Welcome To Beautiful South Africa
Bushmans Quiver Quality African Safaris conducts hunting safaris for regular game (wildlife) and dangerous game (wildlife) on over 230,000 acres of prime hunting grounds in Southern Africa as well as fresh and saltwater fishing adventures, Lifestyle Game safaris, and so much more!
While we hunt across the breadth of South Africa, our safaris originate out of three base camps: Mabula and Rhino lodge, in the Limpopo Province, the Bushman’s Quiver Main Camp 45 minutes north of Great Brak in the Western Cape Province, and the Coastal camp in the Eastern Cape.
Our pristine bushveld has been carefully selected for a wide variety of exceptional trophy animals across a wide range of species. In the accompaniment of our qualified and experienced professional hunters, you experience peace of mind while hunting any of our regular game (wildlife) as well as the dangerous game (wildlife) of Africa. You will be assured of excellent trophies; our reputation speaks for itself.
Our Mabula and Rhino lodge situated near Bela Bela about 2 hours drive north of Johannesburg International Airport. This is the heart of the Limpopo Province, the mecca for safari enthusiasts in modern-day Africa.
Both the Waterberg Massif and the Swartberg Mountains have been designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites and we are pleased to be able to offer the safari enthusiast unparalleled hunting experiences in these two unique biospheres.
Bushman's Quiver
Meet the team
Here in Africa, we have so many wonderful things to offer that one arrow is just not enough to carry all the experiences, cultures, and excitement of our fascinating country. That is why we have decided to create our own quiver for all the arrows of joy, goodness, and happiness and we named it “Bushmans Quiver”!
Stephan van der Merwe
Owner & Director
The owner and founder of Bushman’s Quiver African Safaris, Stephan van der Merwe, grew up in the northern Bushveld of the Limpopo Province, South Africa. He has been involved in hunting, fishing, and wildlife conservation for more than 25 years and became a professional hunter in 1995. HONESTY and SERVICE are the two keywords for Bushman’s Quiver’s success. Bushman’s Quiver is truly a family business, Stephan’s wife Nakkie and their girls Marne and Anja provide exceptional hospitality and will make you feel right at home
Patrick Cairns
Owner & Director
Patrick has had an enduring passion for Africa’s wildlife from a very young age, spending every available minute outdoors. Patrick qualified as a game ranger in 1997 and was accepted to do his practical training in South Africa’s Kruger National Park, after which he worked in Addo National park where he completed his research on Capture Management of Black Rhino in the late ’90s. Patrick’s diploma in Nature Conservation has given him the background and understanding of how hunting and conservation work together to protect Africa’s wildlife. He went on to complete his professional hunter’s license, and later also obtained his outfitter’s license. Patrick has over 16 years of professional hunting experience and before partnering with Stephan has run his own outfitting business – Patrick Cairns Safaris for the last 7 years
Chris Snyman
Professional Hunter
When it comes to professional hunting, Chris is the real thing. His bush skills and general knowledge of hunting and rifles are truly next levels. Chris has a deep love and appreciation for the African bush. He understands how hunting forms an important part when it comes to conservation. Chris knows what it takes to deliver!!
Jotham
Tracker & Skinner
Jotham has been part of the Bushman’s Quiver Team of skinners and trackers for the last 5 years. He has vast experience of hunting and tracking the big 5 and his keen eyesight is unmatched. He along with Pungi and Cephas make sure the trophies are skinned and prepared for collection from the taxidermist
Pungi
Tracker & Skinner
Pungi has been working for Bushman’s Quiver since 2008 and takes extra care in making sure that the skinning and trophy preparations are done perfectly.
Cephas
Tracker, Skinner & Driver
Cephas has been Patrick’s right-hand man for the past 5 years. He also has an uncanny ability to spot game. Cephas grew up in the Save Valley of Zimbabwe which has a large variety of big game and this is where he developed his hunting and tracking skills. He is very meticulous and does everything at a high standard.
Sailas
Tracker & Skinner
Sailas brings over a decade of invaluable experience as a tracker to Bushman’s Quiver Safari, where he has worked for the past three years. He has a profound connection with the bush and to the people around him. His journey has been filled with meaningful interactions and lessons learned from the wildlife, underscoring his deep passion for wildlife conservation and his dedication to capturing our country’s unique beauty and essence.
