Frequently Asked Questions
What calibre is suited for my hunt?
- We recommend that our clients bring their own firearms with, which they are familiar with for their African Safari. For plains game, any rifle of calibre 7mm, .308 or larger is more than sufficient. We do encourage our clients to use heavy for calibre premium bullets such as Swift A-Frame, Barnes TSX, Woodleigh, or whatever premium bullets deliverers the best accuracy in your rifle. Shots are very seldom taken in the thick vegetation of Zululand above 150 yards, and there is hence no need for magnum velocities. For use on dangerous game, a calibre of .375 or larger is mandatory. Should you bring your own rifle, we will gladly assist with the paperwork on the South African side.
- You may legally buy ammunition in South Africa for your firearm using your import permit.
Do you have a selection of rifles that can be used?
Yes, we have a vast collection of fine firearms suited for all animals from the tiny ten, to the big five that you can gladly rent from us, should you wish to not travel with your own firearms. Firearms are rented with premium ammunition at a rate of $50 per day.
Can I bring a bow or crossbow as well as the arrows and bolts?
Yes, both are legal in South Africa, and you may bring them in and hunt with them. Just be cautious of not having any sharp objects like your broadheads in your hand luggage.
Can I bring a handgun and hunt with it in South Africa?
Yes, you may legally hunt with a revolver, bolt-action handgun or Thompson’s contender in South Africa.
Can I bring and hunt with a sound suppressor silencer in South Africa?
Yes, unlike in the USA, they are perfectly legal to own, and use in South Africa. In fact, if you bring a pre threaded rifle to South Africa you can buy a very good Scandinavian silencer in South Africa for quite reasonable. Brands include Hausken, Aimsport, Freyr & Devik, or Ace Utra. You can then leave it safely here for return trips.
Are my personal belongings, rifles, money etc safe in South Africa, both on the hunting property and whilst travelling through the airport?
So far Amaphisi and every outfitter I have hunted for had a 100% track record regarding theft. However, we have safes in all the accommodation suites that we provide, so you can lock valuables away. This is also the reason we pick you up personally at the airport, and take you and your rifle through the SA police service checks to ensure you are escorted through to the vehicle with your luggage without being harassed or asked for bribes. Often if we pick you up on another airport than OR Tambo in JHB, we will recommend that you make use of a local professional meet and greet compony to see you through with luggage and firearms to your connecting flight or hotel or guesthouse room. We recommend Henry Durrheim and his highly professional team from Rifle Permits to handle all your needs once you arrive at OR Tambo, should you wish to spend the night there, or connect on another flight. Otherwise Dewald or Jason will personally pick you up at OR Tambo and, through all the bureaucracy, get you to the hunting area without you having to break a sweat.
If I stay in JHB before taking a connecting flight to Zimbabwe or Zambia, what are the safest options?
Again, we recommend Rifle Permits to handle the paperwork for you, and recommend the intercontinental on the airport to spend the night, alternatively both Afton House and African Sky guesthouses offer accommodation exclusively to hunters with a pick-up and drop-of service.
Who sorts out my permits in and out of South Africa?
- You have to do your paperwork in your country of origin, typically for importing your firearm(s). a compony like Gracy Travel in the USA is highly reputable and have hunters reach their destination with all the information and correct paperwork for over 40 years.
- In South Africa Amaphisi will take care of all your documentation, hunting register, permits and more to make sure your trophies reach you safely and legally.
What can my spouse or girlfriend do when I am hunting?
This really depends on the area we hunt. If in Zimbabwe or Zambia we recommend that she joins the hunt and bring a good camera to do some wildlife photography. In both our Zululand and especially the midlands hunting areas, there are plenty of spas to go to. The KZN-midlands is an international tourist attraction and we can organise a female guide to take her to multiple curio shops, delis and restaurants, in the area, as well as leather craft shops and much more. Obviously, she can also join in on your hunt or even hunt herself should she wish to do so.
What accommodation is on offer, and can I expect to have power and Wi-Fi?
- This really depends where we hunt.
- Most accommodation is fairly rustic, yet luxury tented camps, stone buildings, or traditional round Zulu chalets.
- All accommodation has private restrooms, warm water and power.
- Please remember to buy converter plugs for your camera phone or any medical devises, as we use 220V id South Africa, and mostly a unique three-point wall plug. These items can be bought in your own country or on OR Tambo, King Shaka or Cape Town international airport.
- We do have Wi-Fi in our main lodge in Zululand, and 5g reception at the main camp in the midlands.
