Cape Buffalo & Plains Game Hunting Safari in Zimbabwe
Booking Season: 2026
Hunt Difficulty: Difficult
Designed by Hunters, for Hunters
| Animal | Fee |
| Blue wildebeest | 950 |
| Greater Kudu | 3250 |
| Zebra | 900 |
| Common Eland | 3350 |
| Common Waterbuck | 2200 |
| Roan | 5750 |
| Sable | 4350 |
| Black Wildebeest | 1450 |
| Blesbok | 500 |
| Bushbuck | 1680 |
| Common Nyala | 2250 |
| Impala | 450 |
| Red Hartebeest | 1850 |
| Red Lechwe | 2150 |
| Tsessebe | 2000 |
| Gray Duiker | 390 |
| Klipspringer | 1550 |
| Steenbok | 790 |
| Bushpig | 1000 |
| Giraffe | 2950 |
| Ostrich | 450 |
| Warthog | 500 |
Comfortable en-suite safari accommodation provides the perfect place to relax after a day spent tracking buffalo through the Limpopo bushveld. Enjoy hearty home-cooked meals, warm South African hospitality, and evenings around the campfire reliving the day's hunt while planning tomorrow's adventure.
Hunting takes place in classic Limpopo bushveld, where dense acacia thornveld, mopane woodland, and dry river systems create ideal habitat for mature Cape buffalo. The thick vegetation demands careful stalking, constant attention to the wind, and patience, with opportunities often appearing and disappearing in a matter of seconds.
| Fence Type: | Fenced |
| Nearest Airport Name: | Oliver Tambo International Airport |
A Cape buffalo is often the centrepiece of an African safari, but South Africa offers far more than a single trophy.
One of the greatest advantages of hunting in Limpopo is the incredible variety of additional species available. Whether you've always dreamed of adding a magnificent Kudu Hunt, an elusive Nyala Hunt, or extending your safari with classic Plains Game Hunts, South Africa allows hunters to build an African safari around their own ambitions.
For dedicated trophy collectors, the opportunities become even greater. South Africa offers one of the widest selections of huntable species on the continent, together with sought-after colour variants and specialised trophies that are difficult to find elsewhere in Africa. Instead of travelling across multiple countries over several years, many hunters choose to combine their buffalo hunt with additional trophies while they're already in camp.
That flexibility is one of the reasons South Africa remains one of Africa's premier hunting destinations. Whether your goal is a classic Cape buffalo, a mixed dangerous game and plains game safari, or adding another chapter to a lifetime trophy collection, this hunt provides an outstanding foundation for the African adventure you've been planning.
Package Price
US$11,200 per Hunter
Safari Duration
6 Hunting Days / 7 Nights
Hunting Ratio
1 Hunter : 1 Professional Hunter
Trophy Included
• 1 × Mature Hard-Bossed Cape Buffalo Bull (Typically 35–39")
Observer Rate
US$270 per person, per night
Children under 12: US$150 per night
Rifle Hire
Available at US$80 per day
Limpopo Province, South Africa
Located in the heart of Hunting in South Africa, Limpopo has earned its reputation as one of Africa's premier safari destinations. Combining outstanding Cape buffalo hunting with exceptional plains game, experienced professional hunters, and easy access from Johannesburg, it's the ideal destination for hunters looking to experience an authentic African safari while enjoying the comfort and hospitality South Africa is renowned for.
Limpopo has long been regarded as the spiritual home of Cape buffalo hunting in South Africa. It's a place where beautifully balanced .416 Rigbys, classic double rifles, and well-worn shooting sticks still feel perfectly at home, and where generations of professional hunters have built their reputations guiding clients after one of Africa's most respected trophies.
The province's dense thornveld, mopane woodland, and winding dry river systems provide ideal habitat for mature hard-bossed buffalo. Although the lodges offer outstanding comfort and the travel logistics are straightforward, once fresh spoor is found, the hunt quickly becomes a traditional African tracking experience on foot, where every change in the wind and every step through the bush demands patience and concentration.
Another advantage of hunting in Limpopo is its flexibility. Hunters can focus exclusively on Cape buffalo or build a memorable Big Game Hunting safari by combining dangerous game with some of South Africa's finest plains game species. It's an approach that allows a single trip to become a rewarding African hunting adventure while pursuing several of the continent's most iconic trophies.
Whether you're carrying a trusted .375 H&H, a classic .416 Rigby, or fulfilling a lifelong dream of hunting buffalo with a double rifle, the sharp crack of a rifle echoing through Limpopo's thornveld has become part of African hunting history. In this thick bush, opportunities are often measured in seconds, making accurate Cape Buffalo Shot Placement just as important as choosing the rifle you carry.
One moment the herd appears relaxed, feeding quietly through the thornveld while oxpeckers move between their backs.
The next, everything changes.
