Frequently Asked Questions

Below are some of our most frequently asked questions. If you would like to ask us something else or for us to elaborate on a topic please feel free to send us a mail.

What Clothing Should I Bring? - The African sun is harsh most of the year. Layering your clothing is most practical for fluctuating temperatures from day to night. For hunting, we recommend dull and or neutral colors however either Sitka or KUIU camo is also very affective. Cotton clothing is recommended for summer. It is best to pack hardy durable clothing. Please note that sun lotion, a hat and rehydrate powder are very important.

If you are hunting with us in Mozambique bring along a head net to help with the Mopane and Tetse flies.

Should I Get Travel Insurance? - Yes, we recommend that you protect yourself with travel insurance. Policies must include medical evaluation, lost/stolen baggage and trip cancellations.

How Do I Get There? - Everyone hunting in South Africa or Mozambique as well as most other Southern African countries needs to fly via Johannesburg.

From the USA, there are flights that originate in Atlanta (Delta Air), Washington DC (South African Airlines), and New York (South African Airlines). You can also fly via Europe or the Middle East into Johannesburg which tends to be the more cost-effective answer.

The recommended flight is via New York on South African Airways as this gets you to Johannesburg at around 08h00 and you then have time to catch all connecting flights throughout South Africa as well as neighboring countries The other flights all get in around 18h00and generally an overnight stay is needed.

From Europe, the flights land all day, and specific scheduling is needed for each.

We have used Custom Travel for the past 15 years and they run a thoroughly professional operation from within the USA. Please contact them for all your travel needs and questions.

What Happens to the Meat? - South Africa - Most of the meat from the hunted animals stays with the landowners. We utilize many of the best cuts of meat for ourselves and our staff and are allowed to sell the remainder to local butchers if needed. No part of the animal ever goes to waste.

How Many Hunters/Groups are in Camp? - For plains game hunts in South African we can accommodate groups of up to 16 That being said we do not share camps/lodges with more than one group at a time, unless specifically requested.

When hunting, you or your group, will be the only hunters on that particular concession at that time. This ensures that you have the best possible experience in Africa.

Do you do Photographic Safaris? - Photographic Safaris, Tours, and specialist bird-watching and angling trips can be customized for each client or group. We specialize in combining wine routs. Cape Town. The Garden Route. Victoria Falls, game-rich National Parks, and Private game Ranches, Pamerping at world-class spas, and Exciting fishing trips offshore for tuna, Sailfish, or jack await you!

What Health Requirements Do I Need to Take Into Account? - Most parts of South Africa have no malaria and no extra vaccinations are needed for a trip. Malaria prophylaxis is needed for Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. To acquire a visa for Mozambique you need to get a yellow fever shot from your doctor. We will need to be notified of any medical conditions prior to your trip. Please bring any personal medication you might need on your Safari.

Can you tell me more about the seasons and Weather? - Hunting Safaris in South Africa are conducted throughout the year with the best times from April through to October. Photographic trips and tours can be put together at any time of the year but September through November is the best time for game viewing. South Africa’s rainy season is generally from November to march, Temperatures from April through to September vary from 0˚C – 15˚C in the early morning and the evening and up to 20˚C – 30˚C during the day.

Safaris is Mozambique are conducted from July to end November. Temperatures from June – August vary from 10˚C to high 30’s in the midday. From September through November the temperatures can reach the high 40’s in the midday.

What medication should I bring? - Bring all the medication you take on a regular basis as well as anti-malaria tablets, rehydrate, sunscreen and anti-itch insect bite cream. 

If travelers are carrying prescription medicine, they must carry a copy of the prescription with them. 

What is the electricity voltage? - Southern Africa uses 22V to 240V and you will need to bring a converter with you. Our camps have some converters available. The power in South Africa is from the grid and available 24 hours a day.

In Mozambique, we run generators for part of the day for refrigeration, etc. Re-charging of equipment can be done at this time. There are solar powered lights for the rooms during the night.

Can I bring my own Rifle / Bow / Ammo? If so, can I bring more than one of each? - You are allowed to bring in up to three firearms with up to 100 rounds of ammunition for each.

• You may not bring the following:

• Any Semi-Automatic Weapons.

• Any Automatic Weapons (including Shot Guns)

• More than 11 pounds of ammunition (5 kg) in total.

We advise you to use an airline approved hard gun case for your rifle and/or bow and your ammo needs to be in separate lockable hard case. Pelican make a great small case for this exactly.

You will need to get a temporary firearms import for South Africa and Mozambique and we highly recommend that you use the pre-approved service offered by PHASA or one of the other service providers. This will save you hours of time and frustration at the airport. For Mozambique we will beed all the details for the firearms at least 90 days prior to the hunt.

Documents such as invitation letter from us and permit applications are required. A maximum of 40 rounds are allowed into Mozambique.

There are no restrictions on Bows for hunting, but they also beed to be collected at the firearms desk on arrival.

Handguns are only allowed for hunting in South Africa and need to look like they are intended for hunting (scope/shoulder mount)

How far are the shots at animals roughly? - Most shots are taken between 80 and 220 yards. In exceptional circumstances, if you as the hunter are comfortable with the shot, you may have longer shots. 

