Africa boasts a wide variety of game animals, climates, and terrains across multiple countries, allowing it to be the perfect location to accommodate any type of hunter. We’ve gone into a few more details to convince you why Africa should be your next hunting destination.

Most of the hunting in Africa is the natural “walk-and-stalk” style of hunting, where animals are tracked and stalked on foot - often for many hours. There are a few exceptions, however, such as vehicle spotting for large open plains or bated hunts for animals such as leopards.

Countries

Many African countries permit hunting, most of which are located in the Southern African region. The top hunting destinations in Africa, attracting more than 18,000 hunter tourists annually, include Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and South Africa. Hunting in these regions makes an enormous impact on the local populations, supporting more than 53,000 jobs and contributing over $426 Million to the African Economy every year.

Costs

Hunting in Africa provides both novice and frequent hunters with accessible and affordable hunts, without compromising on quality. A typical African hunt can range from $5,000 and $8,000 per person, which would include four plains game animals, transport, lodging, and food. These prices will dramatically increase when selecting luxury five-star accommodation and hunting for rare or dangerous animals.

Climate

The best time to hunt in Southern Africa is during the winter months, which spread from March through August. In summer, Africa experiences sweltering heat exceeding 40°C (104°F), followed by the characteristic afternoon thunderstorms found in South Africa’s Freestate and Kalahari. With the combination of sunlight and rain, the bushveld is lush and green, rendering the scenery beautiful. For the hunter, however, this is not ideal. The thick bush makes it difficult to spot and track animals and swarms of ticks occupy the fresh grass.

In the winter months, conditions are more temperate, with mild cool days around 17°C (62°F) and frosty mornings and evenings dropping to as low as freezing. The cold and frost dry out much of the vegetation, improving the tracking visibility and forcing animals to gather at watering holes and the few remaining food sources.

Terrain and Animals

The terrain varies dramatically across countries and their regions. Mozambique offers everything from green savanna, forest glades, and dense forest which can make it a challenging hunt, but perfect for hunting dangerous-game animals such as buffalo, leopards, and elephants.

Namibia is a stark contrast to Mozambique, with large semi-desert plains and dry thorny savannah. While Namibia is mostly known for plains game hunting safaris, it is one of the only countries, along with South Africa, where one can hunt the entire Big Five; Lion, Leopard, Buffalo, Elephant, and Rhino.

Zimbabwe's hunting areas are rugged and untamed, making it an exciting hunting destination. Three of the Big Five (elephant, buffalo, and leopard) are available to hunt, along with additional dangerous game species such as crocodile and hippopotamus. Zimbabwe is home to approximately 100 000 elephants, making it a top destination for hunting the world’s largest land animal.

South Africa has long been the most popular hunting destination in Africa, especially as a first-time hunting safari destination. Most South African hunting takes place on enclosed private land, with the exception of controlled hunting areas in very few provincial game reserves. This land is mostly savanna shrub, grassy plains, or areas scattered with acacia trees. Along with the Big Five, South Africa also offers Trophy hunting and a wide variety of exotic species, such as golden wildebeest.


Hunting in Africa is sure to present you with a unique and thrilling experience, regardless of whether you’re an experienced hunter going after one of the Big Five or a beginner seeking their first plains game animal to spark their passion for hunting. Gamka Safaris provides quality hunting safaris, accompanied by experienced professional hunters, which guarantees that on your final day of hunting you’ll already be booking the dates for your next African Hunting trip.