Horseback safaris
Experience Africa from the saddle
On equal terms with Africa
Perhaps you've wanted to go to Africa for a long time, but no one in your circle of friends has the time. Perhaps you don't want to make your travel plans dependent on other people's calendars. Or perhaps you simply have the need to experience Africa entirely on your own.
Then a safari as a solo traveler is an excellent option.
And at the same time, questions naturally arise:
Is going on a safari alone even worthwhile?
How much does a single room cost?
Do I have to pay a high single room supplement?
Will I be alone with a guide all day?
Can I join a group?
How safe is that?
And which countries are particularly suitable?
The good news: You have significantly more options than you might think.
At InfiniteWild, we don't just plan classic private trips. We can also design your trip so that you travel with other people without having to organize your entire trip with strangers.
From small group safaris to mobile safaris in Botswana and guided 4x4 tours through Namibia, there are various ways to discover Africa on your own.
And if you like, we can even put together a trip where there is no standard single supplement.
A safari from the saddle
A "horse safari" is far more than just a riding holiday in Africa. You don't simply spend your days on horseback, but are right in the heart of a genuine safari area. Depending on the route, you ride through open savannas, along rivers, through bushland, or across the vast plains of the Okavango.
That's precisely what makes it so appealing: horses offer a quiet and direct way to move through the wilderness. You sit higher, perceive the landscape differently, and can often get closer to wildlife without disturbing them with the noise of an engine.
The welfare and safety of the horses, riders, and wildlife are always the top priority. The horses are specially trained for life and work in the bush, and experienced guides accompany the rides.
In Botswana, for example, horse safaris are offered in the Okavango Delta, in the Tuli and in the drier landscapes of the country.
Where wilderness becomes a riding arena
Botswana
Botswana is perfect for horseback riding safaris.
The Okavango Delta trail leads through open floodplains, along waterways, and between islands. Depending on the water level, horses can even wade through shallow water. The landscape is constantly changing, and with it, the route.
In drier regions like the Tuli or around the Makgadikgadi, riders experience a completely different side of Botswana: wide plains, dry landscapes and endless horizons.
What makes Botswana so special is not just the landscape, but the combination of horseback riding and genuine wilderness. The horses roam through areas inhabited by elephants, zebras, giraffes, antelopes, and numerous other wild animals.
Discover Botswana now
Tanzania
Tanzania can also be explored in a special way – on horseback.
Depending on the route, the horseback safaris lead, for example, through the vast Serengeti ecosystem. Some trips are designed as mobile safaris, following the landscapes and wildlife movements, while others are based at a fixed camp.
Longer rides can involve several hours in the saddle. Experienced riders can also enjoy faster sections, while other routes are intentionally designed to be more leisurely. Which option is suitable therefore depends heavily on your riding level.
Discover Tanzania now
Kenya
Kenya is one of the classic destinations for horseback riding safaris, combining vast savannah landscapes with an exceptional riding culture.
Especially in the private conservancies and wilderness areas around Laikipia, horseback safaris can be combined with other safari experiences. Here, it's not just about observing animals, but about actively traversing the landscape and experiencing the rhythm of the day with the horses.
Depending on the route, longer rides, shorter excursions, or combinations with classic game drives are possible. Kenya thus offers plenty of options, especially for riders who don't want to spend all their time in the saddle.
Discover Kenya now
Namibia
Namibia feels completely different. The landscapes are vast, dry, and often spectacular. Riding between deserts, mountains, open plains, and barren riverbeds creates a very special feeling of space and freedom.
Horseback safaris in Namibia are particularly suitable for those who want to experience the country in a way that goes beyond a traditional tour. Instead of only seeing the landscape from a vehicle window, you'll be moving right through it.
Depending on the region and partner, different landscapes and wildlife experiences can be combined.
Four countries. A completely different safari experience.
Whether it's the watery landscape of the Okavango, the endless plains of East Africa or the vastness of Namibia: Which destination is right depends on what you want from your riding safari.
We will advise you not only based on a map, but also on riding experience, season, landscape, desired comfort and the type of safari you would like to experience.
Mobile horseback safaris: Traveling with horses
You wake up where the camp was set up the evening before. Your horse is already waiting, the bush is beginning to awaken outside, and after breakfast you set off again.
On a mobile horseback safari, you don't return to the same lodge every day. Instead, you travel through the landscape with the horses. The camp follows the route, making the journey itself part of the experience.
