Balla Balla Safaris also own & operate another private ranch "Dendro Park" located in Southern Province of Zambia offering excellent cape buffalo & plains game species including sable roan and kafue lechwe. This ranch is deep bush bordering the Kafue National Park. We offer our clients an "old kenya style safari" as the "big white hunters" in early times experienced, with all hunting done on foot.

We have the largest private owned herd of cape buffalo in Africa on this ranch. All ranches offer hunting game viewing & photographic safaris. We can arrange other ventures including trips to Kruger National Park in South Africa and the Kafue National Park in Zambia.

The rainy season in Limpopo Province SA is normally in sunmmer from November through March with temperatures very warm, April through September is cooler and the main hunting season, but if you dont mind heat and or rain, then year round hunting is available.

At our ranch in Zambia the availability to hunt is dependent upon the rainy season with access to the ranch being April to November. From April onwards we use a private Livingstone based fixed wing charter company as required to fly out clients from Livingstone to Ngoma bush strip in the Kafue Park where our PH arranges meet greet & transfer in open vehicle to our hunting camp a drive of 30 km

We dont have any control over climate and wildlife migration, therefore no outfitter can guarantee fine weather and that all species mentioned will always be located within the scheduled hunting period. That is why hunts are normally scheduled as 5-day minimum.

1 x 1 hunt means, one hunter accompanied by one P.H. and 2 x 1 is two hunters with one P.H. It must be remembered that only one hunter obviously can hunt and have a wounded animal tracked at any time. There must be a good understanding between hunters on a 2x1 hunt, generally they tend to be hunting buddies and have discussed this aspect well in advance of booking a hunting safari.

Generally plains game hunts are for a minimum of 7-days with a daily rate charge plus the species fees for specific animals which are hunted. Species fees are charged for wounded animals as well. The daily rate charge includes transport & transfers from and to the local airport, the services of a PH and associated camp staff, full accommodation liquor meals laundry and field preparation of hunted trophies. The daily rate commences upon the clients arrival at the nearest airport and ends upon the agreed safari termination date.

Our SA ranches all inclusive "daily rates" are listed below. We cater for the medium to upper price bracket client and offer high quality hunting and facilities at a fair price. We are not a discount type operator with tented camps, that is not our clientele market.

Special package hunts are available, generally these are discussed to suit both the client and outfitter. Our "cape buffalo" packages in Zambia for example are a five day all inclusive hunt, and the travel ex: Livingstone airport in Zambia to our ranch location not included in the cost, we will arrange the private air-charter plane to Ngoma bush airstrip in the Kafue Park and final transfer 35km to our camp

Various species hunted need to comply with the laws in place at that time and the area where they are hunted in. Essentially when hunting with Balla-Balla Safaris as a fully licenced Outfitter we have all the necessary local permits as applicable. We recommend that you keep yourself updated with your home country restrictions ( if any) for trophy importation! Generally there are no problems in this regard with plains game species BUT be aware of species that come under CITES ( Convention In Trade of Endangered Species ) being Leopard, Rhino, and Elephant in particular. Your local taxidermist will update you about importation back to your home country

Our local SA taxidermist (Field & Stream) are able to advise about trophy export permits and if in fact they are necessary. To import re-export your rifles into SA you will be issued a permit by the authorities at JIA ( Johannesburg Interntional Airport ) upon arrival. If hunting with us in Zambia we require your passport and rifle details in advance to apply for the permit from the Police in Lusaka. Our meet and greet service will have your rifle import / export permit available at the airport upon your arrival in Livingstone, Zambia

Dependant upon the areas you are visiting we recommended preventitive measures against tropical infections with malaria being the most important particular in the northern parts of SA, Zimbabwe and Zambia. Your local medical or preferably tropical diseases doctor will best advise the optimum current malaria preventitive and as well any consideration to Hep A & B, typhoid, polio, yellow fever etc.

We strongly recommended you get personal travel, medical, accident insurance cover, and if visiting our ranch in Zambia air rescue insurance might be considered as well. We are able to arrange MARS air rescue insurance if not included in your all risks travel policy.

Hunting and travel is not totally risk free, although we take standard precautions we dont (accept liability) for any unforseen event!

With bushveld hunting you will be on your feet for long periods so it is most important to bring along a comfortable well worn pair of hunting boots. Regular shorts & t-shirt are comfortable to wear and a light weight camo overall would be suitable. Early mornings can be cool, a jacket will come in handy . The important thing is to be free moving and comfortable. Any baseball type cammo cap or hat, sunglasses, and other personal items toiletries. Ensure your passport in valid for at least six months beyond the trip date.

A good quality hunting knife, flashlight, and lightweight compact binoculars will complete your kit. Dont forget your camera and film.