Do I use an African taxidermist, or have my trophies dipped, packed and done in my country of origin?
This really depends on the hunter, his past experiences and preferences. We highly recommend Don Claire Taxidermy, and all our clients seem happy with this small boutique taxidermy workshops end results. However, if you have another South African taxidermist that you prefer, Amaphisi’s team will gladly drop your trophies off there or arrange for collection. Should you wish to dip, pack and have the work done in the country of your origin, we will gladly assist with that as well.
Who do I tip and how much?
Tipping, or giving a gratuity is entirely up to the hunter. Tips are obviously greatly appreciated by both the PHs and guides, trackers, skinners cooks etc, but everyone is aware that it is a bonus and not to be expected. At Amaphisi we feel the hunter can tip the PH if he found him to have gone above and beyond to find the hunter his animals, and make his hunt a memory of a lifetime, and likewise with all the other staff. We encourage the hunter to tip the camp staff directly on the last day before everyone departs as a sign of gratitude for trophies carried out of mountains and prepared till the late hours of the night when the client ate, drank end enjoyed the campfire. In all African countries the norm is to tip in US$, however in South Africa the camp staff can do little with dollars and it is better to tip them in South African Rands.
What do you suggest for shooting preparations?
One would almost never shoot from the vehicle, unless a wounded or cull animal is spotted. Most hunts take place walking painstakingly slow through the thickets, looking and listening for animal signs and sounds. Depending where the hunt takes place, the sweetgrass, buffalo grass or sweet thorn saplings, might be between 4&6 foot high, making shooting from a sitting position nearly impossible. There are times when sitting down fast and shooting from stable shooting sticks can save the day, so we encourage our clients to try out quality tripods or quad-sticks and see what works better for them.
Today shooting sticks basically come in two versions for hunting, stated above, namely tripods and four-legged shooting sticks. The latter being fairly new on the market and invented by 4-stable-sticks of France or Viperflex in Denmark. Theses are very expensive an no better than all the alternatives. As can be seen in the photo, they pivot on two points on the ground, and the rifle rests on two points at the top, providing easy and steady adjustment for hight by tilting the sticks back and forth, and ample windage adjustability, by shifting the rifle on the front platform. They are by far more stable than a tripod. As opposed to the alternative, where the rifle only rest on one point. By bringing the legs closer or moving them further apart, one can make further larger hight adjustments, and also compensate for uneven terrain.
In general, practice over your shooting sticks until you are comfortable, shoot some sitting down and some prone, with the rifle you plan to bring over, and you will be better prepared than most South Africans for your upcoming hunt.
What medical risks are there in South Africa, and am I going to be exposed to tropical diseases like malaria?
- First of all, we recommend that all our clients have travel and medical insurance when coming over.
- Make sure you bring an ample supply of your chronic medication, but in our case if your medication is lost, being an emergency physician, I can provide you with a script for what you need.
- There are ample world class hospitals close to where we hunt in KZN, should you need emergency care. Feel free to google Life Hilton Hospital, Busamed Gateway Hospital, and Netcare Richard’s Bay hospital. As a rule, private, first world medical care in South Africa is excellent, and very cheap compared to the United States.
- Only our furthest northern Zululand hunting areas are malaria areas, but they are considered low risk. The Zimbabwe and Zambia concessions are higher risks for Malaria, and we advise all clients to take Malaria prophylaxis as prescribed by their local physician when they hunt in high or low risk areas. Do remember that the incubation period for African tick bite fever as well as Malaria is 10-14 days, so you will likely become ill after your hunt. Mention your travel history to your treating physician if you become ill back at home. I will write an article of mitigating the risk to contract malaria at the end of this page.
- We generally carry a comprehensive medical kit in the camp and the Land Cruiser.
Please mention to us before the hunt if you have any chronic or potentially fatal diseases so we can prepare for an emergency.
What options are there for mitigating the risk of contracting Malaria in travellers visiting Malaria endemic areas in Southern Africa?
I will focus on the species of malaria parasites applicable to the traveller coming to Sub Saharan Africa, and more specifically to Southern Africa. Although there are many species of the Plasmodium parasite, some of which only affect humans, and some zoonotic infections, the most common here is Plasmodium falciparum, and in much smaller numbers P. vivax and P. ovale. The latter two do not typically cause disease as severe as P. falciparum, but they do cause reoccurring malaria.
