PHASA Winner of Professional Hunter of the year 2018 & 2025*
South Africa’s largest Provincial Nature Reserve.
Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains – WORLD HERITAGE SITE - UNESCO -
* Nooitgedacht Dam Nature Reserve – South Africa
* Timbavati & Klaserie Nature Reserves – South Africa
* Coutada de Marangira (Niassa) – Mozambique
* NG41 - Botswana
Graham Sales Safaris (GSS) has professionally guided hunters on successful big 5 hunts (Dangerous game), big game hunts, bow hunting Safaris and plains game hunting Safaris for nearly three decades. Graham Sales himself is a two-time winner of the PHASA “Uncle Stevie” award (2004 and 2007) as well as the prestigious PHASA Professional Hunter of the Year award in 2018 and is a hunter who believes in ethical, fair chase hunting. GSS is extremely selective in trophy quality during their African hunting Safaris, and we ensure our clients the best possible trophy animal during their Safari, making their hunting Safari a “Premier African Hunting Safari” experience.
Graham Sales was born in South Africa and was fortunate to have had the opportunity to hunt from a young age, alongside his father, on the outskirts of the Kruger National Park. Graham obtained his Senior Certificate in 1992, and in 1993 he completed his South African Military Service. Once he left the military, he studied Agriculture. In 1998 Graham found himself in the Limpopo valley and had the opportunity to hunt numerous problem Elephant. And this is what reignited his passion for hunting and conservation and led him to found his hunting Safari company in South Africa. Graham Sales Safaris offers exceptional free range Cape Buffalo Hunting Safaris, Leopard, Lion, Elephant, Hippo, Spotted Hyena, Plains game and Hunting Safaris in the world renowned Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, Klaserie Private Nature Reserve and Songimvelo Nature Reserve . GSS also has a free-range area in Botswana (NG41) for trophy Elephant, Leopard, Cape Buffalo and Plains game as well as 989 000 acres in Northern Mozambique – Coutada de Marangira, where we hunt Leopard, Cape Buffalo, Lion, Spotted Hyena and various East African plains game species like Livingstone’s Eland, Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest, Crawshay’s Zebra, Roosevelt Sable, Johnston’s Impala, Chobe Bushbuck and Niassa Wildebeest to name but a few. (successful Leopard hunting Safaris in Mozambique).
Graham Sales PHASA “Professional Hunter” of the Year 2025 Award.
Embark on the ultimate free-range Safari with Graham Sales Safaris (GSS). We offer prime hunting throughout Southern Africa. Track dangerous game like Cape Buffalo, Lion, Leopard, Elephant and Rhino; or exceptional plains game with our professional team of Professional hunters and trackers. We always practice ethical hunting and accommodate hunters of all experienced levels.
You are in experienced company when you hunt alongside your experienced Professional Hunter and field staff from GSS. Our range of hunting or Safari packages are bespoke and can be designed for the individual hunter. (Clients do have specific needs or “wants” when it comes to a Safari, so please give me the opportunity to give you advice regarding your Safari needs as we know our areas very well) Our exhilarating packages provides you with an unfiltered and raw contact with nature that only an African hunting Safari with Graham Sales Safaris in one of his free-range areas can provide. Graham Sales Safaris is highly selective in trophy quality on all our Safaris, but keep in mind that safety and ethical hunting always comes first. We believe in hunting trophy animals that are past their prime – to put it simple, old animals.
We hunt Africa’s best dangerous game and plains game areas. With GSS you will be guided to untamed regions like Songimvelo Nature Reserve the Klaserie and Timbavati in South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
In the Timbavati, bordering the Greater Park, you will hunt free range dangerous game. Also known as the Associated Private Nature Reserves, this area is well known for its rich animal populations which include Cape Buffalo, Elephant,Leopard,Hippo, White and Black rhino, Hyena, African wild dogs and Lion. Yet, one of the most sought-after trophies when hunting in Africa is the Cape Buffalo. In the Klaserie and Timbavati one will find massive herds of Cape Buffalo.The healthy populations here allow us to be more selective in quality of the Buffalo trophies we take – making every African hunting Safari with us a unique experience for every hunter.
Indeed, hunting in the magnificent Klaserie and Timbavati is an experience you can look forward to. If you are in search of a traditional hunting experience in Africa, it doesn’t get more traditional or more personal, than hunting with GSS – be it in South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique or Zambia.
On your African Hunting Safari with Graham Sales Safaris, a Professional hunter (PH) is there to assist you and guide you throughout your Safari. The GSS team will help you prepare for your hunt and will give you the best possible advice.
