Horseback Safari

What is a luxury horseback safari?

A safari on horseback is an incredible way to experience the natural environment. It affords you a unique vantage point, interesting cultural interactions with guides, and of course, the opportunity to get up-close to wildlife. Without the hum of an engine, you’re able to fully appreciate the landscape, and at a much slower pace, you’ll appreciate safari’s more subtle joys, from delicate blooms to singsong birds.

Why go on a horseback safari?

Wild animals, especially prey, are often nervous when vehicles approach. On horseback, they see another animal, and your scent is obscured. Traveling on horseback also allows you to explore beyond the reach of roads and offers many of the advantages of a walking safari or bush walk (such as the silence). Getting out of the LandCruiser can be a welcome break from consecutive days of game drives, and without the security of the vehicle, you’ll feel your senses heighten.

Who can go on a horseback safari or bush ride?

Horse safaris are generally inclusive of beginners, novices, and experts. Guides will tailor your experience to your familiarity with horses and riding proficiency. Some even offer lessons. Expect a minimum age for children and youth.

At the end of the day, your experience will be much more enjoyable if you have some recent riding experience. Horseback safaris in Africa aren’t an apples-to-apples comparison to trail riding in North America. In Kenya, for example, ex-polo or racing thoroughbreds are commonly found in camp stables. Although highly trained, they might not plod along nose-to-tail in a uniform line, so it’s important that you can exert some control in the bush.

How long is a horseback safari?

There are many horseback safari options in eastern and southern Africa which can last from an hour to a week.

Proficient riders might opt for multi-night horseback camping adventures into the bush. Multi-day horseback safari options exist in Kenya, Botswana, South Africa, and Namibia.

Travelers who enjoy riding but don’t want to commit their entire safari to the experience can enjoy one-hour, two-hour, or half-day rides. Shorter riding opportunities are widely available in Kenya and South Africa.

The best places to go on a horseback safari

Trail rides and horseback safaris can be integrated into many extraordinary journeys all around the world. Here are some of our favorite places to saddle up.

Luxury horseback safaris in Africa

Some of our favorite luxury safari lodges that offer safari on horseback include Ol Donyo Lodge, Ant’s Nest and Ant’s Hill, Borana Lodge, Ol Pejeta Safari Cottages, and Lewa Wilderness. There’s also a stable of horses at Loisaba Tented Camp in Kenya’s Laikipia Plateau.

Horseback riding in South America

Horse culture is strong in South America and Patagonian gauchos on horseback likely spring to mind, but Ecuador, Chile, and Uruguay delight, too.

You could visit or stay at a historic estancia near Buenos Aires, Argentina, home of polo and the eponymous gaucho. Gaucho culture is as much of a part of Mendoza as wine is, and a horseback ride into the mountains at sunrise is a memorable way to experience Argentine hospitality. Much further south, traverse the rugged terrain of Patagonia by horseback. Alternatively, the languid and leafy temperate forests of Chile and Argentina‘s respective Lakes Districts can be joyously experienced from the saddle.

Ranching culture in Uruguay is pervasive, and much like American cowboys, gauchos have ascended to folk hero status. (But hey, at the end of the day, someone has to keep tabs on the country’s millions of cattle!) Saddle up near José Ignacio with a gaucho guide—possibly on a surefooted Criollo, a breed emblematic of Uruguay—to experience the beauty of the pampas.

Ecuador’s Andean Highlands are magical and are not often on the radar for most trips to South America. We especially love riding to the condor research center at Hacienda Zuleta. Post-Galápagos, you might relax at Hacienda La Danesa, a 1,200-acre working farm near Guayaquil with a stable of quarter pinto horses.

Deserts and horses might not share a strong connotation, but it’s possible to explore parts of Chile’s Atacama Desert on horseback.

Horseback riding in Australia & New Zealand

In Australia, horseback travel can be done as an outsourced activity across the country, but our favorite and most exclusive horseback riding is reserved for guests of One&Only Wolgan Valley. While exploring New Zealand, take a day trip to Dart Stables from Queenstown.

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