Treatment and prevention of any disease pivots around risk management, and weighing up pros and cons of taking the drugs vs not taking them. Typically, the malaria endemic areas in South Africa are still lower risk areas than the tropics, and for people living there it is not practical to be on prophylactic medication permanently. Typically, they (and their family physician) know the symptoms of Malaria, and early diagnosis and treatment is sufficient. For a person travelling to a malaria area, prevention is almost always better than cure, especially seeing that onset of symptoms is 10-14 days after exposure, and the person might well be back in his home country where Malaria will almost certainly not be on the top of the differential diagnosis when he/she presents with flulike symptoms to a healthcare provider.
The most proactive steps to take in minimising your risk of contracting malaria and treating it early are:
- Chemoprophylaxis
- DEET spray in the evening on exposed limbs, clothing and mosquito net.
- Barriers – mosquito net, long sleeves at night.
- Repellent in room where you sleep – Thermocell is the best invention since sliced bread. I typically have one burning when I sit on a bushpig bait in the sugarcane up here in Northern KZN.
- Rapid test – these R50 ($3) finger prick tests are available at most pharmacies, and are quite accurate to diagnose malaria. Please note, that should the test be negative and you have fevers, headache, rigors, and other symptoms please go and consult your doctor. It is possible that you can still have malaria, and he will use a laboratory test of sorts (thick and thin Gimsa stained blood smears) to diagnose it, as well as look for African tick-bite fever and other diseases.
- Have meds on hand to treat. Co-artem is the first line treatment, and consists of a short 3-day course of medication.
Again, here I would like to mention that should you test positive and take the treatment whilst on your safari, it is still advisable to consult a doctor to review your health and look at basic bloods. We are all aware from the hunting books written by the explorers of yesteryear, how many people died from complicated malaria, then referred to as blackwater fever. Malaria can be detrimental to your kidneys and liver and it can develop into fatal cerebral malaria. Even though most cases are successfully treated on an outpatient basis, one must always take the necessary caution in doing so.
Regarding Malaria chemoprophylaxis, I try to prescribe according to what a patient tolerated well in the past, if they had used before and then according to side effect profile and drug interactions.
In that sense Malarone and Doxycycline are best tolerated, and Mefloquine has the most contraindications, especially with any neurotropic/ psychotropic drugs on board – this includes sleeping tablets, sedatives, antidepressants and alcohol. It is also a known culprit for myocardial toxicity when potentiated by a whole lot of drugs it interacts with. In my opinion Mefloquine should be reserved for use in pregnancy, as it is the safest drug (Category B) then.
To deviate slightly, Permethrin wash to impregnate clothes with is, heaven knows why, not available in South Africa, so I usually use the sprays to help repel ticks and pepper ticks, but they still often get to you in droves when you walk in the bush. For that reason, I’m quite partial to Doxycycline, serving a dual purpose in acting as Malaria prophylaxis and treating rickettsia at the same time if you continue it for 2-4 weeks after exposure. The only time I’m reluctant to give Doxycycline is in patients with very light type 1 or 2 skin, as sun sensitivity is a common problem with Doxycycline and people with very fair skin. At times Doxycycline is also used in malaria treatment, but not as a first line therapy.
Malarone again has the advantage that it only needs to be taken 2 days prior to travel and 7 days after travel, and in addition can be used to treat uncomplicated plasmoquin resistant falciparum malaria.
When spending the time and money on an African safari, it is always advised to start a test dose of the prophylaxis well in advance of your travels. I usually suggest two months prior. This allows for you to see if you experience any side effects, and if the side effects are severe enough, to change to a different form of prophylaxis.
If you have specific questions or need further information, feel free to contact us directly. We’re here to make your African hunting adventure seamless and memorable.
The Team
Dewald van der Walt
Dewald started hunting from a young age, in the Karoo and Namibia, but only started to fulfil his passion for guiding clients after he moved to Northern KwaZulu-Natal, after completing his studies in medicine at Stellenbosch University. For the last fifteen years he balanced running a busy rural emergency room and hunting professionally.
He is now ready to hang up his stethoscope in exchange for his Leica binoculars, shooting sticks and Gibbs double and guide clients for the majority of the year.
Dewald has hunted all of the South African provinces and although he prefers to hunt in KwaZulu-Natal, he has guided clients all over South Africa, and also has a special connection to hunting the free range Kalahari farms for gembuck, springbuck, kudu and many more desert species.
His favourite plains game animal to hunt is a big free range, cattle ranch Kudu bull as he grew up hunting them from the Karoo, to Namibia, and all over KwaZulu-Natal. In terms of dangerous game he loves hunting old buffalo bulls in the thick Zululand vegetation, as one of the most challenging hunts there is.
