SOUTH AFRICA

"If you've read anything on African hunting you've been exposed to the wit and prose of Robert Ruark. The highest compliment I can pay to Zana Botes would be to liken him to Harry Selby in "Use Enough Gun". I have been on twenty safaris in  sub Saharan Africa, in 5 different countries, and never have I had a PH more in line with the professional hunters of old. Zana will tell you what he expects from you, what his game plan is in regards to the game being hunted, and will then proceed to coordinate the efforts of those involved in an attempt to achieve success. He does what he says he'll do and is a man of his word- all done with a wicked sense of humor, a commitment to maintaining the true ethics of hunting, and a quiet demeanor that facilitates a positive experience even if a shot is not taken. If you hunt with this man you will experience African hunting the way it is supposed. I believe not only will you come away richer for the experience but you will have engaged in the sport as it should be, ethical and proper with the game given the respect it deserves.."

The hunting experience my young boys and I had with Zana was simply excellent. Whilst we have been hunting in Namibia many times already, Zana made our safari very special. Zana is an excellent and very patient PH whose only leitmotif is ethical and sustainable hunting and he makes no compromise on this. My shooting performance was quite poor the first few days, but he restored my confidence that then all shots were well placed. Only very few PHs have this skill. We benefited from Zana's educational commitment sharing his knowledge about Namibia, wildlife conservation and farming. My boys learned that game and habitat management are 99% of hunting and pulling the trigger is only 1%. Fabulous accommodation and food. The latter deserves at least one Michelin star. Finally, Zana's trackers and guides also meet the highest standards of ethical hunting.

“These guys are a team and can track!!! I’ve hunted all my life and witnessed so much these last two weeks that I wish I learned  40 years ago. Covid is not an issue in the bush, travel is no problem, I feel sorry for people who don’t follow their dream and have an experience of a lifetime. I left my footprints in the dust!”