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African Days
The best Outfitters in Africa's most "Hunter Friendly" country
By: Pieter Stofberg Professional Hunter
Studies, recently undertaken, have shown that the biggest
stumbling block to international travel, especially in the USA, is
the "fear of the unknown" that prospective travelers experience.
This is also the reason why "word of mouth" reference plays such a
big role in getting people to decide to visit foreign shores.
Namibia offers hunters and fishermen a destination where they need have no
worries. The country has an excellent infrastructure and offers
all the modern conveniences that any traveler might want. The
following highlight a few of the questions prospective visitors
often ask.
- "How
safe is the country?"
Namibia has one of Africa's most stable, and democratically
minded, governments. The people are friendly and, everywhere you
go, you will be met with a smile. Of course, we have our
problems with crime, just like anywhere you go on this planet,
but it is "normal" crime and not the politically inspired
incidences that are so frequent elsewhere in Africa. The very
fact that so few people even know where Namibia is situated,
should tell the prospective traveler something. So much of the
publicity Africa gets is negative, dealing with political
upheaval, crime, etc. that Namibia actually shines by
comparison. We do not get publicity, simply because we do not
experience that kind of problem!
- "What
is a typical hunting day like?"
The time we rise each morning will be discussed the evening
before and will greatly depend on what we will be after that
day. Whatever the time decided on, we will wake you with a cup
of steaming hot coffee!
Breakfast is per your preference: Breakfast cereals and/or
bacon, sausage and eggs. Fruit juice, coffee or tea, just as you
prefer. Depending on how the morning hunt progresses, we will
either lunch out in the bush (from prepared lunch boxes) or we
will be back in camp. Mostly, we prefer staying out there until
we are successful. The evening meal is our main meal for the day. We will sit
around the bar and fire (engaging in the day's bragging session)
until Makkie calls us. Evening meals are accompanied by a range
of great South African wines. Pieter Stofberg grew up in the
wine producing Western Cape in South Africa and still has many
friends down there.
Access our wine supplier's websites at:
Opstal
Estate www.opstal.co.za
Goudini Wines
www.goudiniwines.co.za
Badsberg
Cellars www.badsberg.co.za
After dinner, a few cocktails around the fire tends to end
the day on a high note.
- "What happens to my trophies after the hunt?"
It is our responsibility to field prepare your trophies and to
deliver them to the shippers. Once we have done that, our legal
responsibility toward your trophies end and it becomes a deal
between you and the shippers.
The organization we use for this is Reiser Taxidermy. The
contact person there is Wilco Pascheka and he can be contacted
at reiser@iway.na
To date we have not had any problems with our arrangement
with Reiser Taxidermy and we recommend them highly. Once the trophies is delivered to the shipper, the whole process becomes almost automatic. Access the Shipping and the Taxidermy pages for a more detailed explanation of how we handle things.
Should you decide to have your taxidermy done here in Namibia, we at Wildernis highly recommend Casper Oosthuizen at Casper's Taxidermy. We will take you to meet Casper and discuss your trophies with him.
- "What
about arrival and departure procedures and general travel in the
country?"
Namibia has an excellent infrastructure. The airport is
modern and efficiently run, and the staff there are all very
"visitor friendly". You will be met at the airport by your
outfitter and will be delivered back there, safe and sound. Most visitors will require no other travel document than their
passport. There are no visa requirements for visitors from the
USA. The documentation that is required, both to enter the country and to bring your rifles in, is handled in more detail under our General Information page. The roads are in excellent repair and travel around the country
is no problem. Most travel is by road. Just keep in mind that
Namibia is a vast country (the country will cover the entire Eastern Seaboard of the USA) so travel takes up
a lot of time. The countryside is spectacular, though, so you
are not likely to get bored.
- "What
inoculations are required?"
None. Because we will be hunting quite a way towards the North of Namibia, it is advisable to see your
doctor about malaria prophylactics and to start a course about
two weeks before your arrival date.
- "What
happens to me if I get hurt in an accident?"
We have excellent private hospitals in the country. We carry
emergency insurance, which will ensure that you can be airlifted
to hospital, should it become necessary. What you could do is to
take out some insurance yourself, should it happen that you need
a medical flight back home.
- "What
about snakes, etc?"
Yes, paradise has its serpents! The incidence of snakebite is
so low, though, that to worry about it is to worry too much. Always remember, snakes are more scared of humans than humans
are scared of snakes. In any unforced encounter, the snake will
get out of your way so fast, you will probably never even know
it was there! Insects also don't present much of a problem. We have some trophy sized scorpions, but a general awareness will be enough to ensure you have no nasty surprizes.