You will improve your shooting skills and learn more about your rifle – these two of many other aspects of the hunt – will secure a successful hunt. Knowing how to safely handle your weapon is vital since safety is always the biggest priority with any hunt.
Hunting prices in Africa can vary greatly depending on the hunting trophy you choose, as well as the area in which you will be hunting. To cater for a wide variety of hunters and their goals we offer hunting Safaris in Africa that comprise all plains game trophies as well as all of Africa’s dangerous game species.
Depending on the specific species you are interested in hunting we will advise you on which area we have will be the best for the select species whether it be in Mozambique, Zambia, Namibia and our other concessions throughout Southern Africa.
GSS also offer bow hunting Safaris. These hunting Safaris are priced according to the trophy and the hunting area. Our bow hunting Safari packages offers the hunter a unique Safari hunting experience that is both a reward and a challenge.
Wing shooting is another niche hunting sport we offer. Wing shooting has gained popularity over the past few years. Species commonly hunted in South Africa include Egyptian Goose, the Spur-winged Goose, the White-Faced Whistling Duck and the African Shell Duck. We also provide exciting, high volume Rock Pigeon shoots. GSS can guide you to a memorable wing shooting Safari.
Book your African hunting Safari with Graham Sales Safaris. Graham is the two-time winner of the PHASA Professional Hunter of the Year Award. You will be in the company of the top Hunting/Safari Outfitter with some of the best areas and rates in Southern Africa. Make your next hunting Safari in Africa a Safari to be remembered.
All Safaris are designed on an individual basis and are tailored to the trophy requirements of each client.
Graham Sales Safaris predominantly hunt on Songimvelo Nature Reserve & Nooitgedacht Dam Nature Reserve, the Timbavati & Klaserie Private Nature Reserves, Tshipise Reserve in South Africa; Botswana NG41 ,Northern Mozambique for the ultimate dangerous game Safari experience, as well as Bushmanland in Namibia.
You can book your African hunting Safari today with Africa’s Premier Safari Outfitter. Let Graham Sales Safaris treat you to a truly wonderful African Safari / hunting experience that enables you to see the real beauty of true free range Africa. We have some of Southern Africa’s best Safaris areas.
Take a welcome break from the world and return to nature. Hunting Safaris in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique and Zambia provides every hunter with the chance to be rewarded with, besides a beautiful trophy, a true Safari experience regardless of their skill level. Discover the exhilaration and relaxation of our undisturbed Safari areas, silently hunting various species in pristine African landscapes. The hunting experience is like no other hobby, unlike any skill. Hunting takes dedication, patience, and a professional team.
Graham Sales Safaris take hunters from all over the world to our first-class African hunting concessions. We ensure that clients enjoy a Premier Safari experience with professional guidance into unique and memorable hunting opportunities.
We are driven by conservation and inspired by excellent hunting. Because we are true ethical Professional Hunters, we always make sure that our guests enjoy the Safari experience every step of the way. Our client’s well-deserved trophies become reminders of suburb memories made in Africa.
We encourage every hunter to have complete knowledge of their weapon before they hunt. We provide clients with advice about the caliber weapon most suitable for their trophy hunting experience. Knowledge is power and will improve the success and safety of every hunting experience.
Our team of Professional Hunters at Graham Sales Safaris will guide you throughout your Safari and help you fulfill your hunting dream. Take the lead with Graham Sales Safaris.
There are various species can be hunted in various African Countries. In South Africa one can basically hunt all the plains game species our country has to offer and this includes Blesbok (Common and White),Bontebok, Bushbuck, Common Reedbuck, Giraffe, Grey Rhebok, Impala (Common and Black-faced,)Kudu (Greater Kudu), Mountain Reedbuck, Nyala, Red Hartebeest, Roan Antelope, Sable Antelope, Springbok (Common, Black, White, and Copper variants)Steenbok, Tsessebe, Waterbuck, Wildebeest (Blue and Black,)Eland (Cape/Livingstone’s Eland,) Duiker (Common/Grey, Blue, Red, and others – species vary by region,)Oribi (Protected in some provinces – limited hunting),Grysbok (Cape Grysbok – rare and regional)Klipspringer, Lechwe (Introduced – not native but huntable on some private land),Warthog, Bushpig, Baboon (Often hunted as vermin. Certain provinces requires a permit)Vervet Monkey, Porcupine.
Plains game hunting refers to our antelope species whereas dangerous game refers to Africa’s Big 5 as well as Hippo and Crocodile, commonly referred to as Africa’s big 7.
