as backup
- Camp shoes or sandals
- 5 × pairs of quality hiking socks
- Gaiters if hunting the Zambezi Delta
Optics and gear
- Binoculars — 8×42 or 10×42, and buy the best you can afford
- Rangefinder (optional but useful on plains game)
- Rifle sling and a soft rifle cover for the vehicle
- Shooting sticks if you have a set you like
- Head torch with spare batteries
- A small daypack for water, ammunition and a jacket
- Leatherman or pocket knife (checked luggage only)
Health and personal
- Malaria prophylaxis (start before you travel — see below)
- Any prescription medication in original labelled packaging, plus a copy of the prescription
- High-factor sunscreen and lip balm with SPF
- Insect repellent containing DEET
- Rehydration sachets
- Basic first aid — plasters, antiseptic, painkillers, antihistamine
- Antibiotic ointment for thorn scratches, which go septic quickly
- Sunglasses, and a spare pair of prescription glasses if you wear them
Documents and money
- Passport valid 6+ months beyond return, with 2 blank facing pages
- Visa or e-visa if required for your passport
- Firearm licence or ownership document
- Firearm import permit paperwork (we send this to you)
- Travel insurance policy that explicitly covers hunting
- Printed copies of flight and charter bookings
- US dollars in cash, small denominations, in good condition
How fit do you need to be?
Less than people expect. If you can walk at a normal, comfortable pace for a few hours at a time, you can do any of the hunts we offer. You do not need to be an athlete, and we are not going to pretend otherwise to sound impressive.
| Hunt | What it asks of you |
|---|---|
| South Africa plains game | Easy walking with vehicle support, and the lodge is on the property so there is no transfer. Comfortable for almost anyone who can walk normally. |
| South Africa / Mozambique buffalo | A normal walking pace over a full day. Slightly longer days than plains game, nothing more demanding than that. |
| Zambezi Delta buffalo | The one hunt where the ground itself is the main factor — walking in water and soft mud in heat. Still doable at a normal walking pace, just wetter and warmer than the others. |
| Zimbabwe elephant | The longest days of anything we offer, simply because tracking a bull can take a while. If you can comfortably walk for a full day at your own pace, you can do this hunt — it just asks for more of your day than the others. |
If you have any specific concern about your own fitness, tell us before you book and we will talk it through honestly.
Health
Malaria
The Zimbabwe valley and the Zambezi Delta are both malaria areas and prophylaxis is not optional. Our Limpopo property is in a low-risk area. Some prophylactics need starting one to two weeks before you arrive, so see a travel clinic at least six weeks before departure.
Prevention matters as much as tablets. Long sleeves at dusk, repellent on exposed skin, and sleeping under the net that is already in your tent.
Vaccinations
Have your routine vaccinations current, particularly tetanus and hepatitis A. Yellow fever certification is required if you are arriving from or transiting a yellow fever country. Confirm requirements with a travel clinic close to departure — they change.
Insurance
We require travel insurance and it must explicitly cover hunting, which many standard policies exclude. Make sure medical evacuation is included: the nearest hospital to some of our concessions is a charter flight away.
The things that actually go wrong
Not what people expect. In over thirty-five years the common problems have been dehydration, sunburn, and thorn scratches that turn septic because somebody ignored them for three days. Drink more water than you think you need, cover up, and clean every scratch the evening you get it.
Before you fly
- Confirm your firearm permit paperwork has come back to you from us
- Check your passport has six months validity and two blank pages
- Photograph your passport, licences and permits and email them to yourself
- Tell your bank you are travelling
- Check your ammunition is in original boxes and within the airline limit
- Shoot your rifle one final time and confirm zero
- Read the firearm permits page for your country
Questions about kit?
Ask. We would rather answer twenty emails about boots than have you arrive with the wrong ones.