South Africa Hunting Safaris

World-Class Plains Game Hunting in South Africa

There is hunting, and then there is Africa. South Africa is our home on that continent and the best place in the world to take a first safari: game density is high, the lodges and professional hunters are well established, English is spoken everywhere and most plains game country is malaria-free. A seven to ten day plains game safari typically takes four to six animals from kudu, gemsbok, impala, blue wildebeest, blesbok, nyala, bushbuck, zebra, waterbuck, eland, springbok and warthog, with sable and Cape buffalo available for hunters who want more. The prime window is the South African winter, roughly May through September, when the bush thins out and game concentrates at water. We also arrange safaris in Botswana and Mozambique.

Where We Hunt in South Africa

Our South African operation is based in the Eastern Cape, where we host hunters alongside professional hunter JP Kleinhans and his family. Hunters fly into Port Elizabeth, an hour from the lodge, and the country opens up from there: citrus valleys, thornveld, and mountains you glass the way you would glass out west.

The Eastern Cape is one of the most varied hunting provinces in the country. Within a short drive you can move from steep mountain country holding kudu to open plains that suit gemsbok and blesbok, and on to Karoo concessions where the wind and the distance make you earn an animal. On a typical trip we hunt several distinct properties rather than staying on one, which is why hunters see far more of South Africa with us than they expect. Most plains game country here is malaria-free, which removes the single biggest worry first-time hunters bring with them.

Plains Game You Can Hunt With Us

Greater kudu is the animal most hunters build the trip around, and it deserves that. Spiral horns, a big body, and a genuine talent for disappearing into thick cover. Beyond kudu, the standard Eastern Cape list runs to gemsbok, blue wildebeest, impala, blesbok, nyala, bushbuck, waterbuck, springbok, red hartebeest, zebra, eland and warthog. For hunters who want to step up, sable and Cape buffalo are available.

A seven to ten day safari typically takes four to six animals. We would rather you took six good ones than rushed at ten. Full species detail is on the African species page.

When to Come

The prime window is the South African winter, roughly May through September. The bush thins out, the days are cool and comfortable to walk in, and game concentrates near water, which makes spot and stalk far more productive. Mornings can be genuinely cold. Hunters never believe that until they are standing in one.

Dalton is in South Africa for essentially all of July and August, and those weeks fill up first. If you are considering 2027, the conversation to have is this year, not next spring.

What a South African Safari Costs

Plains game safaris are priced the same way as our Texas hunts: a daily rate covering accommodation, meals, your professional hunter, trackers, skinners and field preparation, plus a trophy fee for each animal taken.

Market daily rates for South African plains game generally run in the region of 400 to 500 US dollars per hunter per day, with two hunters sharing a PH cheaper per person than one-on-one. Trophy fees vary widely: impala, blesbok and warthog sit in the low hundreds; kudu, nyala and eland run into the low thousands; sable and buffalo well beyond that.

Those are indicative market ranges to help you build a budget, not our quote. We price South Africa per itinerary, because the right number depends on your species list, your dates, the properties and how many are travelling. Call and we will put a real figure in writing. Our Texas pricing is published in full on the pricing page.

Budget separately for international flights, tips, dip and pack, shipping, and taxidermy at home.

Rifles, Permits and Getting There

You do not have to travel with a rifle. We can provide one on request, which removes the temporary import permit, the airline firearm handling and the risk of your rifle arriving three days after you do. Plenty of experienced hunters take that option.

If you would rather bring your own, you will need a SAPS 520 temporary import permit. It is free and it is not difficult, but the details matter. We walk you through it and provide the invitation letter from the South African side. The full process is in our SAPS 520 guide.

Most hunters route through Johannesburg and connect to Port Elizabeth. We meet you at the airport.

Getting Your Trophies Home

Skinning and caping happen in camp, immediately, by people who are very good at it. From there trophies go to a dip and pack facility, then a freight agent handles export documentation and ships to a port of entry near you, where your taxidermist takes delivery.

From hunt to mount on the wall is commonly eight to eighteen months. Anyone promising much faster is guessing. We stay involved until your trophies land.

Why Book Africa Through a Texas Outfitter

You can book direct with a South African outfitter, and plenty of hunters do it well. What you get by going through us is somebody in your own country and time zone who has hunted the properties, knows the professional hunters personally, travels with the group, and whose Texas business depends on your trip going right.

For a first safari that matters more than the margin. We have written honestly about the trade-offs, including the fair case for booking direct, in this piece. If you are still choosing an outfitter, start with how to vet one, and if this would be your first African hunt, read the complete first safari plan.

Call or text Dalton Bannister at 830-928-5426, or send a note through the site. Tell us what you want to hunt, roughly when you can travel, and whether you are bringing anyone. We will take it from there.