Fancy galloping alongside giraffes? You need to watch this…
Spring may have sprung at last and bridleways no longer resemble a mud bath, but that doesn’t stop us from dreaming about one of these horseback safaris, where horse riding holidays take on a whole new meaning…
Botswana and South Africa
The details: Horizon Horseback Holidays’ “African Explorer Safari” is designed to give experienced riders an adrenaline rush. Riding in two countries over eight days, it combines four nights at Horizon Horseback’s Camp Davidson, Waterberg, with three nights at Limpopo Valley Horse Safari camp in Botswana’s Tuli Block. Promising “the freedom and exhilaration of riding in one of the world’s last remaining areas of natural wilderness”, you can expect to see elephant and lion — and when you’re in need of a breather you can kick back on the deck outside your private tent under a shady tree.
The damage: from £1,793 per person for seven nights
Find out more: www.ridinginafrica.com
Mozambique
The details: Explore the Mozambican coast line on horseback, riding up and down the sand dunes, cantering along the beach and then cooling off after a hot day in the saddle with a swim in the crystal clear sea — with your horse. On Zara’s Planet’s Retzlaff Safari & Benguerra Lodge trip you can spot eagles, herons, harriers, rollers, pelicans and kingfishers on an inland ride exploring the fresh water lakes; you’ll hope to see flamingo on the Benguerra Island ride and when you head along the deserted sand beaches to the Red Dunes on North Beach you can take in the panoramic views of the white sandbars and turquoise seas.
The damage: from £3,100 per person for seven nights
Find out more: www.zarasplanet.com
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Tanzania
The details: On a clear day wake up to see the four powerful mountains of Mt Meru, Mt Namanga, Mt Longido and Mt Kilimanjaro towering up all around you, on the Kilimanjaro Elephant Safari, run by Kaskazi Horse Safaris. Six of your seven nights are spent in a luxurious mobile camp (white cotton linen, towels and a solar light), with two days spent going in search of elephants. Get ready for some long gallops as you cross the varied terrain, ranging from thick scrublands to the desert flats near the lake. And as the sun sets, you can gather around the bonfire to share the day’s stories.
The damage: from £4,691 per person for seven nights
Find out more: www.inthesaddle.com
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A graduate from Durham University, Madeleine joined H&H in 2011 and became Features Editor — producing content across the magazine and website, including the popular inside back cover article ‘The horse that made me’ and the weekly ‘The best of my fun…’ interview. She has written on topics as diverse as hay making and headcams, to hot totty in the horse world and circus horses. Madeleine now works as a freelance feature writer for Country Life, The Telegraph, Horse & Hound, cntraveller.com, The Spectator and The Field, as well as writing obituaries for The Times.