Out of Curiosity and purily hypothetical. How long is too long? A question for outfitters

[uplander01]

From a client perspective, I’ll never have to worry about this, I would run out of money by the end of 10-12 days

 

[Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS]

So from an outfitter side
U can come as long as u like but
Ph will need some time off and time to do some other work/maintenance etc
Chef will definately run out of ideas and meals will be repeated a couple of times
I do think if you are prepared to get your hand dirty and do some farm work along with ph etc u will enjoy yourself a bit more and not get bored

I hosted a gent on a working hunting holiday in April
He enjoyed it and so did we

Regards

 

[Dinsdale]

So from an outfitter side
U can come as long as u like but
Ph will need some time off and time to do some other work/maintenance etc
Chef will definately run out of ideas and meals will be repeated a couple of times
I do think if you are prepared to get your hand dirty and do some farm work along with ph etc u will enjoy yourself a bit more and not get bored

I hosted a gent on a working hunting holiday in April
He enjoyed it and so did we

Regards

I’m in the trades and well versed on multiple skills. I’ve fixed a gate, help mend water pipes dug up by elephant, rewired a room, adjusted and repaired a bunch of cabinets (my main occupation). Mostly because broken stuff or poorly done work drives me crazy. Dont need a companion to babysit me off hunting time either, go do what one needs to run a business, emails,phone calls and such or family.

If it takes it off the list of distractions, I’d rather spend an hour fixing the water pipe so we can get on with the hunting. On that occasion I relieved the farm hand of the pick as his digging was getting us nowhere; I’m not sure he’d ever seen a skinny white guy client ever swing a pick that hard or long in his life. But I learned a nifty way to use steel wire to make a hose clamp and have used it on several occasions….total win-win.

Longest with one outfitter for me was 17 days plus 2 either end of travel. Split it with two PH’s who were partners and also took 2 days in the middle to go to Etosha. IIRC it was at 10 days and one of the wives acted as tour guide. Originally the idea of Etosha was maybe at the end, but gave the PH the option to put that anywhere that worked best with his schedule.

Earlier in that trip I did 10 days in SA with another outfit, so breaking it all up with some travel and new folks to meet was terrific. I dont think I’d want to do 30 days strait without a side trip or venue change.

I’d rather book the two 14 day hunts with two outfits, I question the savings vs the experience of 2 countries/PH’s/ scenery.

 

[HENRY GRIFFITHS SAFARIS]

I think i can say something on this post its very interesting,


I have done a few safaris of 20 days or more with clients

The first one was probably the best it was with a hunter i met through AH and booked a 24 day safari for lioness and buffalo cow and plainsgame the hunter wanted ti spend allot of time in africa and just be on his own to enjoy quiet time. the hunt started at the airport were from we travelled to Hoedspruit in limpopo for 4 days to hunt a buffalo cow, from there we travelled to my base camp at the time in North west province there the hunter spend a few days on his own on the 10 th day we headed further west to hunt lioness for a few days a then headed back to base camp for few more days of alone time for the hunter , he spend his days taking walk and collecting woods rocks and titbits for his taxidermy mounts and i would join him on and off for a beer or to hunt plainsgame. On the way to the airport we traved to few places and wild camped for few nights and did some fishing. This was supposed to be his only africa trip i think he has been back 20 times visiting friends and wild camping all over southern Africa

The second one was a photo and video safari with some reality tv stars from the USA

They stayed nearly 30 days we started doing some tourist stuff around Johannesburg and then headed west to Kalahari for a few days where the man hunted an Impala his first and last ever animal, from there we travelled through the Kalahari up into botswana and to the Okavango delta we wild camped in the Okavango for a few days and then travelled back down to my home, after a few easy days we left for Mozambique travelling through kruger park up to wild sands on the beech . We stayed there a few days took a dow trip to an island And then meandered back to airport in Johannesburg

I have also done two 24day photo safaris with groups of ladies from the USA we basically did big loop around South Africa visiting game parks and doing tourist activities and spending time on the beaches in natal the ladies had a ball!

The longest hunt i did was 25 days for a few dangerous game animals and plainsgame traveling to many places in South Africa

What i as a guide enjoyed about these trips is the relaxing nature of them , there was no rush to get stuff done , it was a we will get there when we get there scenario

It does take allot of effort and people skills that I dont have and have to work very hard to do trips like this as a guide but i made a Point of it to give the clients allot of time to smell the roses and when we wild camped I would setup my tent far away to give much privacy as possible at main kitchen and camp Trailer

Were we stayed in the game reserves i would camp in the campsite while the clients stayed in the chalets to save on cost and give them privacy and me some alone time,

As a guide i got to know these people very well and we still keep in touch to this day , there were for sure difficult times and things did go wrong like it only can in Africa but handled it the best we could and were the clients had an open mind all was well in the end,

Communication was key and planned activities according to how everyone was feeling and this could be done easy because time was not an issue

 

[Tanks]

First, longest hunt I have ever done is 28 days. Secondly, I don't see how an outfitter would not be welcoming a client with a longer hunt. He would be getting his daily rates. It is a business after all. I had 21 day hunts where as I am leaving another client shows up the night before I leave for another 21 days.

It is not like a client is coming without notice for a long hunt.

Most CMS PHs stay in the bush for 3 months or so without a break during peak season.

 

[Tokoloshe Safaris]

As John Henry Patterson (yes, that Patterson), James Audley Blyth (abruptly deceased), and Ethel Jane Bruner Blyth (subsequently comforted by her PH) would testify, a long safari is not always the best way to develop lasting close relationships.

The Villain of East Africa – John Patterson - Sporting Classics Daily

Whatever the goal, the safari became a recipe for disaster. The great elephant rounded a clump of acacia and swung toward the two hunters. Drying blood made dark stains down its wrinkled shoulder and neck, but despite its wounds, the big animal moved deceptively fast with that ambling gait that...

sportingclassicsdaily.com

Or read "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" where the names were changed to protect the innocent - or guilty.

You just made me smile and laugh, priceless.

 

[Tokoloshe Safaris]

We have one client/friend and his he and his wife come for about a month. They are not charged a regular daily fee, but something that works for us.

We are fortunate we have our very nice tented hunting camp in our Conservancy. Then we have our excellent air-con lodge with pool and lake Kariba. Then our home seperated by 100 meters to the lodge. This gives everyone privacy we never have more than one hunting party at a time.

On days where no hunting/fishing takes place the clients can chill out or do what we do. They are also included in all of our normal socializing.

This type of trip is not for everyone, but for them and us it works.

Lon

 

[Ridge Runner]

Thanks Lon and Henry your descriptions are on point as to what and how the scenario was meant.

Where the client was only with the outfitter only once before for 7 days then a couple or so years later wants to return for a much longer period of time. Perhaps during that time he has acquired a fiancee or wife and they want to "honeymoon" in Africa. Or perhaps the client took what he thought was a once in a lifetime trip to Africa, the kids are now full grown with lives of their own and the parent couple have chosen Africa for a relaxing getaway.

It's information gathering should a someone(s) contemplate staying for a long period of time with one outfitter what and how the person(s) could or would affect the outfitter's normal operational routine.

A perspective that I didn't think of which has come up. The differences between outfitters that only host one client/group at a time at their lodge vs outfitters that host multiple rotating clients/groups at a time at their lodge. Especially during the, IMO, the prime hunting months, being May and September.