Newsletter 2020

Here we are, one day before Christmas, and still waiting for the year to happen!

I kept on postponing on my marketing and newsletter, amongst many other duties, but still no changes. It seems we are in a deadlock of activities, and there is no end in sight.

The only answers I have is to wait another month or two and things will start to happen....... but I guess it is time to realise things would not be normal as we knew it before. It's time now to take stock and pick up the pieces.

2020 in many ways will be a year to remember fondly, sure, business and planned activities, whether holidays, business trips, visits, graduations, weddings, parties and, and, and…did not happen. Many dreams were shattered and unwillingly we had to change our routines, expectations, and budgets!

But we had an abrupt halt to our ever increasing pace of life. A life where most of us looked forward to the day of tomorrow. A life where today didn’t matter and the smell of the roses pass us daily. Suddenly we were forced to stay home, share our days with the people close to us. Some of them have been gone studying, working a long way from home, there was an indefinite period of time with no option to back out.

We could go in the back room and dig up old toys, pictures, books, and memories.

We got a chance to slow down and pick up valuable time that we lost, and would never have had the opportunity to do.

We could spend time with all our children, plenty of it!

We could sit down and think about today, tomorrow, and the future. Many people made life changing decisions, something that would never have happened in a “normal” world. We could look back into our businesses, made changes, and realise that what we had, was all worth it, or not!

We could plan for the future, a very uncertain one, in the short term, but all worth it to slow down and take stock of our lifes.

Life will be different from now on, with a few new polished ideas for the years to come.

We will take this out of 2020, and use it for the New Years to come. We will stand up, pick up the pieces, and acknowledge those around us, because we have had a total reset!

Various countries had different stages of lockdown, but I'm sure many had to endure total new scenarios during this time.

Bush Africa safaris has had no clients traveling from overseas in 2020. After a very successful marketing trip to USA and Europe in January and February 2020, we looked forward to a full season with many very exciting trips all over Southern Africa.When we received news of a total lockdown in March 2020, we thought that April /May will have to be extra busy to catch up on our season! Little did we know…

Hunts were booked with our colleagues in neighbouring African countries, with payments made to governments, communities , etc. With quotas and concessions expiring, it has been challenging to try and accommodate everybody's expectations. With huge uncertainties regarding travel, ect., it still poses a serious challenge to make everything work out. We are grateful to have worked with very well established outfitters all over Southern Africa, and together we are doing everything possible to accommodate all our safari clients. We are committed to show you the best time in Africa, with even higher quality of service than ever before. We are committed to offer you even better animals, hunting areas, and unsurpassed service. We are committed to give you the best value for money and will have huge special hunts offered at very competitive prices in the coming year, for safaris taken in 2021 and 2022.

We will NOT sell safaris in non-hunting months, will not sell cheap hunts with poor trophy quality and equipment, staff, and service. We will not push numbers thru and will always give you the best professional service, with very well experienced staff and hunting areas, with strict emphasis on natural habitat, ethical chase and will always hunt as fair chase as possible within the environment available to us. That is our promise!

With 28 years of full-time experience in our hunting world, you can be assured you will have the best service and hunts available with the most seasoned professional hunters that Southern Africa can offer.

We strive to offer our clients just the best areas for your available budget, with many options on offer to you in various areas. Please feel free to enquire with your specific needs, and we will put the best options on the table.

COVID

Currently travel is open to South Africa from all countries. It is permitted with a negative Covid test. As these rules and regulations changes weekly, we will communicate any serious changes to our prospective clients.

Our Limpopo province has had the least infections in South Africa's hunting areas, and there is no better and safer place to be.

MARKETING

As you all know most hunting and outdoor trade shows has been cancelled for 2021. This has been a big blow to us as we have exhibited at these shows for the past 28 years. This is where most of our marketing has been done and has created a space where we can meet up with all our old friends and prospective clients. As with everything else, we have to rethink our operations and the way to move forward.

We will put all available specials and packages on our website. We will also put a few videos on, which we are very excited about.

I plan to visit the US during the last two weeks of February 2021 to meet up with prospective clients and booked clients to discuss the season that passed and the season that is upon us.

We will have great packages and special hunts available , we will need a lot of business to get everybody back on their feet.

During the past year a lot of our staff and support personnel has had zero income, and we will put a real big effort in to help support them with business that creates jobs and income.

Please indicate to us if you want to discuss a possible trip in 2021, and we will make sure to do our best to accommodate your needs and offer you the trip of a lifetime.

My US tell number and itinerary will be posted on Instagram, FB, newsletters and the website.

Looking forward to work with you on something special for 2021.

On offer: New and Old, “Let's get back to business” Specials

Bush Africa Safaris are always looking for new opportunities and adventures to offer. The past year we acquired the sole rights to a magnificent free range Big 5 area within South Africa. We conducted all the hunts with South African trophy hunters and was very successful with outstanding trophies. We will offer these along with our normal spread of safaris for 2021 at very competitive prices. You will hunt within a Big 5 free-range environment for Cape Buffalo and Elephant.

Other exciting prospects are:

Leopard and Lion in Zambia, along with Buffalo, Hippo and Crocodile

Elephant in Botswana

Mozambique Zambezi Delta hunts for tiny 10 antelope and Buffalo

Caprivi strip in Namibia for Leopard, buffalo ,Elephant, Hippo and croc.

In South Africa we continue to offer first class Kudu in their natural habitat, Eland, enormous Sable and Roan antelope, illusive Bushbuck along the Limpopo River, as part of our first class plains game safaris. All of these are done out of our main lodge in the Limpopo Valley, South Africa.

We will offer fantastic plains game deals for groups of plains game hunters out of our main lodge. Please make sure to contact us in this regard as part of our “Let's get back to business” program for 2021. Various specials as part of this program will be offered within the next few months for the 2021 Season.

It will be posted on our website and social media.

Family

We have spend great times together as family this year at home. The children are not children so much anymore, and it is very rewarding seeing them grow up into young adults. This makes us feel old..........

Cara has finished her final year as Chemical Engineering student and has been offered an opportunity to do her Masters degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Stellenbosch, Cape Town.

Dries graduated from High School, and will be traveling with me to the USA. He is looking for a career in the Wildlife Industry and will do his Professional Hunters course in January 2021.

Nina Still runs the show, 16 years old and has become a real support structure for the ranch and business alike.