NAMIBIA 2011
The Caprivi Strip camp of Eden Safaris was our home base for the start of our 2011 Buffalo, Leopard and Plains game hunt. The Caprivi area is a vast, lightly populated region in the far North East corner of Namibia. We flew commercially from Windhoek up to Katima and then had a two hour drive to camp. The camp is located on the bank of the Kavango River, a semi permanent tent facility with great views of the river and wetlands. We had both a dry ground area along with a huge Swamp/Island region to purse Buffalo. The camp that Dries Alberts runs for Eden is very comfortable and offers food as good as you will find anywhere. This Safari was my second to Namibia and the first for my two oldest children. The area had a very good Buffalo population along with
Elephant, Hippo, Crocodile, Leopard, Sable, Roan, Zebra, Impala, and Warthog.
The hunting area is accessed by either boat or truck. During the ride through the swamp several Hippo were encountered. We located our Bull after several miles of working over “Buffalo Island” looking for tracks and other sign. We came upon the Bull and Dries instantly knew he was the one we were looking for. A 35 yard initial shot and two insurance shots had my first Buffalo in hand. This Buffalo is a tremendous trophy, 44.5 inches wide with a 16 inch boss. 17 km total for the day and a beautiful boat ride back to camp. My kids each took a Zebra from this area and then we moved on to Eden for Plains game. The drive to Eden was 8 hours over good roads.
The ranch at Eden is truly a Mecca for wildlife. Kudu, Eland, Giraffe, Black Rhino, Impala, Waterbuck, Blue Wildebeest, Zebra, Oryx, Springbok, Elephant, Warthog, ECT. All these species and many others were found in great numbers. We each collected fine Kudu and Warthog. The kids each took Impala and I was able to take a really old mature Eland Bull. The facilities at Eden were very nice, a permanent camp with all the amenities. This ranch is a very large property with good roads and many improved water holes and salt licks.
I did my Leopard hunting in an area 2 hours drive from the ranch. My Leopard was shot on the second day of checking baits and on the first afternoon in the blind. My Leopard story is not very dramatic. The cat was shot in good light and died directly under the bait. We returned to the ranch at Eden for a wonderful dinner and celebration of all of our success. Both the Buffalo and Leopard qualified for “Gold Metal” status with the Namibian Professional Hunting Association.
My kids had a wonderful experience with the people and wild creatures of the area. Dries Alberts is a very experienced PH who previously worked the area as an anti poaching officer. He made the whole experience safe and enjoyable. We could not have been better taken care of. The staff at both Eden camps was very professional and made us feel very welcome. I would definitely recommend this hunt. I look forward to hunting with Dries again.
Brian
Salinas, California