Frequently Asked Questions.

South Africa is a safe place for international travelers. Our clients and their families are normally only in a large city when we meet you at the Customs exit at Johannesburg International Airport. 

Shabalala Safaris recommends the primary use of travelers’ checks or credit cards rather than carrying large amounts of cash.  The staff at Shabalala Safaris is committed to the health and safety of you and your party while you are in our care. 

Our staff will be with you and your party the entire time of your safari, from picking you up at Johannesburg Airport until dropping you off at the airport for your return flight.  The areas where we will be hunting are rural and crime is not a problem. 

Your Professional Hunters will see to it that you don't get into any sticky situations on your safari.  No visiting hunters or their families have ever been harassed while in the care of Shabalala Safaris. 

Shabalala Safaris’ South African hunting camp is a 200 mile drive from Johannesburg International Airport and is situated just northwest of Thabazimbi in the game filled Limpopo Province.

From the US, we recommend South African Airways.  They fly direct flights from Atlanta and JFK Airports to Johannesburg International Airport, your pick up point for Shabalala Safaris. 

You’ll need to plan ahead as flights are quite crowded during hunting season. 

Also, not all the flights are direct flights to Johannesburg.  Some of them stop in Cape Town before arriving in Johannesburg.  This adds five hours to an already lengthy trip. 

We highly recommend you use a travel agent experienced in traveling to Africa. 

You will need a passport that is valid six months beyond your departure date.  Make sure you have blank pages in the back for a stamp. 

Citizens from the US, Canada, UK, France, Germany and Spain do not need a Visa.

Make a copy of your passport and keep it separate from where you keep your passport.  It is much easier to obtain a new passport if you have a copy of your passport. 

If you lose your passport, contact the US Embassy.

How much and what type of ammunition should I bring?

Make sure your rifle is shooting consistently and accurately with the ammunition you choose. 

Once your gun is sighted in, you must practice shooting off hand, with shooting sticks, from ground positions etc… with both accuracy and speed. Our animals will not wait for you to find the perfect position in order to be shot. In the bush… your window of opportunity is oft times very slim. These are wild animals and not a farmer’s pet goat.

Our trophies did not become the animals they are by being stupid. The ability to shoot accurately and quickly from various positions is a must.

You will need to go by a US Customs office and fill out a Customs Form 4457 before you go on your trip.  The US Customs Service has offices at any large international airport.  Check your government pages in the phone book to find the phone number for your local Customs office. 

DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE DAY OF YOUR DEPARTURE TO GET THIS FORM AT THE AIRPORT.  GET IT AHEAD OF TIME!

Your gun should be packed in a crash resistant plastic or metal case that locks.  Do not go cheap on a traveling gun case.

In the US, you will need to make sure you get to the airport early enough to have your gun inspected by TSA before it is placed on the airplane. 

Call your airline regarding the details of packing guns and bullets.

Is it difficult to get my gun into South Africa?

No, it just takes time.  Upon arrival, after passing through passport control, you will pick up your checked baggage.  Proceed to your airline’s help desk in the luggage area and tell them you have a firearm as checked baggage.  They will assist you in getting your rifle. 

You must then head to the South African Police Service firearm control office and register your firearm with the SAPS using SAPA Form 520. 

This is a little time consuming because it is a long form.  Once you complete the Form 520 to their satisfaction, they will issue you a temporary import permit.  Make sure you don’t lose this permit. 

Remember, if you bring a firearm in, you must take it back out with you.  It is illegal to leave your firearm in South Africa. 

Most of your shots will be 150 yards or less.  However, it doesn’t always work that way.

Know where your bullet will strike at 50, 100, 150 and 200 yards. 

We work hard to keep all your shots around 100 yards, or less, as we don’t want to spend your valuable hunting time chasing a wounded animal through the bush. 

The most important thing to remember is… many of the shots come quickly. So it’s important to be able to shoulder your rifle, center your cross hairs on the vitals and shoot accurately within 2 to 3 seconds. 

