Hunting, Fishing And Island Holidays. Built Around You.
Twenty-eight years of doing this has taught us one thing above all: no two groups want the same trip.
Some come to hunt, some to fish, the coast on a Nosy Be island holiday, or the noise of an African night. Plenty come for a bit of everything — pick the starting point that fits and we will build the rest around you.
South Africa · Zimbabwe · Madagascar
Fly into Nosy Be, never Antananarivo on the mainland. Nine routes from Europe, the Americas and Johannesburg, the airlines to use, and the €35 visa on arrival.
Flight Routes & MapFly into Johannesburg or Cape Town, then connect to the airport nearest your hunting area. Seasons, what to pack and how the hunting season runs from mid-February to mid-July.
South Africa Flight MapTell us who is travelling and we will point you at the right starting place.
Begin with game drives in the malaria-free Eastern Cape, then decide how adventurous the rest of the trip should be. You are met at the airport and looked after from there, so the only thing to learn is how early a safari morning starts.
Anthony Schenk hunts South Africa from mid-February to mid-July: plains game in the Eastern Cape thickets, the Karoo and Limpopo, and big game in remote country and Southern Zimbabwe. Fair chase on private properties, with trackers alongside.
Fish Nosy Be for one, two or three weeks, land-based or on a live-aboard that fishes Monday to Saturday. August and September are the peak billfish months, and every fish that matters is tagged and released.
Shallow reefs that are easy to snorkel, lemurs on Nosy Komba, turtles and sandbars on Nosy Be — or malaria-free game drives in the Eastern Cape. A land-based Nosy Be holiday takes groups of four to sixteen, so the grandparents can come too.
Turquoise water, white sand and swaying palms. Explore secluded islands, snorkel coral reefs, swim with turtles, or simply relax together while the sun sets over the Indian Ocean — with fresh seafood, tropical cocktails and romantic beach dinners.
Exchange vows surrounded by clear water, white sand and tropical sunsets, with an informal traditional Malagasy ceremony and local music. From an intimate barefoot beach wedding to a larger celebration with family and friends — we suggest doing the legalities in your home country.
The hunters hunt, the anglers fish and everyone else gets days of their own — island tours, diving, quad biking or a massage. The sea and land package splits the week between a catamaran and a lodge, for groups of six to eight.
Most trips start with one of these. Plenty end up with two.
Plains game in the Eastern Cape thickets, the Karoo and Limpopo, and big game in remote country and Southern Zimbabwe — guided start to finish by Anthony Schenk. Mid-February to mid-July.
See Hunting Safaris →Blue marlin, sailfish, tuna and GT — land-based, live-aboard, or nights on a catamaran then a lodge. Tackle and crew come with every fishing day. Tours run 1 April to mid-January.
See Fishing Holidays →Reefs a few minutes from shore, and sandbars that come and go with the tide.
Five pages on what the days actually feel like — in the bush, on the water and on the island.
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Coffee in the dark, then walking. Reading what crossed the road overnight and letting the trackers do what they have done since they were children.
Most of a hunt is looking. Anthony will turn down more than he takes, and he will tell you why.
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Out at first light for marlin, sailfish, tuna and giant trevally. Rods, reels, tackle and crew come with every fishing day; bring your own jigs, lures and flies, and a pair of fishing gloves.
August and September are the peak billfish months, and tours run from 1 April to mid-January.
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The reefs are shallow and easy to snorkel, the sandbars come and go with the tide, and there are lemurs, plantations and island tours for the days off the boat.
Whale sharks pass through in October and November, humpbacks in August and September.
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In the bush the fire gets built up and the day gets retold with the near-misses included. On Nosy Be there is a proper night out waiting if you want one.
Either way, somebody always says they will come back next year.
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Anthony splits the year in two: the bush until mid-July, then Nosy Be until mid-January. Northern Hemisphere guests usually come to the island in their winter; Southern Hemisphere guests from mid-July.
Hunting safaris run in South Africa, with Anthony guiding in person.
Plan a hunt →Island tours open on 1 April, and scuba diving runs through to November.
Island days →Humpbacks and peak billfishing in August and September; whale sharks in October and November.
Time a fishing trip →Cyclone and rainy season. No Nosy Be tours run until 1 April.
Nosy Be travel tips →Ask about any of it. If we do not run it ourselves, we know who does.
Lemurs on Nosy Komba, snorkelling at Tanikely and days out to the Iranja islands.
Island experiences →Shallow reefs that are easy to snorkel, and scuba diving from April to November.
Diving & snorkelling →Whale sharks pass through in October and November, humpbacks in August and September.
Plan around the season →A day under sail, or quad biking, horse riding and vanilla and ylang-ylang plantation tours ashore.
Island experiences →Sundowners on the sand, then a proper night out on Nosy Be if you want one.
Nosy Be after dark →A round on the Eastern Cape coast, and the Garden Route and winelands alongside a hunt or a safari.
South Africa experiences →Hunting in South Africa and Zimbabwe, fishing and island days on Nosy Be — planned by the same people, so nothing falls between two operators.
Anthony Schenk leads the hunting and fishing personally, with 28+ years across Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean.
A hunting week, a few days on safari and a stretch of fishing can all sit inside one itinerary.
Photographic drives, island days, culture and golf run alongside the hunt or the fishing, or entirely on their own.
Airport pickup, accommodation, excursions, permits and trophy export are arranged for you.
The bush, the wildlife, the fishing grounds, the island and the culture, learned first-hand.
Epic Paradise Tours (Pty) Ltd, with an outfitter permit for ethical, fair-chase hunting.
Wherever you start, we build the rest around it.
Start from what you actually want to do. Hunting Safaris suits guests coming to hunt plains or big game, Fishing Holidays suits anyone chasing marlin, sailfish or GT off Nosy Be,. Most trips end up mixing more than one.
Yes. South Africa and Madagascar sit close enough together, and our itineraries are built individually, so a hunting week, a few days on safari and a stretch of fishing can all sit inside one trip.
The earlier the better, particularly for the mid-February to mid-July hunting season and the August and September peak on Nosy Be. Shorter notice is often still possible - ask us.
Yes, on every itinerary. Photographic game drives, fishing, island days, culture and golf all run alongside a hunting trip or entirely on their own.
Airport transfers, accommodation and meals are included as standard across our packages. Exact inclusions vary by trip type - see the Hunting Safaris and Fishing Holidays pages for full detail.
Our hunting safaris extend into Southern Zimbabwe alongside South Africa, and our fishing and island holidays are based on Nosy Be, Madagascar.
Hunt, fish, safari, island or celebration — start anywhere and we will build the rest around it.
Rough dates and who is coming is enough to start. No lengthy booking form, no card details.
If the days you have will not cover it, we say so up front and adjust rather than take the booking and disappoint you.
Nothing sold off a shelf. Priced against your dates, group and interests — in USD, Euro or ZAR.
Land-based four to sixteen, live-aboard six to eight, big-game fishing four to five. Never a crowd.
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