FAQ

Yes, beer and wine are provided.

Yes.

On arrival in South Africa security services at customs will issue you with a temporary import permit for your weapons valid for the duration of your stay.

Only a passport is required.

A passport and current drivers license is all that is required.

Yes indeed! Much of the game is prepared in different outstanding ways. This adds to the experience of the hunt.

The norm is to give your professional hunter, tracker and the kitchen a tip. A 10% to 15% gratuity is normally adequate. At the end of the day, tipping is entirely up to the client.

A suitable 4 x 4 vehicle is used to get us around and to spot game, thereafter we walk and stalk.

Between 50 and 300 yards, the average being just over a 150 yards.

60 to 80 rounds is more than adequate. Ammo can also be purchased locally if necessary. Not more than 11pds or 5kg.

You will be housed in our lodge, Eastern Cape Farm style. The lodge has all modern conveniences such as electricity, hot water and flush toilets.

A 7 day hunt means 7 hunting days excludes arrival and departure.

Yes! We have just been voted one of the safest destinations in the world. There is absolutely no terrorism and the wonderful climate, friendly people and favourable exchange rate make this country a favoured travel destination.

Yes ,50% of daily rate.

We have electricity and the power supply is 220/240 volt.

Camouflage clothing is legal and accepted in South Africa. By all means use it.

Yes, you will need some money for porters and personal purchases. Otherwise credit cards are widely accepted.

Yes we do have some poisonous snakes. Fortunately however, they are hibernating during the time of the year that hunting takes place and it is extremely rare to even see one.

Hornady, Speer, Sierra, Core Lokts and Power Point soft points are fine. Trophy Bonded, Barnes X, or Nosler Partitions are preferred.

Your wife can join us in the field or be taken on a personal tour of historic sights and and other places of interest in the two adjacent towns . There is always much to see and do.

The meat stays the property of Gem Safaris and, in some instances, the property of the landowners on whose land one is hunting. We use the prime cuts of some species to prepare lovely meals for our guests.

The Eastern Cape of South Africa is a malaria free environment. Although there is no real need for any vaccinations or inoculations, one cannot go wrong by taking a Hepatitis A and B vaccine and make sure ones Tetanus vaccine are up to date. It would also be recommended to go for a full medical check up before the hunt commence. Warmer weather combined with high rainfall may sometimes cause high tick populations. Insect repellant is used very effectively to neutralize this problem when it does occur. Sunburn and dehydration, caused by our sometimes harsh African sun, can be prevented by using sunscreen regularly and wearing a hat in the daytime. Most of the vegetation consist of thorns with various shapes and sizes. Clients should always keep this in mind while in the process of stalking animals.

Walk and stalk hunting: Slowly walking with the sun on your back and the wind in your face while using the bush as your cover. Spot and stalk hunting: Sitting down against a hillside while glassing the side of the mountain above and the riverbeds, Karoo plains or bush below. If animals are spotted, the stalk is planned and executed from there. Blind hunting: Normally involves the building of a blind and putting bait out close to the blind to attract animals. Different bait is used for different species and only a few species can be effectively hunted this way. Hunting with dogs: A pack of well trained dogs are used for the hunting of species like caracal and bushpigs . Exciting, but requires a high fitness level.

We will keep you entertained for the remainder of your stay with a trip to the Park and other sight seeing.

We are very fortunate to have the services of a great cook and kitchen staff. Normally either game meat, chicken, beef, lamb or pork are included at the dinner meal. An outside evening “braai” on an open fire, consisting of the back straps, tender loins or fillet steaks from some of the animals that were hunted, cannot be topped. Hunting starts at first light and therefore we have a quick breakfast in the form of : coffee, rusks, toasted bread, cheese, yoghurt, fruit and orange juice before we leave. When we return back from the morning hunt we have a sit down cooked meal. It is important to disclose your food preferences ahead of time . We want you to have a great hunt, but on a full stomach!

Clients are liable to pay in full for wounded animals.

Most pops (coke products etc.) are available in both diet and regular variety.

4x on up to 3-9 or 4-10 is plenty.

The Eastern Cape's variety in the terrain and vegetation within a relatively small radius makes it one of the most interesting and exciting places in the world to hunt. Akasia trees grow dense on the sides of these canyons. Although very thick vegetation cover the sides of the mountains , hip high scrub and grass between the rocks makes out most of the top part. In the denser parts species like bushbuck, bushpig, nyala, kudu, duiker, impala and grysbuck are found. Mountain reedbuck, baboon, vaal rhebuck and klipspringer are found on top of the mountains. Hunting for blesbuck, black and blue wildebeest, red hartebeest and springbuck are normally on the open plain areas

For plains game the 270 is minimum, 338 Mag, 30-06, 7 Mag or 300 Mag is ideal. 243 and 25-06 are fine for Springbuck and other small game, but too small for Kudu or Gemsbuck. The 375 H+H or the 340 WBY are way over gunned for plains game and fit in with Buffalo and other big game.

Our best months are from April through to the end of September; these are our cooler winter months. Not much rain is experienced during this time.