During my 26 years of hunting I have seen that first time hunters come on a plains game Safari which is usually scheduled as a 7 – 10 or even 14 day Safari. During their Safari species like, Impala, Blue Wildebeest, Greater Kudu, Gemsbok, Nyala, Eland, Giraffe,Warthog and Waterbuck are target species. It all depends in the region where the Safari takes place as certain areas are better for certain species. I always tell my clients that is is good to have a wish list but one should be open to opportunistic species as well as be open to hunt the species native in that specific area where the Safari takes place.
Yes. It all depends on where the Safari takes place. There are only a very few areas in Southern Africa where one can hunt the Big 5 in one area. The reason for this is that a lot of areas have the Big 5 on the property but the Government doesn’t issue permits for all the Big 5 if it isn’t sustainable. I also advise my clients that it is best to hunt the dangerous game species that the Outfitter (Graham Sales) suggests for a specific area.
Yes, one can do a combination of certain plains game species. I always discuss this with my clients, whether first time hunter of veteran hunter in Africa. All areas have different quota allocations and the client needs to be very aware of the specific species available per area.
This varies for Safari area to Safari area. The best areas always cost more. Be careful to go on a “cheap” Safari. One can do a quality Safari for $10,000 – $15,000 all depends on the species one hunts.
Our daily rates include the following:
All lodging in our traditional Safari camps.
Daily laundry in camp. Please note laundry won’t be done on travelling days.
All meals, soft drinks and bottled water during the contracted Safari.
Services of an experienced Professional Hunter, camp and field staff.
Fully equipped Safari vehicle per Professional Hunter. (please note we always have a backup vehicle in most of our camps)
Field preparation of trophies.
Daily rates do not include trophy fees. Trophy fees are all calculated separately from daily rates.
Trophy fees apply to all animals taken, whether being exported or not. 15% Government Value added Tax applies to all species hunted but not exported
Deposit: We confirm a Safari on receipt of a deposit calculated at 50% of the total daily rate of the contracted Safari, the balance of the calculated daily rates is due 6 months prior to the commencement of the Safari.
Cancellation policy: Should the Client within 180 days prior to a Plains game Safari or within 360 days prior to a Dangerous game Safari(Cape Buffalo, Elephant, Hippopotamus, Leopard, Lion, Rhinoceros) request for cancellation of the Safari or requestchanges to the Safari Details which inevitably result in the Safari being cancelled, the Client will forfeit theDeposit paid.8.Should the Client be forced to cancel/postpone the Safari due to medical reasons, Sales Safaris, in its sole discretion,may allow the Client to reschedule the Safari to mutually agreeable dates during the next Safari season. Sales Safaris,for its consideration, may also request the Client to provide it with a medical certificate stating the medical conditioncausing the Client to cancel/postpone the Safari. Should Sales Safaris decide not to reschedule the Safari but, in its solediscretion, consider the grounds for cancellation due to medical reasons to be valid, the Client will be entitled to arefund of his/her deposit less any costs or expenses already incurred by Sales Safaris inclusive of but not limited to,initial costs, administration costs, payments made in advance for any of the items as referred to in clause A4 and/or A5of the Schedule above as a result of the cancellation or any further damages the cancellation brought about for Sales Safaris.
Preparing for your first safari is very exciting. But preparing for your first, fifth or twentieth safari is always exciting.
It’s obviously always good to be very well prepared. Clothing plays a huge role. Comfortable clothes in general are important. All over Southern Africa darker green is preferred, especially when it comes to shirts and jackets.
One thing about khaki colours: khaki stands out. Sometimes you have clients who arrive on safari with a khaki shirt or khaki hat, but it stands out, especially if you hunt in an area that’s fairly green or not a semi-desert area.
So discuss this with your outfitter. Where is the safari going to take place? Which month? This will help you prepare your clothing.
Comfortable shoes are very important. A lot of people arrive with brand-new shoes. You can tell these things are brand new. There’s no need for that. It also depends on the area. Some areas are very mountainous, and you need comfortable shoes with ankle support in areas like that.
Other areas, where walking and stalking plays a huge role and its sandy soil, require the right shoe with the right sole so you won’t make too much noise.
That can all be discussed with Graham Sales.
Firearm or calibre selection is also important. If there’s one calibre for plains game, it’ll probably be a .300 Win Mag if one needs to choose one. Great calibre.
