Safari Prices and Income

To cover this vast expanse of costs, the clients are charged daily rates and trophy fees. At the end of a hunt, the client pays a sum of money that covers the daily rates and the trophy fees. A portion of that then goes to the outfitter and a portion of it goes to the landowner. A typical distribution would be, for a USD 1000 animal, 850 would go to the landowner and 150 would go to the outfitter. The amount the outfitters charge for daily rates varies based on the type of hunt and the number of clients. If the hunt is one-on-one with the client and the PH, the fee is significantly higher than if it is two-on-one. Special group rates are offered to groups of four or more clients, in which the hunters are given a better rate, and another rate is specified for observers who do not wish to hunt. Also, the outfitters sometimes will offer a discount if a client wishes to stay for an extended period of time such as a hunt for an animal that is very uncommon or difficult to hunt.

The landowners charge rates based on two things. First, their daily rate is applicable to all members of a group who are staying at the camp and is not related to how much hunting is done, or how many people are in the group. It is meant to cover accommodations, as well as the salary of the staff, who are employees of the landowner. A typical daily rate for a concession will be about USD 250 per day. In addition to the daily rates, clients who hunt are required to pay trophy fees for the animals they shoot. The portion of these fees that go to the landowner are payment for the value of the animals. Trophy fees vary widely based on the animal, with the cheapest being the smaller antelope like the springbok and the impala at about USD 350 or 400 each and the most expensive being the Cape Buffalo and the sable at approximately USD 3000 and 7000 respectively. Some animals are even more expensive, such as a lion (up to USD 30000), but they are very scarce, and can only be hunted in rare situations as they are a protected species.