HUNTING IN ZIMBABWE
Zimbabwe is probably the best country in Africa to go hunting Dangerous Game. Despite the fact that the nature is still totally wild –no fences-, it’s possible to find a big population of Elephant, leopard, buffalo, lion, hippo and crocodile, with worldclass trophies on all the mentioned species.
There are several huge National Parks (Hwange, Gonarezhou, Chizarira, Matusadona, Mana Pools, etc.), Safari Areas and Conservancies working as an enormous sanctuary of wildlife and biodiversity.
As far as dangerous game is concerned, Zimbabwe is the most affordable country to hunt compared to other traditional destinations such as Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana…
The arrival airports for our hunts are Bulawayo or Victoria Falls, where it’s possible to extend your safari to visit the Falls, one of the most iconic locations in the African Continent.
ELEPHANT
The Elephant is the biggest walking animal on Earth. Besides his impressive size, the main trophy of the elephant is his long and heavy ivory tusks. Hunting elephants is also a very exciting experience. First of all, it’s essential to choose the right track to follow, because there’s nothing more disappointing than wasting time and energy following the wrong animal. Once we find the right tracks in terms of size, estimated age, and freshness, then the hunter must be physically prepared for a long walk, until the hunting group contacts the elephant herd. That’s the critical moment of the hunt, because we must move between these dangerous animals and get in shooting position from the right one.
Depending on the areas and the trophy size that you are looking for, 10 or 15 hunting days will be required.
BUFFALO
This phenomenal animal is the most popular Big Five, but you must never underestimate it! The Buffalo is very sociable, living in big herds normally. However, it’s possible to find small herds of bulls or even lonely “dagga boys” walking on their own. They look calmed and relaxed animals when they roam around the territory, but if they feel threatened, then the behaviour changes dramatically, and they can be very aggressive and dangerous. When you hear the word “Buffalo”, something moves inside you, and you can bet that your heart will pump rivers of adrenaline when you are about shooting your desired trophy. The Buffalo hunt is typically tracking, walking and stalking, so a good condition to walk several miles a day is required. The duration of a Buffalo safari recommended is 7 to 10 hunting days.
LEOPARD
The Leopard is the one of the most beautiful and smart species of the world’s game animals. It’s a tremendously effective predator almost adapted to all the habitats in Africa, from desert to jungle. In Zimbabwe we get the biggest size Leopards of Africa. Hunting a Leopard is a big challenge, requiring excellent skills/performance from all the members of the hunting team: trackers, PH and the hunter. During 14 days we will shoot animals for baits, check the area for cat tracks, hang meat for baits, and build blinds when the cats hit our bait. The whole process is an incredible experience that we definitely recommend to every hunter. And… don’t wound the leopard! Following a wounded leopard is one of the most dangerous things that you will ever do!
LION
The Lion is the symbol of hunting in Africa. This phenomenal killing machine can freeze all your muscles when is looking at you with those burning eyes. In Zimbabwe it’s possible to find the biggest dark mane wild lions of Africa, specially in the central-western populations nearby Hwange National Park. We hunt the lions sitting in blinds, waiting for them to come and eat our baits. There’s no words to describe the feelings of the hunter when a pride of lions come to the bait just before sunset, and they look straight to the blind and start roaring… your heart just stop pumping. The duration of a Lion safari is 21 days.
HIPPO & CROCODILE
These two species complete “The Dangerous Seven” of African Big Game. They both live together in rivers and lakes, but they don’t fight each other. It’s normal the combination of both species in the same safari. The hunt can be walking and stalking the shorelines once spotted the desired trophy, or for big crocs, sometimes is necessary to set up baits and hunt them from blinds. Besides the exciting experience of their hunt, both species provide spectacular trophies for your trophy room.
Elephant March to June and very late season (November). Leopard and Lion from May to September. Buffalo, hippo and croc from April to November. Fishing from September to April.
The safaris are quoted according to the main species. Daily rates and number of hunting days are different depending on the main target. Please contact us to check the possible combinations.
Normally, Elephant and buffalo safaris use to be more physically demanding than the others. On those hunts, the hunter must be prepared to walk several miles a day. For cats and aquatics, an average physical condition will be enough. Nevertheless, the better shape and skills has the hunter, the better success rate he will have.
Yes, although you are absolutely free to hire these services with your most reliable taxidermist. If you want us to work on your trophies, once the hunt is over, our collaborator taxidermist will collect the trophies in the ranch and will proceed to the dip and pack or the definitive mount.
Normally, completing the dip and pack of your trophies can take about six months, depending on the species hunted. After that, the trophies will be transferred to the exporting agent who will work together with the importing agent and will apply for the mandatory permits. This process can take other 4-8 months, depending on the CITES permits required.
Zimbabwe is not a difficult place to bring your guns. The process is simple: we will provide an invitation letter and the Form that you must fill in with your details. Upon arrival, after the visa and passport control, the customs officers will take the paperwork and will issue, in the moment, the "Visitor's Certificate to Possess Firearms and Ammunition". You must keep that document during your safari, and give it back when you return back home.
The standard gun for everything is a rifle cal 375 HH, bolt action, with a good scope 1,5-6x42 or bigger. For elephant and buffalo, the caliber 416, 458 or bigger are recommended only if you can shoot big guns with enough accuracy, because the main priority is the bullet placement. It’s much better to put one bullet 300 grains 375HH round in a heart-lung shot, rather than a 500 grains 458Lott in the stomach. For Leopard and crocodile, the accuracy is specially critical, due to the longer shooting distances and the smaller targets for killing shots. For these species, we recommend to shoot a 300 WM or 338 WM with good scope 3-12x50.
Buffalo, Hippo and Elephant use to be shot between 30 to 70 m. Leopard and Lion 50 to 80 m. Crocodile 70 to 120 m. However, each hunt is different and it’s possible to try shorter or longer shots according to the circumstances...
When booking the dates for your trip, we will provide you a list with the items we think necessary when traveling to Zimbabwe. In this way, you will avoid unfortunate oversights.
All our camps have individual thatched chalets with en-suite bathrooms, and a dining room with bar and fire place. All the facilities are confortable furnished, and the bath room has good hot water for showering as well as flush toilet. The staff is kind and professional, very keen to help the guests to sort out any issue. We provide laundry service and ironing every day. There is a Chef on each camp to cook a variety of nice local & international food for guests. Breakfast an dinner are always at the lodge, but sometimes we take pack lunch when the hunting program requires that. We provide still water, cool drinks (sodas), beer and wine. Clients must bring their own spirits to the safari, and we recommend a moderate consumption of strong alcoholic drinks only after the hunt.
Not necessarily. If possible, we try to visit at least two different camps in one safari. Obviously, the PH will make the most convenient decisions depending on the hunting program.
We recommend to have malaria tablets when hunting in Zimbabwe. The Yellow Fever shot is not needed in Zimbabwe. Other than that, we recommend to follow your personal Doctor’s advice.
Yes, but everyone gets the visa upon arrival to the entry airport paying the visa fee.
Zimbabwe has a low crime rate, specially violent crime, which is very rare. This is particularly evident in the rural areas. In any case, your PH and his crew will be looking after you all the time, so your feeling will be total comfortability since you arrive to the airport until you take off.
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