Lion Hunting In South Africa, Kalahari Desert Safari

ABOUT THE EXPEDITION

For Tamlyn’s birthday, we decided to do something completely different — a lion hunting safari in the Kalahari region of South Africa. The only condition was that she would have to hunt the lioness herself.

With her trusted .300 Win Mag packed and ready, we made the six-hour journey from Pretoria to the hunting concession in the Kalahari. While many professional hunters recommend a .375 caliber for dangerous game hunting, lions are considered relatively soft-skinned animals, and accurate shot placement with a quality .30-caliber rifle is more than sufficient.

The hunting concession covered approximately 18,000 acres of classic Kalahari terrain, holding healthy populations of plains game, Cape buffalo, sable, roan, and several lions. Hunting was conducted using traditional walk-and-stalk methods, tracking fresh spoor on foot through the bushveld.

Lion hunting in South Africa remains one of the most debated topics in African hunting. Unlike wild free-range lion hunts conducted in countries such as Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Zambia, South African lion hunting operates under different regulations and management systems. Export laws and hunting policies also continue to evolve, particularly for international hunters.

Despite the challenges and controversy surrounding lion hunting, the safari itself was intense and adrenaline-filled from start to finish. After initially wounding the lioness, Tamlyn faced a demanding three-hour follow-up through thick cover before finally recovering the animal. Few hunting experiences compare to following a wounded predator on foot through the African bush.

During the same safari, we were also fortunate enough to take a trophy male lion along with several tiny ten antelope species including steenbok and duiker, making this one of the most memorable dangerous game hunting safaris we have experienced in South Africa.