Choosing horseback safari tours according to the ecosystem you want to explore.
With one of the largest areas on the planet¸ Africa has a unique variety of landscapes and ecosystems. Its lands preserve the legacy not only from one of the oldest civilizations but also from the purest nature. There, everything is vast and excessive: huge animals, copious plants, prominent dunes and mountains, untameable jungles, and endless plains and deserts. A place where the smallest thing will be us.
That is why, when planning a trip around Africa, the first step is to choose the landscape we wish to explore. A tough choice. To help you navigate the options, we will provide a brief analysis of each of the ecosystems this mythic continent provides, followed by the options we offer to explore them in a more natural and organic way: on a horse.
Horseback Safari Tours through the African Savannah
The African ecosystem by excellence. In the African Savannah, we will find vast extension of open fields surrounded by herbaceous vegetation and fauna that will not elude our sight as we watch the vast plains. This almost clear landscape allows us to see all kinds of animals: elephants, zebras, giraffes, bats, lions, cheetahs, wildebeest, squirrels, even insects of incomparable size, such as dragonflies and grasshoppers.
Characterized for having only a few trees along its extensive lands, with some scrubs and bushes scattered around, this open space allows us to gallop faster and lighter, which will also allow us to watch closer all those living creatures we may encounter on our way while we feel the wind on our faces. And, as if that was not enough, the nights will bring starred skies and a dark blanket over the horizon. The atmosphere seduces and frightens us at the same time with its songs of nature: the whispers of plants that suddenly get interrupted by the roars of lions.
The African Savannah is endless. Therefore, the ways in which you can explore it are infinite. In Africa Horse Tours we offer 11 different horseback safari options that will let you discover even the most hidden corner of this huge territory. You will be able to embark on this adventure in the nature reserves of Maasai Mara, Laikipia and Amboseli in Kenya; explore the wildlife in Makalali in South Africa; enjoy the wild reserves of Tuli, Matlapeng and Mashantu, in Botswana, and the reserve in Serengeti in Tanzania.
Horseback Safari Tours through the African Delta
The African continent does not have many rivers, but the ones it has are large and mighty. Both the Okavango and the Nile rivers flow into the deltas that nurture the most fertile lands in Africa. Thanks to them, these lands cradle a plurality of animals such as elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, and antelopes. But one of the biggest attractions is looking for meerkats.
Besides, the delta presents heterogeneous landscapes: salt flats, the Savannah, vegetation, animals, the sky, and an endless horizon. While we ride our horses across different grounds, we will see a great variety of islands that surround the delta, being able to rest under the shadows of its huge trees.
However, the landscape is as beautiful as it is unpredictable. We should take into account that in this aquatic desert every activity will depend on the water level and the climate. Therefore, going deeper into it implies being ready to adapt to its mood. By way of this experience, the delta teaches us that nature has life on its own.
We offer 3 horseback safari tours in this type of ecosystem. Firstly, the Okavango Delta, in Botswana, where you will test your ability to ride horses among the fluctuations of the ground. Secondly, we offer an experience that combines the Okavango Delta and the Kalahari: we will first fight and beat Okavango’s capricious tides and climate changes, to then submerge ourselves into the fields and dunes of Kalahari, in which flora will bloom. Finally, for those who want a more intense expedition, we offer full experiences in the aforementioned tours, in which you will enjoy 13 days of constant adventure, alternating nature and culture.
Horseback Safari Tours through the African Desert
The word desert makes us think of an empty territory, a monotonous one. But the African desert is nothing like that. In fact, it is the most complex and most enigmatic ecosystem in Africa, it’s just a matter of being there to confirm it. There are 3 basic deserts that occupy most of the continent: the Sahara, at the north of the continent; the Namib and Kalahari Deserts, at the south.
Kilometres and kilometres of sand that seems to be boiling under the colossal sun, misty and dazzling horizons, paths that are not really paths, along with a bluish and limpid panorama above our head: an adventure that invites us to get lost in order to find ourselves. But this does not end here. Among the most ancient sands in the planet, we find naked rocks, dried river beds, camps of dunes, pharaonic tombs, and animals such as foxes, eagles or Boudin people. The best about these territories is that they are not heavily exploited, which allow us to find virgin areas where we can always discover something new. All experiences are different.
This fantastic ecosystem provokes in us an insatiable thirst that urges us to explore it completely. Blessed are those who can boast about having experienced it. Yet, we dare challenge its immensity with our 10 expeditions organized in the best desertic areas in Africa. On the one side, we have excursions across the Namib desert, with its beautiful cliffs and Red Sea. On the other side, we offer excursions across the Kalahari Desert, a region that corresponds to Botswana. And, of course, we provide diverse and exotic excursions across the Sahara Desert, in the historical and mythical Egypt.
Horseback Safari Tours through the African Jungle
Every jungle is unpredictable. Its intense colours and dense vegetation make this territory both attractive and dangerous. To go into the depths of the jungle on a horse, amid trees, bushes and branches, poses a challenge. We will face the uncertainty of what lies ahead, just a few steps from us. With very thin, irregular paths, full of incomparable greens, the jungle gives us a feat that will makes us feel in a Steven Spielberg movie.
Its exuberant vegetation is the result of the rivers and cascades surrounding it, which allow us to make a refreshing stop to compensate for the high temperatures and intense sun experienced during the adventure. As regards fauna, we find rare species of forest primates found only in certain areas, and a wide variety of spectacular birds.
We offer only one horseback safari tour that penetrates this ecosystem thoroughly. Still, it is a mesmerizing and exclusive tour. While riding our horses amid the lush jungle of Uganda, we will be surprised by a week surrounded by vegetation and damp landscapes, with the chance to go through the most important river in the world on a horse: the Nile river. A dream came true.
Horseback Safari Tours through the African Beach
On the beach we can find sand, water, and dunes. Nothing out of the ordinary. But the African beaches are different, they resemble a paradise that no photographic filter can imitate. If we look to one side, we see firm land, palm trees and a green shore. When we turn around, we see a crystal-clear sea that reaches out to the unknown, towards the eternal blue horizon.
Horseback rides on the beach fill us with sheer amazement and make us relax as we enjoy the purity and greatness of the territory. We can gallop long distances over the hills, mounds of sand, and extensive banks that invite us to speed up and let ourselves be caressed by the coastal wind while teaching us that as one landscape ends, another one begins.
We provide three tours designed to delight you with these paradises, organized around the two best countries to enjoy this ecosystem: Mozambique and South Africa. On the former, we offer a horseback ride across the beaches of the Bazaruto Island, considered to be the pearl of the Indic Ocean. On the latter destiny, we offer two options in which you will be able to get to know the ends of the continent while riding a horse across the Wild Coast. The difference between them lies on what you identify as your primary goal: adventure or relax. Nevertheless, the African beaches cannot but offer both options.
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