Once again, the trophy animals at Shabalala Safaris haven’t grown to maturity by being ignorant. If they see, hear or smell you… you have about three seconds to shoot… maybe.

We prefer our guests to come between May 1st and Sept 30th.  This is late fall, winter and early spring for us so our weather is quite nice. 

If your schedule doesn’t permit these dates, we will be happy to accommodate you when your schedule allows.

Sometime between four and eight months depending on how fast the South African Parks officials will issue an export permit after it is requested. 

It also depends on when you go hunting.  Typically, if you hunt late in the season, it takes longer to get your trophies back.  The reality is… there are no concrete answers when it comes to your trophies. 

Once we deliver your trophies to the taxidermist, this issue is now in their hands.

You will pay the shipping company in South Africa and the receiving company/broker here in the US.  It will be two different payments as they are not the same company.  You will usually receive a fax, email or phone call from the shipping company in South Africa telling you your order is ready to be shipped.  Once you pay them, either by credit card or bank transfer, your trophies will be shipped. 

The receiving company in the US will contact you when your trophies have arrived.  They will hold your trophies until you pay for them.  You can either pick them up personally, have your taxidermist pick them up or ship them to your taxidermist for mounting.

It is almost always sunny and dry from May through September.  Temperatures range from low 30’s and can warm up to the 70’s during the day.  It can rain occasionally so make sure your jacket is water resistant.

The most important thing for this hunt is good footwear.  We highly recommend leather boots that are well broken in as well as high quality hiking socks.  This is NOT the trip to break in a new pair of boots or to wear cheap socks.  You may be walking a great deal, and blisters on a safari are not fun.  An extra pair of boot laces is nice to have just in case one breaks.  You may want to bring camp shoes so you can get out of your boots if you like.

Think “layered clothing” for this hunt.  It will be quite cool in the morning but usually will warm up during the day.  Having a nice, warm jacket, a pull over fleece or a sweater you can take off later in the day works well. You will want to bring a pair of warm gloves for the cold mornings as well.  A light rain jacket is also a great idea in case you encounter an extremely rare wet day on your hunt. Long pants or shorts are both good while hunting. 

As far as what color of clothing should I hunt in… obviously, camouflage is great.  Also, dark clothing such as olive, dark green, brown and dark tan works well.  It’s best to avoid light colored clothing if at all possible.  Don’t forget a hat or cap of your choosing for skin protection. A belt and a good cartridge holder is a smart idea as well.

Your laundry is done every day except Sunday. We recommend four pair of undergarments, four pair of socks, three shirts and three pants/shorts for your stay.

Most of our hunting guests wear their hunting clothes for dinner as we retire to the fire before and after dinner on most nights.  If you wish to have some other comfortable clothes to wear to dinner, a sweat suit, or jeans and a sweater or sweatshirt would be fine.

Our water supply is completely safe to drink from the tap.  We also keep an abundant supply of bottled water on hand for our guests if they prefer.

No immunizations are required to enter South Africa.  A tetanus booster and Hepatitis A vaccines are recommended by the Center for Disease Control.  We recommend you look at the CDC web site at www.cdc.gov/travel/safrica.htm to learn more about health issues in South Africa.  It’s a good idea to consult with your personal physician about traveling to Africa well before you leave.

The primary hunting area for Shabalala Safaris is malaria free.  If your hunt takes you to other provinces, we will inform you if a malaria medicine is needed.  You will need to start taking the medicine at least a week before you come.  Again, consult your doctor and pharmacist for instructions.

Your prescription can be refilled here in South Africa.  It would be best if you bring enough of your medication to last for the entire trip so we don’t take away from important hunting time.  If you’re concerned about running out, have your doctor write a prescription for you and bring it with you. 

In addition, South Africa has excellent medical facilities and medical care.  These facilities are all a reasonable drive from all of Shabalala Safaris hunting areas.