A mature bull lifts his head. His ears lock onto a sound that wasn't there a few seconds earlier. He swings his nose into the wind, searching for a scent that doesn't belong. Another bull stops feeding. A third turns broadside, trying to identify the movement hidden amongst the acacia.
Cape buffalo don't survive by being careless.
Long before you ever see a charge, you'll often see suspicion.
Heads begin to lift. Heavy bosses turn towards the disturbance. Deep snorts break the silence as the bulls quietly reposition themselves, using each other and the thick bush as cover while trying to understand exactly what has entered their world.
This doesn't mean they're about to charge. Most buffalo would rather identify the threat, move away, or simply keep you under constant observation. But every movement they make changes the hunt, and every second gives them another opportunity to disappear into the thornveld.
For the professional hunter, this is where experience becomes invaluable. The right bull must be picked from several mature animals, shooting lanes appear and disappear in seconds, and sometimes the wisest decision is not to shoot at all.
Limpopo's bush can be incredibly thick. There are times when thorn branches prevent you from mounting your rifle properly, when the bull is only partly visible, or when there simply isn't a safe shooting angle. Knowing when to ease back, reassess the situation, and begin another careful approach is often what separates a memorable buffalo hunt from a poor decision.
When the opportunity finally comes, everything happens very quickly. The sticks go up, the rifle settles, and months of preparation come down to a few calm, deliberate seconds.
Not every Cape buffalo hunt requires two weeks in the bush.
South Africa's well-managed hunting areas, experienced professional hunters, and healthy buffalo populations allow hunters to focus their time on hunting rather than long-distance travel between concessions or searching vast wilderness areas. That doesn't make the hunt any less demanding, it simply means more time is spent where it matters most.
Each morning begins before sunrise as the hunting team checks areas where buffalo were feeding the previous evening or searches for fresh spoor left overnight. Once suitable tracks are found, the vehicle is left behind and the hunt continues on foot through thick thornveld and mopane bush, where mature hard-bossed bulls are pursued using traditional tracking methods.
Six hunting days also provide valuable flexibility. If conditions aren't ideal, the professional hunter can simply back out, allow the buffalo to settle, and begin again under better circumstances. The objective is never to rush the hunt, but to wait for the right opportunity on the right bull.
The ideal safari length ultimately depends on your hunting goals. Hunters travelling specifically for this Cape Buffalo Hunt may find six dedicated hunting days more than sufficient. Others choose to extend their safari by adding classic plains game, colour variants, or exotic species from different regions of South Africa, creating a customised hunting adventure that matches their own ambitions.
Many hunters also discover that the safari doesn't end when the sun goes down. After a day spent tracking buffalo, evenings can offer opportunities for Hyena Hunts or other nocturnal predators where available, adding a completely different dimension to an already unforgettable African safari.
Whether you spend six days focused solely on buffalo or build a longer safari around several species, planning the right itinerary before you arrive ensures you make the most of every day in Africa.
One of the reasons so many hunters choose South Africa is how quickly the adventure begins. After landing at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, you'll be met by your professional hunter or a member of the safari team before enjoying a comfortable three-hour drive north into Limpopo's famous bushveld.
The scenery gradually changes as busy highways give way to quiet country roads, acacia trees begin replacing city skylines, and the anticipation of tomorrow's hunt starts to build. By the time you arrive at camp, Africa already feels a world away.
The lodge offers comfortable en-suite accommodation, excellent home-cooked meals, and the relaxed atmosphere South African safaris are renowned for. As the sun sets over the bushveld, hunters gather around the fire to check rifles, discuss the following day's plan, and listen as trackers explain where buffalo were last seen. Long before the hunt begins at first light, the safari has already become part of the experience.
Everything is designed to let you focus on one thing, being ready when the first fresh buffalo spoor is found the following morning.
The buffalo hunt doesn't end when you climb back onto the hunting vehicle.
As the sun sinks behind Limpopo's thornveld, rifles are unloaded, boots are finally unlaced, and the stories from the day's hunt begin to grow with every passing minute. Around the campfire, trackers replay the stalk from their perspective, the professional hunter explains why the buffalo reacted the way it did, and tomorrow's plan slowly starts taking shape.
Some evenings end with congratulations after a mature hard-bossed bull has been loaded onto the skinning shed. Others end with maps spread across the table, fresh coffee in hand, and everyone discussing where the buffalo will be found at first light. That's buffalo hunting. Every day tells a different story.
For many hunters, these evenings become some of the most memorable moments of the entire safari. A cold South African beer, exceptional food, good company, and the satisfaction that comes from knowing you've spent the day hunting one of Africa's greatest game animals exactly as it should be hunted.
And then, almost without fail, the conversation changes.
Someone starts talking about the kudu they saw crossing a valley that morning. Another mentions a spotted hyena calling after dark. Before long, next year's safari is already being planned around the fire.
That's Africa.
You may arrive dreaming about one Cape buffalo, but you'll often leave thinking about the next adventure.
Please note that terms, conditions and price are subject to change without notice and rates at the time of the hunt will apply
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