What a South African Plains Game Safari Really Costs

The short version: a plains game safari is quoted as a daily rate — roughly 400 to 500 US dollars per hunter per day at market — plus a trophy fee for each animal taken, from the low hundreds for impala up to the low thousands for kudu and eland. A realistic all-in figure for a ten-day trip taking five or six animals, including flights and getting your trophies home, lands somewhere in the region of 12,000 to 20,000 dollars. Less than most hunters assume, and more than the cheapest quote they will find.

Here is the whole thing itemised, including the costs that never appear in a first conversation.

The two-part structure

Same as Texas exotic hunting, and the split confuses first-timers more than anything else.

The daily rate buys your time in camp: accommodation, all meals, your professional hunter, trackers, skinners, field preparation, permits and airport transfers. It is charged per day whether or not you take anything.

The trophy fee buys the animal. Charged when it is taken and recovered, and not otherwise.

Splitting them means a hunter chasing impala and a hunter chasing sable pay the same to be there and different amounts for what they leave with. It is the fairest structure available and it is the industry standard for good reason.

Daily rates

Market rates for South African plains game generally run:

2×1 is not a lesser hunt. Two friends or a father and son sharing a PH is how a great many safaris are run, and it saves real money. What it costs you is flexibility — you hunt the same ground on the same schedule.

Trophy fees, by rough band

Species pricing varies by operator, area and quality, but the bands are consistent:

These are indicative market ranges to help you build a budget — they are not our quote. We price South Africa per itinerary, because the honest number depends on your species list, your dates, which properties we use and how many are travelling. Call and we will put a real figure in writing.

Our Texas pricing, by contrast, is published in full on the pricing page — because Texas exotics are a fixed list and Africa genuinely is not.

Three worked examples

A first safari: 7 days, 2×1, four animals

The standard trip: 10 days, 1×1, six animals

A couple: 10 days, hunter plus observer, five animals

What is not in those numbers

This is where budgets go wrong. Add:

International flights. Figure $1,400–$2,500 return from Texas depending on season and how far ahead you book. Most routes run through Johannesburg.

Domestic connection to Port Elizabeth, usually a few hundred dollars.

Dip and pack. Treating and crating your trophies to meet import requirements. Commonly $500–$1,200 depending on how many animals and whether you are shipping skulls or full skins.

Freight and customs clearance to the US. Another $800–$2,000 for a typical plains game crate, and it varies a lot with volume and port.

Taxidermy at home. The single largest post-hunt cost and the one most often forgotten. A shoulder mount is four figures, and six animals is a serious bill spread over the following year.

Tips. Customary and at your discretion. Budget something for the PH and something for the trackers and skinners, who work harder than anyone notices.

Rifle permit. Free — the SAPS 520 costs nothing. But if you use a meet-and-greet service at Johannesburg to walk your paperwork through, that is a modest fee and the best money spent on the whole trip.

Travel insurance and a medical evacuation policy. Cheap, and you will not think about it again.

So what does it actually come to?

For a ten-day trip taking five or six plains game animals, flights included and trophies delivered to your taxidermist, most hunters land somewhere between $12,000 and $20,000 before taxidermy.

That is a real number and it is worth saying plainly, because the two failure modes are equally common: hunters who assume Africa is out of reach and never ask, and hunters who budget only the safari invoice and get surprised by the shipping.

Where the cheap quotes come from

If a quote comes in far under the market, one of a few things is happening:

• The daily rate is low and the trophy fees are inflated, so the bill arrives on the back end
• Extras appear on site — sundries, transfers, fuel surcharges, trophy handling
• The animals are not on the property and you spend your days looking
• The camp is genuinely rough in a way the photographs do not show

None of that makes a cheap operator dishonest. It does mean the comparison is not like for like, and the only way to know is to get everything in writing first. How to vet an outfitter covers what to ask.

How to bring the cost down honestly

Hunt 2×1. Bring a friend. It is the single biggest saving available and it costs you very little.

Shoulder seasons. May and September are excellent and easier to book than July.

Be realistic about the list. Six good animals beats ten rushed ones, and it costs less.

Skip the rifle. Borrowing one removes the permit, the airline fees and the handling. We provide rifles on request.

Decide on taxidermy before you go. European mounts and skulls cost a fraction of shoulder mounts and ship far cheaper. Nobody makes you decide in camp, but knowing in advance changes what you take.

A word on prices. Everything above is current as of 2026 and it does move. Animal values shift, fuel and freight change, and exchange rates do what they do. Treat this as a planning guide rather than a quote — call me at 830-928-5426 and I’ll shoot you straight on what your trip actually costs today.

Next

How many days you actually need is the other half of this decision, and the complete first safari plan covers everything else.

When you want a real number for real dates, call Dalton at 830-928-5426 or send us your list.