Upon arrival at the airport, you will be greeted by a representative from African Barefoot Safaris, who will transport you to Barefoot River Lodge
African Barefoot safaris's clients are spoiled to stay at the luxurious and mesmerizing, privately owned Barefoot River Lodge.
The Lodge is located on the banks of the majestic Phalala river over looking the beautiful Waterberg mountains.
The buildings are featuring rock walls with iconic thatch roofing.The wooden deck, overlooking the river, offers a spectacular view of the flowing water and the natural surroundings.
The Lodge offer 4 family rooms, 14 an-suite rooms and 2 Luxury rooms. All with a beautiful view of the river and mountains.
Each client or couple have a private room. Standard rooms offers a Queen bed, an-suite bathroom, coffee station, dressing table and a small safe.
For your convenience a USA/SA converter plug and blow dryer is available in each room.
The main lodge is within walking distance from all the rooms. It offers free wifi, TV and a communal dining and sitting area.
The main deck has a fire pit, BBQ area and a an indulging pool.
The Lodge is privately owned and operate. It is safe, luxurious and relaxing.
All ammunition must be packed and transported in a lockable ammo box, placed within your checked luggage. A manufacturer's carton is no longer sufficient. Remember that there is a limit of five kilograms (11 lb) of ammo per passenger. That includes the weight of your ammo box. And don't forget to declare your ammo at check-in.
You can either bring your own rifle (See firearm import docs and procedure) or rent a rifle from us at US $35 per day.
Minimum calibre for small to medium game -.243 Win.
.270, .308 calibres and any of the .300 magnum calibres are considered good all rounder.
Dangerous game – a minimum of .375 H&H with well constructed bullets.
Bushveld shots will most likely be between 20 and 150 yards and usually through bushes.
Highveld shots will be on the open plains of the Free State and can be between 50-300 yards.
Follow the instruction to impart a Firearm on the Home page, Info, Firearm Import tab.
You will need to download and complete the following:
SAP form, Customs 4457 form, letter of invitation.
Also supply a certified(notarized) copy of your passport and your airline tickets/itinerary.
You are welcome to rent various rifles from us for a hassle free trip at US$ 35 per rifle per day. We do suggest renting a rifle if you are doing any side tours.
We recommend that you buy “The perfect shot: Mini Edition for Africa” by Kevin Robertson, Safari press. Available online and many outdoor retail stores. Other than the North American animals, African animals must be shot up the front leg on the shoulder on a broadside shot. When quartering away aim for the opposite front leg. Your Professional hunter will discuss this again before hunting starts.
Bow setup women/kids
38 pounds and up
380 gr arrow with a well constructed two blade broadhead like a ironwill or kanaka broadhead.
Bow and arrow setup for plainsgame.
Any 400 gr+ arrow.
A well constructed fixed blade or mechanical broadhead will suffice. Make sure your bow is tuned with this setup.
Big game bow and arrow including giraffe & buffalo etc.
A 720gr + arrow with a minimum of 70 pounds draw weight.
Use a fixed blade broadhead like ironwill or kanaka
Bow hunting is mainly done from permanent blinds and pop up blinds. When hunting out of a blind your typical shot will be between 15-30 yards.
The permanent blinds are elevated, pit, or ground blinds with enough space for at least 2 people. All blinds are suitable for using a video camera.
Hunting from the blind is recommended for first time hunters. If you want to stalk you must be able to shoot up to 60 yards, accurately. You must bring full camouflage clothing, preferably a ghielie suit, scent block and good walking boots.
| Month | Bushveld | F | Highveld | F | Other helpful information |
| Feb | 28 C | 70-82 F | 25 C | 60-77 F | Good for rifle hunting |
| Mar | 27 C | 70-80 F | 23 C | 58-73 F | Good for rifle hunting |
| April | 25 C | 65-77 F | 22 C | 55-71 F | Bow/Rifle hunting |
| May | 22 C | 60-71 F | 20 C | 55-68 F | Bow/Rifle hunting |
| June | 20 C | 55-68 F | 18 C | 50-65 F | Cold in Highveld Excellent for Bow/Rifle hunting |
| July | 20 C | 55-68 F | 17 C | 50-62 F | Cold in Highveld excellent for Bow/rifle hunting |
| Aug | 25 C | 60-77 F | 18 C | 50-65 F | Good for Bow/rifle |
| Sept | 30 C | 70-86 F | 24 C | 60-75 F | Good for Bow/rifle |
| Oct | 30 C | 75-86 F | 27 C | 70-80 F | Rifle hunting due to risk of rain |
| Nov | 30 C | 75-86 F | 27 C | 75-85 F | Warming up- rifle hunting |
Specific species are found in specific areas. We mainly hunt plains game in the Bushveld and the Highveld. We can also arrange big game hunts in other parts of South Africa. The Bushveld are great for both Bow and Rifle hunting while the Highveld is more suitable for Rifle hunting. See the difference between the Bushveld and the Highveld below.
