Recommend some african guides please

[andy thomas]

http://www.ivysafaris.com/
get in touch with mark he has one of the nicest places to hunt in south africa with big kudu's. we have been booking hunts in africa for local guys for the last 15 years. another is  http://hstrial-cvanzijl.homestead.com/
johnx safaris is another great outfit, they are down in the cape area. we have used both these guys and have had great trips. john x is where we like to send the bigger groups we have had 25 guest their at one time where at marks he likes to keep it to a max of 8. i personally like marks place the best he likes to stalk animals not just drive around and he is very educated and know a ton about the wildlife and the habitat in south africa. this year the airfair is high because of the  world cup but we hope that it comes back down after this year. if you have any questions feel free to pm me or get in contact with my dad paul at  http://www.gotoadventure.com/html/taxidermy/index.html

[chrisg]

Travel to SA is SAFE.  Just like most big cities worldwide be awake and don't avoid locals,  ask for advice, go into tourist info offices or major outlets for cellphones etc. Listen to what they say and don't be ultra suspicious, just do some homework. We just had the world cup and there were no big dramas. I run a BnB and also do lots of local guiding, city and safari. Without exception ALL the people I had as guests or took on tours commented that they were blown away by the friendliness of the locals and the safe and efficient airports etc. They also said they found it easy to get around and locals were happy to help. Not every stranger is a crook. They all networked and got a spectacular range of options in a very short time. Case in point, I picked up two guys from USA at nine pm Before we left the airport they purchased a cheap local cellphone it was active before we got home. I took them home , introduced them to two other guests who took them off to the local pubs. They came in after three am after a great night out and had their next several days organised; cab drivers, contacts in JHB, Soweto, Cape Town, PE, Durban. Happy campers.
Call it SA going all out to disprove the nay sayers but the local and international press had the same views. Now of course there will be posts of guys telling of how this one or that one got ripped off. We had over half a million foreign visitors here for the World Cup. Check out their comments. I just took two guests to the airport this morning and asked them for their comments on their trip. And back it came, " It was fantastic and nothing we read about it back home was true, it was exactly the opposite" Would you come back? " Oh yes, we want to go to ....." there followed a long list of places they would return to and others that they wished they had had time to see.
One other thing, if you have not been here since april and have a comment about roads or congestion you are wrong! All the major construction is done and traffic flows easily. A trip JHB to Pretoria that took two hours now takes 45 minutes.
Johannesburg is a great place to stay over for a few days. We have fabulous restaurants, shopping centres, interesting places to go and museums, craft markets, music and pubs. Oh and pretty cool stadiums and sports to watch! Soweto is a total blast and people cant believe what fun they have there. Same with all the other major cities.
 Enough of my sales pitch, google the world cup and SA and talk to people who have been here recently, there are probably some near you!
Chrisg.

[storm5]

Originally posted by chrisg:
Travel to SA is SAFE.  Just like most big cities worldwide be awake and don't avoid locals,  ask for advice, go into tourist info offices or major outlets for cellphones etc. Listen to what they say and don't be ultra suspicious, just do some homework. We just had the world cup and there were no big dramas. I run a BnB and also do lots of local guiding, city and safari. Without exception ALL the people I had as guests or took on tours commented that they were blown away by the friendliness of the locals and the safe and efficient airports etc. They also said they found it easy to get around and locals were happy to help. Not every stranger is a crook. They all networked and got a spectacular range of options in a very short time. Case in point, I picked up two guys from USA at nine pm Before we left the airport they purchased a cheap local cellphone it was active before we got home. I took them home , introduced them to two other guests who took them off to the local pubs. They came in after three am after a great night out and had their next several days organised; cab drivers, contacts in JHB, Soweto, Cape Town, PE, Durban. Happy campers.
Call it SA going all out to disprove the nay sayers but the local and international press had the same views. Now of course there will be posts of guys telling of how this one or that one got ripped off. We had over half a million foreign visitors here for the World Cup. Check out their comments. I just took two guests to the airport this morning and asked them for their comments on their trip. And back it came, " It was fantastic and nothing we read about it back home was true, it was exactly the opposite" Would you come back? " Oh yes, we want to go to ....." there followed a long list of places they would return to and others that they wished they had had time to see.
One other thing, if you have not been here since april and have a comment about roads or congestion you are wrong! All the major construction is done and traffic flows easily. A trip JHB to Pretoria that took two hours now takes 45 minutes.
Johannesburg is a great place to stay over for a few days. We have fabulous restaurants, shopping centres, interesting places to go and museums, craft markets, music and pubs. Oh and pretty cool stadiums and sports to watch! Soweto is a total blast and people cant believe what fun they have there. Same with all the other major cities.
 Enough of my sales pitch, google the world cup and SA and talk to people who have been here recently, there are probably some near you!
Chrisg.

Me, my wife and kids haw been to S.A on several occasion over the last 6 years and we low it. We haw also brought a lot of our friends and family down there whit us and they all low it. It is a fantastic place whit fantastic people. I haw been there twice this yare and must say that the airports and roads are getting better and better.    

[chrisg]

ok see?! Now back to topic. Guides.. get referrals from friends and others, same principle of doing the homework. The outfitters mentioned are well known and have been at it for a while, the comments posted attest to their abilities. check out Tradtusker for more info. also the South African Bowhunters Association or 'SABA' Web page SAbowhunters.co.za for outfitters that are bow friendly.
chrisg

[Larry O. Fischer]

I have a friend who hunts his own farm in Namibia. Gert is set up for two hunters at a time so you will not have to share the hunt with anyone else. As a bonus he is overrun with baboons, so your son could have all of the shooting he wants. Gert and Lin are two of the best people I know and the hunting is fantastic. Send me an e-mail [email protected], or call 208-853-0555 if I can help.

[jonsimoneau]

OBXarcher...I seriously doubt that Vissers can be beaten by any outfitter.  I have hunted with them twice, and it has always been amazing.  However, I prefer Namibia simply because it is much less populated by humans, and...well...I just love it there.  South Africa has a wider variety of species.  But Namibia offers an experience in a wilder area.  I WILL hunt with Vissers again...hopefully many more times.  But my next time over there for plains game will be in Namibia.  If and WHEN I decide to tackle cape buffalo, it will most likely be with Vissers and will be in Mozambique. It is all about your own preference, but I can tell you that Vissers have always treated me like family.  On the second time I went there, I brought my wife for our honeymoon, and I can say that everyone there went above and beyond to make our stay absolutley perfect.  It simply could not have been better. We met great people...had excellent accomodations...food that is to die for...lot's of south African beer, excellent hunting, and memories that will be ingrained in our minds forever.

[John Pomazi]

OBXarcher, Have to agree with Jon, Dries Visser is hard to beat.  I have been twice to South Africa and am going next year with Dries to his new Namibia concession.  Did you hear that Jon?  I have also been with Ken Moody and his operation is pretty darn good as well.  Hard to beat the value of his superbow package.