When not guiding clients, he enjoys hunting with his vintage open sighted rifles, handgun hunting, bow hunting and hunting bushpig over bait at night, as well as wing shooting.
Jason Ireland
Jason grew up in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands of South Africa. He grew up on farms in the province, and was introduced to hunting by his father hunting cape bushbuck, common reedbuck and a number of other animals found naturally on the farms.
After school and military he joined a big game hunting company and was sent off to build camps for the upcoming hunting seasons in Zambia and Tanzania. Jason enjoyed, meeting people from around the world and hunting all that Africa had to offer.
Jason then obtained his professional hunters license and started his own safari business. Old buffalo bulls that have been kicked out of a herd is his favourite of the big five to hunt. He has had the privilege to hunt a numerous amount of the old bulls in Tanzania. His favourite plains game animal to hunt is a big kudu bull in the mountains. He is also addicted to hunting bushpigs over a bait or stalking them at night.
Jason takes great pride in meeting new clients and showing them amazing places and game to hunt in Africa.
Conservation
Running a business where animals are shot and making a profit out of that, and conservation of the very same animal, their habitat, breeding grounds and so much more, probably seems to the Disney-indoctrinated person like the biggest oxymoron on the planet.
I want to take the time here to reiterate that by law, game belongs to the property owner is South Africa, and having adequate, high fences around a 10000-to-50 000-acre farm, does not in any how restrict the movement of the animals, nor does it prevent them in any how from escaping the hunter. The purpose of said fences is to protect the animals from illegal hunting, be it by means of firearms, packs of hunting dogs, snares, traps and the like.
The very definition of conservation, is to protect native species in their natural habitat, despite the challenges facing us. We start to protect the natural environment by protecting the soil, preventing over-grazing, erosion and deforestation. With healthy soil, we achieve an area where healthy grasslands occur, pioneer plants thrive, and insects take refuge. With this achieved, small animals come back to look for food, birdlife increases, and bigger trees start to grow, resembling an early appearance of a savanna landscape. Now the area is suitable for other animals, and eventually small, and larger predators to move in, and so that barren, overgrazed cattle farm which could no longer function, becomes a wildlife sanctuary.
Nobody knows this better than the hunter, who spent hours and hours, boots on the ground looking for game. He knows the age of a track, can distinguish between almost all animal tracks, knows under which tree the kudu or grey duiker are likely to hide, and can instantly judge the size, sex and maturity of an animal at a glans. He knows the subtle difference between the call of a male and female fish eagle, distinguishes the bark of the bushbuck from the kudu cow, and can judge how far he is from the herd of buffalo by the sound of the oxpeckers. The man who chases prides of lion and leopard sightings in a convoy of twenty plus Land Cruisers on an “Okavango Safari” will forever be deprived of these hidden secrets of the bush.
Another point to mention, is how many wild areas carry a fair number of animals, but lack the infrastructure, water, luxury, natural beauty, and the masses of the Big Five that your photographic tourist wants to see. Were it not for the paying sports hunter, these areas would not attract a single soul, and would soon be poached out for the bush-meat, ivory, lion bone, pangolin and other trades.
In South Africa Amaphisi works hand in hand with numerous, on the ground, Anti-poaching Units (APUs) to mend fences, remove snares and gin-traps and cull sick or injured animals. In KwaZulu-Natal the biggest threat to our free-range animals, and even animals behind fences are as follows:
- Cable snares, often stolen of the railways
- Packs of hunting dogs killing smaller animals. This has morphed into a multi-million betting trade where the person whose dog draws the first blood wins. Hunting dogs baying territorial, mostly male animals, and then dispatching them with spears, assegaais, clubs and even rocks.
- Fences being cut, firstly to illegally graze cattle and goats on a private property, as well as gaining more snare material
Erosion diches, wholes in fences, and fences broken by fallen trees constantly need fixing, to keep unwanted characters out as well as to prevent game escaping into an area of certain death.
Finally, conservation also monitors animal to animal interaction, and if the need arises, predators need to be controlled. In the case of a mature Nguni cow caught by a huge male leopard in the photos, she was the only victim in years, and hence the better part of discretion was to leave the cat to roam free on the 15000-acre property. On the other hand, we get multiple black-backed jackal and to a lesser extent spotted hyena that start making a habit of killing sheep, new-born cattle, biting the udder out from the birthing cow and decimating our suni, steenbuck, grey duiker, young reedbuck and impala. Precision predator control at night is as much part of conservation as discouraging the human population from poaching, and conserving the habitat.
Click on any image below to view it full-size and read the story behind the shot.