You may purchase several types of insurance for your safari.  Baggage insurance, firearm insurance, trip cancellation insurance, travel insurance and medical evacuation insurance are all areas to consider to make yourself more financially secure before you leave on your trip.  Your travel agent can help you with trip cancellation, travel and medical evacuation.

The best firearm insurance for the money is with Sportsman's Insurance Agency.  You can reach them at 800-925-7767 or visit them on the web at www.siai.net   Shabalala Safaris highly recommends you insure your rifle[s] for this long trek.

You have multiple choices for medical evacuation companies.  You can buy a year policy or a policy that covers just your individual trip.  Here are a few companies you can check with. 

Wilderness Medical Systems - www.wildernessmedical.com

Med Jet - www.medjetassistance.com

Medex - www.medexassist.com

What kind of personal items should I bring?

• Camera and more film than you think you need!
• Video camera, tapes, battery charger and extra battery
• Eye glasses, contacts, and sunglasses
• Binoculars
• Flashlight and batteries
• 220 to 110 voltage converter and adapter plug
• Books.  It’s a long plane ride.
• Pocket knife or scissors – PACK IN CHECKED LUGGAGE
• Journal and writing pen
• Any medical prescriptions and allergy medicines
• Insect Repellent with at least 35% DEET
• Band aids and mole skin
• Sunscreen
• Lip balm with sunscreen
• Personal toiletries, shaving or cosmetic kit
• Hat/Cap
• Warm jacket and gloves
• Camp shoes
• Small sewing kit with buttons
• And one more time… camera and video camera! 

The South African Rand is the used in South Africa for all purchases.  You can see how your currency converts by linking to the following web site: www.xe.com/ucc

You may exchange your currency for Rand at the airport when you arrive or at a bank on the way to the hunting area.  Travelers checks and all major currencies can be exchanged at banks and various exchange companies.  Banks are open Monday - Friday 9am-3:30pm and Saturday 8:30am-11am.  Most ATM machines support the Cirrus network cards.  You can check with your bank before you leave and find out if your ATM card will be accepted in South Africa.

Most shops, hotels and restaurants accept Visa, Master Card and American Express.  Keep your passport available as you may need picture id when you use a credit card.

Tipping is never required but is greatly appreciated.  If you believe you received good service from the camp staff and your professional hunter, it is customary to tip somewhere around 10% of the daily rate. 

If you were exceptionally pleased with the service provided by the staff and your PH, you may tip whatever you like above that.  Feel free to ask your outfitter and PH if you have questions on tipping.  They can give you great guidance in that area.

We accept US cash, South African Rand or travelers checks to pay the balance of the safari. 

You will need both a converter to plug your items into and an adapter to plug into the outlet.  The converter will change the voltage from 230-240 Volts, 50 HZ to 120Volts.  You can find converters and adapters at any electronics store like Radio Shack or Circuit City or department stores like Kmart, Wal-Mart or Target. 

Shabalala Safaris does have a few converters and adapters in camp, but it’s best to bring your own to insure you have one.  For our lady guests who need a hair dryer, we will have hair dryers in each chalet that are designed for South African electrical outlets.  No need to bring one along. 

You can rent a cell phone at Johannesburg Intl Airport that will work well in the safari area. 

Another option would be a satellite phone. 

We do not have the capability at this time to allow you to connect to the internet.  Whatever family you don’t bring with you will have all appropriate emergency phone numbers for Shabalala Safaris as well as an email address for emergency contact.  In an emergency situation, we will insure you have communication capability.  We just cannot provide it as a standard service at this time due to our remote location and limited service.

In summer in the US, South Africa is 6 hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time, 7 hours ahead of Central Daylight Time, 8 hours ahead of Mountain Daylight Time and 9 hours ahead of Pacific Daylight Time.  See table below for explanation.

No. It is against US Dept of Agriculture regulations to import wild game or meat of any kind without a proper license.  The meat stays here at the ranch where it is served to our hunting guests as well as used by the staff and their families.

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Questions – call Clash Adventures @ 786.282.5274 or email us at letshunt@shabalala.com