You sleep under canvas, often in comfortable tents with proper beds and private bathrooms, or in deliberately simpler fly camps. In the evenings, you sit by the fire as the sounds of the wilderness slowly take over the darkness.
Mobile horseback safaris are available in Botswana, Tanzania, Kenya, and Namibia, among other countries, depending on the partner and route. The specific form of mobile camping you can expect varies considerably from trip to trip.
It is the more original form of the riding safari and at the same time one of the most intense ways to experience Africa.
Lodge-based horseback safaris: Between bush and bed
Not every horseback safari needs to be mobile. With a lodge-based option, you have a fixed starting point and combine the rides with the comfort of a chosen safari lodge. From here, you head out on horseback in the morning or afternoon.
This can be particularly interesting if you want time for other safari experiences in addition to riding.
Depending on the destination and partner, this can include classic game drives, walking safaris, boat trips or mokoro excursions.
This creates a safari that isn't the same every day: mornings in the saddle, afternoons on the water or in vehicles, and evenings enjoying a sundowner by the fire. And if you want a day off from the horse, that's also part of the freedom of a custom-planned riding safari.
More than just riding
A horseback safari doesn't mean you have to spend seven days in the saddle. On the contrary: it's precisely the combination of different activities that makes many of our trips so varied.
Depending on the destination and partner, this could include, for example:
-
classic game drives
-
Walking Safaris
-
Mokoro trips in the Okavango Delta
-
Boat trips
-
Sundowner in the wilderness
-
Bush Meals and Picnics
-
Time at camp
-
cultural experiences
-
Observing wild animals from different perspectives
With some of our partners, you can also plan complete rest days. Because sometimes it's just as nice to leave the horse at camp, sit barefoot by the water, and simply observe what's happening outside.
Also for non-riders
You love horses and want to go on a riding safari, but your travel partner isn't very interested in horses?
No problem.
With selected partners of ours, it is possible for you to travel together without having to do the same program every day.
While you're out with your guide and the horses in the morning, your partner can, for example, go on a classic game drive. Depending on the camp, walking safaris, boat trips, or other activities are also possible.
This way you don't have to choose between a safari and a horseback safari.
You experience Africa together, but each in your own way.
And of course, there are also plenty of moments you spend together again: at breakfast in the bush, in the afternoon at camp, at sundowners, or in the evening under the African starry sky.
When horse meets wilderness
What makes a horseback safari special is the closeness. Not necessarily closeness in the sense of being as close as possible to an animal, but closeness to the landscape itself. You hear your horse snorting. You feel how it reacts to smells and movements. You might see a giraffe long before your guide even speaks to it. You move through the landscape, instead of just passing through it.
A zebra might suddenly appear from the tall grass. A giraffe might stand among the trees. A herd of antelopes might wander across the plain. And sometimes, nothing at all happens.
That's exactly what it's all about. A horseback safari isn't a program where you tick off a specific animal species on a list each day. It's a journey through the wilderness where you never quite know what's waiting around the next bend.
Horse riding in South Africa
South Africa is not currently one of our classic multi-day riding safari destinations. However, we can integrate individual, unique riding experiences into a custom-planned safari. We also offer a combination tour starting in the Waterberg region in Limpopo (4 nights) and ending in Botswana (3 nights).
Short riding excursions include, for example, a ride along Noordhoek Beach with the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the mountains of the Cape region on the other.
Or a ride on a plains game farm near Stellenbosch. In South Africa, "plains game" refers to various typical antelope species found primarily in open grasslands and savannas. These include, for example, impala, kudu, eland, blesbok, and springbok – sometimes also zebras and giraffes.
On such a farm, it's not simply about a ride through agricultural countryside. Depending on the farm, the riding experience can be combined with observing various wildlife species.
Horse riding can also be integrated into a safari trip around Hoedspruit, for example at the Hoedspruit Wildlife Estate.
A riding experience can be a single component of a larger South Africa trip, without the entire trip having to be designed as a riding safari.
Who is a horseback riding safari suitable for?
It depends heavily on the specific route. While there are riding experiences suitable for less experienced riders, some genuine wilderness riding safaris are explicitly aimed at experienced and confident riders.
Especially on longer mobile safaris, riders can spend several hours a day in the saddle. In certain regions, a rider must be able to safely control their horse and handle varying speeds.