The Bushveld
The Bushveld is between 3- 4 hours drive north from the airport in Johannesburg. It is located in the Limpopo province and close to the Botswana border. The climate is typically warm and dry. The Bushveld has grasslands full of acacia trees and thorn bushes. It is round 2000ft above sea level. It’s a great area to Bow and rifle hunt. See the pricelist to see which animals are available in the Bushveld
The Highveld
The Highveld is between 2.5-3 hours drive South, South-East from the airport. It is located in the Free State close to Zululand. The climate is typically cooler than the Bushveld. The Highveld has great open grass plains with high mountains. Rifle hunters do best here. You can be between 4000-6000ft above sea level. See the pricelist to see which animals are available in the Highveld.
We recommend the taxidermist that we use in South Africa, Johannesburg. Highveld taxidermists are very reputable and specialize in African animals.
You are welcome to visit their website on www.highveldtaxidermists.com or e-mail info@highveldtaxidermists.com for more information. We also like to take you to their workshop and show you what they have to offer. Alternatively we can arrange to have your trophies dipped and shipped, and you can get them mounted by your own taxidermist.
Taxidermy work is not included in any of our prices and completely optional.
A non-refundable deposit of US$ 500 will confirm your booking. You can either do an electronic transfer or pay per credit card.
Swift details for wire transfer to our Bank Account
ACCOUNT NAME
African Barefoot Safaris
BANK NAME
FirstRand Bank Ltd
ACCOUNT TYPE
Business check account
ACCOUNT NUMBER
6300 894 0298
BRANCH/ROUTING
250655
IBAN/SWIFT
FIRNZAJJ
Bank physical address
FirstRand Bank LTD
4 Merchant Place
Sandton
South Africa
2031
Account holder address
Farm Pieterman
LR445
MARKEN
South- Africa
0605
Please state your name address and the reason for the payment eg: Hunt Deposit or Daily rate payment.
To settle your outstanding account you can pay with credit card (MasterCard or VISA) or cash.
Gratuities are at your own discretion, we recommend a minimum of $50- for kitchen and laundry staff as well as skinners and trackers. We recommend that you tip your guide 10% of your bill, but once again, this at your own discretion.
A small cash amount is handy for curio shopping, but most shops accept credit cards and even US dollars.
Drinks – Soft drinks, fruit juice, drinking water, milk, ice tee, tee and coffee are provided free of charge. Beer, wine and Amarula (South African liquor) are served around the campfire or for a nightcap. Any additional liquor can be requested.
A typical Menu for a day
Breakfast
English breakfast including, eggs, bacon/sausage, toast/muffins/french toast, fresh fruit, cereal and yoghurt.
Lunch
Lunch packs for bow hunters, consisting of sandwiches, salad of the day, snacks, fruit, sodas and water.
Rifle hunters or hunters coming back to camp in the middle of the day, lunch consists of different salads with cold meats and bread/soups with fresh bread/macaroni and cheese/burgers and fries etc.
Dinner
Salad of the day can include letters, tomato, spring onion, olives, feta cheese, carrots, corn etc.
Meat usually venison, with chicken/pork/beef
One starch, Potatoes, rice, “pap”/grits
Two/three different fresh vegetables broccoli, carrots, asparagus, corn, gem squash, spinach, cauliflower etc.
Desert is served after dinner.
If you have any food allergies or special food requirements, please let us know prior to arrival so that we can purchase the correct food.
Unlike 110 volt in the US, South Africa’s electricity is 220 volts. We provide adaptor plugs to convert the US plugs to the South African version. You will be able to charge personal devices, phones, camera batteries etc. Hairdryers are provided, however if you bring your own it must be 220 volt compatible.
You need a valid passport, unless you are coming from Mexico, in which case you will need a visa. No immunizations are necessary although Malaria prophylaxis are recommended when hunting Zululand (Bushpig/Suni/Reedbuck/Red Duiker), the Lowveld (Buffalo/Hippo/Crocodile/Elephant) or visiting the Kruger Park. Ask your doctor what he would recommend.
It is also advisable to bring a small medicine kit with personal/general medicines; we do have a first aid box in camp as well as excellent private hospitals and doctors in town. Pre arrange with your medical insurance to know what your options are.
Tips
PH $80-100 per hunter per hunting day
Tracker $10-$20 per hunter per hunting day
Skinner $10 week per hunter per hunting day
Cook $10-20 per day per person
Camp staff $10-20 per day per person
*All amounts above are $USD