Shoot before the time. Shoot off shooting sticks. Lean against a tree, open the shooting sticks and lean against one leg, or sit down prone and lean against one leg of the shooting sticks, because there are going to be situations where you will have to shoot, or very likely will have to shoot, from a very awkward position.
Good-quality binoculars are important.
And then firearm safety. To me, firearm safety is key. Never load your firearm on the back of the vehicle. Your professional hunter who is on safari with you will point these things out to you.
Don’t point a gun, whether it’s loaded or not, even in the direction of the vehicle. When you load it, point it away from the vehicle and away from all the people standing around the vehicle, because there’s always a driver, tracker, game scout, professional hunter and maybe an observer. So there are a lot of people around. Firearm safety is key.
And then come with a good attitude and be open to what the professional hunter suggests regarding species.
It’s always good to have a bucket list, but be open to changes regarding your bucket list, because not all species are of equal quality in certain areas.
So listen to your PH and the suggestions he makes and just enjoy the Safari.
Let’s talk about South Africa.
South Africa has a system on game ranches. If a game ranch is adequately enclosed, which means it’s got an adequate fence around it, one can hunt year-round with regarding plains game species and Cape Buffalo.
In general, we start in April until the end of October, maybe going into November. But there’s no set season because you can hunt 12 months of the year.
There are better times for certain species, but that depends on the area and the species, obviously.
Then on nature reserves. On government nature reserves where Graham Sales Safaris has exclusive rights to a certain number of nature reserves, our season starts the 1st of April and runs until the end of October. Again, in general, that is a very good period to hunt all species that occur on those nature reserves. Certain species, certain months would be better. But in general, it’s good from April until the end of October.
If we talk about the Timbavati, the Klaserie and the Umbabat, where we hunt a lot of Buffalo, Elephant, Hyena, Hippo and plains game, our season starts on the 1st of April and runs through until the end of March the following year. That’s for all the species except Elephant. Elephant is from the 1st of April until the end of December the same year.
Now, these things can be discussed with me when we discuss the Safari — when is the best time, which month is better than the other. That’s why it is so important to book and plan a Safari well in advance.
The moon does play a role in certain areas and on certain species. Up in the northern areas where there’s a lot of Mopani brush, the moon does play a role.
But this can be discussed and explained so you, as a client, can understand these things and not just say, “Hey, I need to go in the dark of the moon,” or “I need to go in the full moon,” or whatever.
Hunting is different when it comes to different areas and the specific species in those areas. But in general, 1 April till the end of October is our hunting season, and hunting is good during this period.
Mozambique: our season opens early in the season, 1 April , but it runs until the end of November. If Leopard is the only animal that we are after, June and July are good times.
In Mozambique, the northern parts have very tall grass because of all the rains that we get up there. During early in the season, I’m talking about June and July, even maybe the beginning of August, these Leopards and Lions tend to walk on the roads.
Think about it. The grass is so tall. It’s eight feet tall and it’s thick. It’s heavy grass. They don’t want to mess around in that. They’d rather walk in a dry riverbed, or down the roads.
Now, if we start burning these areas at the end of July, August and the beginning of September, we always burn, we must burn. We have a million acres up there, so we constantly burn sections of these blocks. And once a block is burnt, hunting is great. Fresh green grass comes up, your visibility is good, and it just attracts and concentrates the game.
But then that affects the movement of certain predators. I’m not saying it’s impossible to hunt August, September or October, any of these other predators. We’ve successfully done so. But their movements just change, so one’s approach needs to adapt to their changes.
Generally, for Buffalo and plains game Safaris in Mozambique, August, September, October and beginning of November are great months really great months.
Botswana: April,May, June, July till September, the whole of September — all those months are great months.
It depends on the movement of these animals, and it depends on the rains the previous year. So it’s impossible to just say a specific month is going to be good, or the next month is going to be good. There’s also a matter of luck involved in these massive free-range areas. These animals move, especially Elephants. They move constantly and they cover big distances.
But if one has to narrow it down in Botswana, April / May through the end of September is all good. It’s all good for Botswana elephant hunting.
In general, how quotas are managed or allocated: we are privileged to work in big government Nature Reserves, Private Nature Reserves as well as areas that are open to Kruger National Park.
Every year these areas would do a game count, usually in August or September, during the drier months when visibility is at its best. It’s an aerial count. And according to that, quotas are allocated for the following season. (Graham Sales Safaris also has an input as we share information on what we see during the season)
Usually, the formula that is used is that 2% of the total count is considered trophy animals, and one would get 50% of that on quota. So, it’s basically 1% of your total count that would be allocated as hunting quota.