For dangerous game such as buffalo and elephant, we try to get within 40 to 50 yards as for crocodiles within 100 yards from a steady rest. 

Most shots are taken standing, off shooting sticks or laying down over a shooting bag.

What gun should I bring? - For a standard plains game hunt, we recommend the rifle you would use for deer or elk. We use 270, 308, 30-06 and any of the 300 magnums or 7mm calibers. A 338 would also work well. 

If you are going to include a Buffalo, then you can bring your plains game rifle as well as either a 375 or 416 caliber rifle. If you only want to bring one rifle for the hunt then bring along just the 375. When targeting elephant, you can use your 375, 416 or 450 caliber rifle. Lion and leopard are easily killed with a well placed shot from your plains game rifle. 

We highly recommend scopes for all rifles (including 375 and 416) as is makes shot placement and low light shooting much easier. 

Premium bullets are highly recommended and we have has tremendous success with Nosler products including the older partition and highly rated AccuBond. 

Can I have my hunt filmed? - Yes! We highly recommend having your Safari filmed. Visit mutambofilms.com to find out more about our in house filmmaker Kolby Edwards who will document your Safari from start to finish. It is advised to book Kolby in advance as he is highly sought after. 

Are your staff qualified? - Yes all our Professional Hunters are fully licensed and qualified in their respective fields. They operate with first class trackers and skinners. Hunting camps are run with a full complement of camp staff from managers to cooks and cleaners. Your every need will be catered for. All our camps have daily laundry services. 

What do you use to get around your concessions? - We make use of vehicles, boats, helicopters and fixed wing aircrafts to navigate our large concessions. 

All our Professional Hunters use well-maintained four-wheel drive hunting vehicles which are fully equipped for your Safari. Electric winches, GPS and full first aid kits come standard. A cooler with drinks, snacks and ice will also be available during a Cabassa Safaris hunt. We also own three 22ft cat boats with twin engines, which are used on our Tete concession in Mozambique to take you anywhere on the lake. 

What about Malaria and other health risks? -

• South Africa

  There are only a few areas in South Africa that are marginal malaria areas. These include far northern KwaZulu Natal, parts of the Kruger National Park and then Northern Province.

  Due to most hunting occurring in the cooler winter months, the risk of contracting malaria is very low. 

• Mozambique

  When hunting in Mozambique, malaria prophylaxis is compulsory as it occurs throughout the country. We recommend the “One Pill A Week” doses as they are more easily remembered to take. 

What weather and climate can I expect? -

• South Africa - The weather throughout the hunting season is mostly mild. In South Africa, Fall (March, April, May) is dry and temperatures vary from nighttime lows of 10˚C – 15˚C to highs pf 25˚C – 30˚C. Winter (June, July, August) temperatures vary between 2˚C – 5˚C at night and 12˚C – 20˚C in the day. Spring (September and October) temperatures are very similar to Fall.

• Mozambique - Our rainy season usually starts in mid-November and ends in February.

  Rain is probable during the prime tiger fishing season (November, December, January, and February) but is welcomed as it cools the surroundings and often causes fish to start biting.

Is taxidermy included? Where do I find a Taxidermist? - In South Africa, the field preparation, tagging, salting. drying and delivery to the taxidermist is included in your daily rates.

In Mozambique, there is a $600 delivery charge.

Once the taxidermist has taken delivery of the trophy’s from us they take all further responsibility for them.

It is usually a lot cheaper to have trophies mounted in South Africa by our highly qualified taxidermists then shipped as raw hides and then mount them in your home country. The turnaround time is also much quicker having your trophies done here.

Should I tip? - Tipping is greatly appreciated and it goes a long way having happy staff in camp. It is not compulsory and is given for good service and going the extra mile. 

Tips are usually given to the Professional Hunter, Chef, Skinner, Tracker, Driver and behind the scenes Camp Staff (Laundry, Cleaning Staff and Helpers)

Who is liable? - Although we take every measure to safeguard you on your trip or Safari (We do carry personal liability and other insurance cover), we recommend that all our clients have full personal and effects cover for their Safari. This should include trip cancellation insurance, emergency evaculation and accidental death or disablitiy cover. 

Extra Notes - When traveling make sure that all bags are adequately marked with name tags for identification. While traveling, your rifle should be transported in a lockable gun case and ammunition is a separate lockable container. A soft case should also be brought along.  Value-added Tax of 17% is payable on the total safari amount in Mozambique.  Tipping/gratuities to PH/skinners and camp staff is at the clients discretion. 

As a general guideline for a 7-day plains game safari – a minimum of $500; for a big game hunt a minimum of $1000. 

Trackers/skinners and camp staff between $50 and $100. 

In Mozambique and other free roaming countries a basic standard all over the hunting industry is that a minimum of 10% of the total value of the Safari is a fair tip that will be derived between the professional hunter and camp staff.

What Passport / Visa will I need? - A valid passport is needed to travel to any of our hunting concessions. It should have at least two open pages and be valid for months after the end of your Safari. Visas are needed for both Mozambique and Zimbabwe.