Andrew
Camera man and Professional Hunter
Andrew’s extensive experience in wildlife conservation and his profound understanding of the ecological impacts of hunting have made him an integral part of the Bushman’s Quiver team for the last three years. He excels in illustrating the significant role ethical hunting plays in wildlife management, passionately advocating for the sustainability of our natural resources. Andrew’s commitment to the bigger picture—conserving our remarkable country and its ecosystems- inspires colleagues and guests alike.
OUR MISSION
Our Mission is to turn your African dream into a wonderful reality. We are grateful for the opportunity to introduce our safari of excellence. Africa is our passion and our home. It is our pleasure to share it with you! Dream it, Hunt it!
OUR CORE VALUES
Our core values guide our commitment and professional performance.
We believe our clients deserve to be told the truth as to the safari experience we offer, the quality of the trophies they may expect to harvest, the terrain within which they will hunt, and what will be expected of them physically. Toward this endeavor we commit to making our website reflective of who we are professionally and we endeavor to manage our administrative duties to the client with the same professionalism as our hunting obligations.
We believe it is important to adhere to a standard. As members of the Professional Hunters Association of South Africa (PHASA) we internalize the Code of Ethics as promulgated by PHASA. When we make client-based commitments, whether in writing or by spoken word we believe that our word is our bond.
When the client engages Bushmans Quiver to meet their safari expectations it is our desire and intention to see that those expectations are fully met. We consider it our obligation to see that the client is the recipient of all that we can deliver to meet those expectations. We aren’t satisfied with our service until the client affirms that they are satisfied.
It is our desire and sincerest wish that our clients feel our camp is their African Home while on safari with us. In instances where a client has special requirements in order to feel “at home” we solicit that dialogue with clients so that individual or family needs are addressed and met.
It is an indisputable truth that every living thing, sooner or later, dies as a consequence of some natural factor, be it predation, disease, starvation, etc. This is the way of nature. However, nature is seldom kind or efficient. Human intervention can forestall the often cruel hand of nature. In the modern world controlled, well-managed, sustainable hunting is the most effective tool humankind has to bring to bear to optimize the health and well-being of wild animal populations. In a world where humans have a longstanding propensity to occupy for themselves all the best places on the planet it is a predictable consequence that wildlife will have to do with less in both quantity and quality of habitat. Free, open, wild habitat of quality continues to shrink as humans occupy more and more of the globe. As wildlife is confined to ever shrinking reserves some means must be devised to protect that habitat from the ravages of over-population. The culling of excess animals from over-populated herds is the surest, most efficient and most practical means of producing the desired outcome. We are already facing this reality throughout the natural world. For this reason we support responsible hunting as a conservation ethic. The fact that we make our living from it is not something we shy away from.
Hunting laws and regulations, which are in themselves often reflective of a society’s views on ethics as pertains to hunting, vary widely across cultures. This is understandable. In our view, in addition to subscribing to PHASA ethical standards, we believe ethical hunting involves the sincere commitment to hunt animals in their natural environment under conditions where the species being hunted has a reasonably good chance of avoiding the hunter, or escaping the hunter’s immediate intention to harvest it, that the hunter takes only those shots that he is highly confident of resulting in a quick and humane death, and that when the animal is indeed harvested by the hunter that the animal is treated with the respect and dignity that it deserves.
We believe that in all countries the family unit is the foundation of that culture. Without strong families and the values they share there would be no effective government, no sense of nation, no sense of humanity. We value and appreciate our own families, and strive to provide a safari experience that all family members can appreciate individually and collectively. We strive to provide a safari experience that brings families closer together, strengthens existing bonds, and creates new ones. It is our sincere wish that your family will complete its safari with us feeling closer and stronger for the experiences you have had in our wonderful country.
We consider what we have accomplished in previous years as being reflective of the best we had to offer in the past, however we do not let the past define today, nor our potential for tomorrow. We strive to capture tomorrow’s opportunities today, to expand our potential to meet the challenges of the future as quickly as possible, and in an environment of continuous change to constantly be improving our outlook, our performance and our commitment to client satisfaction.