- "How
do I get my rifles in and out of the country?"
Absolutely no problem! When you arrive at the airport, you
will be handed a rifle import/export permit application. ( You can download this document right from our Rifle Import section under the General Information page.) The customs official will
inspect your rifles, to ensure that the serial numbers
correspond, and then issue you with a permit for the time period
you will be in the country. When you leave, the same process will take place and they will take back the permit. As I said,
absolutely no problem! In general, keep in mind that you will be allowed only eighty
rounds of ammunition per rifle. No handguns will be allowed and
semi-automatic rifles are taboo.
- "What
animals can I hunt there?"
Namibia offers everything Africa does (with the exception of
region bound species, of course) and probably has the most
affordable plains game hunting available. We have two species
that are exclusive to Namibia, being the Hartmann's (or Mountain)
Zebra and the Damara Dik-Dik. Our hunt product is one of the best to be found in Africa and
you can rest assured that you will have a good time.
- "Are
the animals free roaming or are they fenced?"
This is a rather sensitive issue with hunters, especially
after the whole "canned lion" saga. What you should understand
is that ownership of game, in Namibia, rests with the landowner,
as opposed with the State, as is the case in most of Africa. Our landowners stock their land with game, which has resulted in
the numbers of species, as well as the number of animals per
specie, increasing dramatically. This is a very, very expensive
exercise and it stands to reason that the landowner has to take
steps to protect his investment. The result is that most of our hunting, other than on traditional land concessions, takes place on
land that has been fenced. Here you must keep the size of our
country in mind. Most of our ranches are so big (on average
around 20 000 acres) that the fact that the land is
fenced does not affect the question of fair chase. Believe me,
the animals has a much bigger chance of eluding you than you
have of finding them. You will have to hunt hard! Also keep in mind that hunting is the sole reason why our
landowners are stocking their land with game. These animals eat
the same vegetation that livestock does and, if they had no
value, you can rest assured that our ranchers would have gotten
rid of them long ago. The fact that you are willing to pay to
hunt these animals is the only reason they are surviving and
increasing.
- "How
do I ensure that I book with a reputable outfitter?"
Two ways. One is obviously word of mouth. Talk to people who
have hunted with us and get their feel on the quality of the
hunt on offer. Second, and just as important, contact the Namibian Professional
Hunter's Association (NAPHA) and make sure that we are members
in good standing. NAPHA is very serious about the standards our
outfitters have to meet and dealing with a member is probably
the best assurance you can have that you will be OK. NAPHA is the professional organization representing the industry
and there can be no reason for a reputable outfitter not to
belong. Dealing with one of its members will also provide you
with an avenue of recourse, should something go wrong.
Contact numbers for NAPHA:
Tel: +264-61-234455
Fax: +264-61-222567
E-mail: napha@mweb.com.na
- "Do
you charge for arrival and departure days?"
No, we don't. We dedicated a whole page on this site that will help you cost out the hunt you are planning. Basically, your arrival/departure days will cost you USD 250 per hunter (no charge for observers), which is what
we charge for fetching you at the airport and delivering you back there again.
- "Which
method of payment do you prefer?"
When you book we will require a deposit. (The amount will be
agreed between us, but is normally around forty percent of the day rates)
This payment is best made by electronic transfer of funds. Monies can be transferred to our deposit account at the following electronic address:
Bank name: Nedbank of Namibia
Branch name: Hidas Branch
Branch code: 461696
Branch address: Nedbank, Hidas Branch, Nelson Mandeka Ave, Windhoek, Namibia.
SWIFT code: NEDS NA NX
Account name: African Days Deposit Account
Account number: 461696 - 1100010 - 8113
Account holder: Nimrod Safaris, 8 Spitskop Street, Windhoek, Namibia.
Here's the best way to handle all other payments. Once we have costed out your hunt, you will know exactly what your day rates and trophy fees will be. Go to your bank and get Cashiers Checks for the amount of your day
rates and for EACH of the trophy animals you plan to shoot. Unused checks at the end of the hunt can simply be handed back to your bank. Make the checks payable to my company and they will be completely safe - nobody but you or I can use them. This is a lot safer than travellers checks and/or cash. You will need some cash to see you through incidental expenses (you never know what can happen), but don't carry a lot.
- "What about travel arrangements?"
Most of our clients use Elaine Porteous at African
Odyssey. Elaine operates from Florida and, being a former South
African, knows what is needed to make the trip as easy as
possible. We recommend African Odyssey and Elaine to all our clients.
Contact her at
aodyssey@gate.net or use her toll free number at (1)-866-486
9351.
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