This is one of the most debated topics when we mention hunting and weapons. Even PH's dont always agree when they get together! Before you consider caliber this is what the professionals advise. Hitting power & shock effect is no substitite for poor shot placement, therefore any calibre selection should ultimately be determined by the most suitable and most affordable rifle and calibre combination that can be carried comfortably, handled confidently, and fired accurately with a first up shot into the vital organ region

The species you intend to hunt will determine your calibre choice. An excellent all rounder is the .375 H&H Magnum which can be used successfully for all the larger plains game species and cape buffalo. A 7-mm is the minimum suggested for most small plains species

A general rule of thumb guideline is to use good quality premium bullets such as nosler partition, trophy bonded, and/or swift A-frame in a combination similar to these suggestions: 175grn - 7mm, 180grn - 30-06, 200grn - 300 magnum, 250grn - 338, 300grn - .375.

With cape buffalo here are some guidelines, for a one rifle mixed bag Africa safari, a .375 H & H with A-Square 300grain "Triad" bullets. For a two rifle mixed bag hunt either a .416 Rigby, .416 Rem Mag or .404 for buffalo and a .30-06 or equivalent for plains game. A three rifle hunt, a .458 Lott, .450 Watts or .450 Ackley as the heavy, .375 H & H as the medium and .30-06 as the light would be perfect.

Always remember that accuracy and correct bullet placement will kill and not the caliber. Rather shoot a weapon with which you can handle the recoil weight and feel comfortable with and find the sights easily. Always practice shooting a lot prior to booking your hunt

Shot placement is extremely important, and all PH's will stress that you make the first shot count, and to do this you need not only to practice but to know where the vital organs are. Always be mentally prepared and remain as calm as possible under all circumstances

Many clients miss a golden opportunity to take a magnificent trophy because they were not mentally prepared. The sight of a trophy 40" cape buffalo staring at you from 30 yards with a look like you owe him money can be intimidating and even the most experienced hunter can freeze. The majestic Greater Kudu can be mesmirising and in the blink of an eye will ghost into the bush, a moment lost.

Remain calm & know what to do in these exciting moments with the sight picture embedded in your brain, the rest will follow naturally and you will enjoy the experience and be in a position to relate to others what actually happened and relive your hunt in full detail.

To incapacitate an animal no matter what weight bulk or skin thickness you must take out the vitals. The largest target area being the heart and lungs which are situated within the chest area. The brain although being an excellent target is only the size of a tennis ball and therefore generally it is not the first option. Plains game species provide the same general sight picture structure as big game.

The purpose of the hunt apart from adventure is to get your trophies home safely, there are two options to consider. If you wish to use your own taxidermist for mounting, the trophies will be dipped and shipped as per instructions. The dip and ship work is necessary to comply with local & overseas vetinary regulations. Trophies to be sent to a local taxidermist for this primary work to be carried out

You can consider having your trophies mounted locally and then shipped to you in due cource, generally allow from 9-12 months for delivery. We can arrange for all your South Africa taxidermy work to be carried out by our local taxidermist Field & Stream, we have used them for all our own personal work and are fully satisfied. In Zambia we use Mike Borman, Bangweulu Taxidermy Ltd. in Lusaka

You pay up front for the trophy dip pack crate insurance & export licence, and then the actual freight and misc. clearance fees are normally (collect) & payable to your broker or freight clearance agency. You local taxi will help choose a reputable agent at your end.

We suggest you first contact either of the following ( Africa Travel Specialists ) for your flight booking to Africa. They will advise and update you on the latest travel restrictions which might apply when travelling with hunting rifles and ammunition. Each air carrier will have their own specific requirements at the time of booking, therfore discuss these appropriately in advance prior to pre-booking.

Our previous clients have used [VIP Optima Services] with recommendation and their charges are reasonable at arounf $50 for transit assistance and $100 per person if you want them to assist with rifles and permits as required. They will need 21 days prior notice for arranging rifle permits on your behalf prior to your travel with rifles. The contact lady in Johannesburg is Sumaya on local South Africa numbers (Tel: JHB 390 3444 or cell: 072 357 5735 ) or you can initially email the company @ < vipassist@optimahandling.co.za >

Other organisations able to process/obtain your rifle permit in advance are PHASA and riflepermits.com - these charge $85-$95

If you require cost effective overnight accommodation very close to JIA we recommend that you contact Afton Guest House as they are convenient and will arrange local short tours as well. Contact (Louis & Annalise Bekker) by email on < aftongh@netactive.co.za >

We recommend that you review our websites to get an idea of what we offer and whether the costs are within your budget, if you then have an interest to consider hunting and / or visting one of our ranches the best option is to surf on over to our website and click on the I R F Information Request Form and complete all relavent details this will enable me to respond with specific information that will enable you to make an informed judgement on whether to discuss further and ultimately consider booking a safari adventure with us.

Contact Peter Bird the worldwide booking consultant on email huntafrica@balla-balla.com or by telephone / fax at : +64-4-526 9352