Therefore, when planning, we don't simply ask: "Can you ride a horse?"
We would like to know how you ride.
How confident do you feel in the saddle? Are you familiar with walking, trotting, and cantering? Have you ridden out in the countryside before? Do you have experience with longer rides?
Based on this, we will jointly select the right riding safari and the right partner for you.
Comfort or adventure?
Even on a horseback safari, you don't have to choose between wilderness and comfort. Depending on the trip, you can sleep under simple canvas and spend the nights around a campfire, or stay in a high-quality safari lodge with comfortable rooms, good food, and personalized service.
Or you can combine both.
Some trips combine a lodge-based safari with overnight stays in mobile accommodations in the bush. Others move between different camps, making the journey itself part of the adventure.
We don't just look at where you can ride. We look at which combination of horses, landscape, safari, accommodation and travel pace suits you best.
Your riding safari begins on the right route.
A horseback safari isn't something you can simply book like a traditional lodge and then add a few rides to. The region, the time of year, your riding level, the length of the rides, the accommodation, and the other safari activities all need to be a good fit.
This is exactly where InfiniteWild comes in.
Together with you, we will choose the right route, find suitable partners and, if desired, combine the riding safari with other components of your trip.
Perhaps your journey begins with a horseback safari in the Okavango Delta, followed by a stay at a classic safari lodge. Or perhaps you combine a horseback riding adventure in the Serengeti with a 4x4 safari and a few days on the Indian Ocean coast.
Or perhaps you'd like to combine a South Africa trip with a special horseback riding excursion on the beach or in the Lowveld. You don't have to choose just one way to experience Africa.
Frequently asked questions about horseback safaris in Africa
A horseback safari is a safari where you explore the African wilderness from horseback. Depending on the trip, you'll be out for several hours each day, combining riding with classic wildlife viewing and other safari experiences.
We offer horseback riding safaris in Botswana, Tanzania, Kenya, and Namibia. In South Africa, we can also organize individual rides as part of a custom-designed trip.
Yes. On a mobile horseback safari, the camp travels with the group and the horses. Depending on the trip, accommodation is under canvas, in comfortable mobile tents, or in simpler fly camps.
Yes. On a lodge-based horseback safari, you have a fixed accommodation and undertake various rides from there. Depending on the partner, game drives, walking safaris, or other activities may also be offered.
Yes. With selected partners, riders and non-riders can travel together. For example, while you are out riding, your partner can go on a classic game drive or another safari activity.
It depends heavily on the specific trip. Some rides are suitable for less experienced riders, while longer wilderness rides require confident riding skills and experience in the terrain. We select the trip to match your riding level.
Yes. That's one of the special appeals of a horse safari. You move relatively quietly through the landscape and can observe antelopes, giraffes, elephants, zebras and – depending on the region and route – many other wild animals.
Yes. On selected guided tours in Namibia, you can drive yourself. You don't need extensive off-road experience.
Yes. For example, we can organize horseback riding excursions at Noordhoek Beach, on a plains game farm near Stellenbosch, or at the Hoedspruit Wildlife Estate. These experiences are more like individual riding excursions than multi-day classic riding safaris.
A plains game farm is a South African wildlife farm where typical species of open grasslands and savannahs can be found. These include, for example, various antelope species. Depending on the area, a horseback ride can be combined with observing these wild animals.
Yes. A trip could, for example, include a few days of horseback safari followed by a classic safari in an open vehicle. Other activities such as walking safaris or boat trips can also be added, depending on the destination.
This varies from person to person. Individual rides as part of a tour are possible, as are multi-day or longer mobile riding safaris.
The price depends on the destination, duration, accommodation, group size, riding level, and included services. Therefore, we plan riding safaris individually and create a personalized offer.
That depends on the specific partner and the destination. If you would like to travel with your own horse, we will individually assess the possibilities and the necessary requirements.
A tailor-made trip allows you to perfectly match national parks, accommodations, and activities to your interests, travel dates, and budget. This creates a balanced itinerary with ample time for immersive nature experiences and special encounters.
A safari that suits you
Whether several days in the saddle, a mobile riding safari under canvas, or a single ride as part of a larger trip:
We plan your safari experience individually.
With the right region. The right horses. Accommodation where you feel comfortable. And enough space for all the other things that make Africa so special.
Because in the end, it's not about spending as many hours as possible on horseback.
It's about experiencing Africa in a way that feels like you.