A ride and cycle holiday in the Tuli is the perfect way for your non-riding friends and family to tag along on an African adventure of epic proportions. We interviewed Kriszti and Marcus after their riding holiday in Tuli, Botswana. Between tracking leopards and stunning sundowners, it’s surely one for the books!
Whether you prefer being on horseback or on a bike, enjoy riding through Tuli’s truly wild landscapes, largely untouched by man. The varied terrain makes excellent going for the horses as well as challenging fun for the cyclists. This is a progressive trail with riders and cyclists sharing meals and accommodations in incredible settings. Enjoy comfortable glamping plus a dreamy treehouse sleepout; true African wilderness at its best. Here is what Kriszti and Marcus had to say about their trip in April 2021.
Has a trip to Africa always been on your bucket list?
K: Yes it has always been a dream to get there. When we figured out that we could do an active vacation with riding and biking, we immediately knew that this is something we would love, as it gives such a unique perspective and an extra spice to the trip.
M: Absolutely, Africa’s unique landscape, nature, culture, people and cuisine was (and is) on our bucket list and we absolutely enjoyed it – especially as we both are huge nature and animal fans and seeing the wilderness of Africa and the diversity and numbers of animals is just great.
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Is Marcus as keen a cyclist as Kriszti is a rider?
K: Marcus was really great with his bike, and the guides were really professional and experienced. I have to admit physically the cycle part was much more challenging than riding in my opinion, so I felt a bit bad as the trip has been my idea..=D Although there were optional easier routes as well, he pushed it through every day =)
M: Yes I am – but not as experienced as Kriszti with her horse riding.
Have either of you been on a cycling / riding holiday before?
K: No, never before. But I think this was not going to be the last time either!
M: No – this is the first time that I have come across this option but I definitely would do it again.
What were your top 3 moments from the saddle?
K: It’s hard to choose three, but I would go for the honey badger that we saw on the first day, just riding out from the stables. The second day we had been looking for a female leopard, and we found her under a bush at the end. There was another encounter, where we saw circa 80 elephants in the river bed, drinking, and bathing. Apart from the animal encounters all the sundowners were stunning and I was amazed by all the great food we had during the trip.
M: For me as the bike rider they were (i) packs of animals running (and flying) with you through the grasslands while you ride through the great nature, (ii) meeting up with a leopard while we were climbing up a hill which then decided to just run away and (iii) watching a mother elephant with her 3 kids at a waterhole drinking and playing. And while it was not part of the bike ride: The sundowner at the Baobab tree on the hill was amazing – the colors were just mindblowing.
Which was your favourite camp/experience at camp?
K: I think I would choose the tree camp. That is such a unique experience, I have never seen anything like it before. The other two camps, The Kgotla, and The Two Mashatus were really great as well! It has been really fascinating to experience how organized everything was. The team around us did such a great job looking after us!
M: Mine was the tree camp which was like a children’s dream come true – absolutely beautiful, built on a tree top with a nice relaxing and viewing area on the river. The best experience was the animal noises surrounding the camps, sometimes feeling like they are in the camp at night (male lions and hyenas as well as all the insects) and the amount of stars and the milky way you can see from the camps.
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What I also wanted to mention is that, despite the last-minute closures and extra PCR tests, our trip has been really amazing! Laura and her team have been really flexible and welcoming. We really felt looked after all the time and we did not feel any downside of travelling during these times. They have really done everything to make it work. Having the opportunity to stay in Horizon in South Africa also gave Marcus a chance to ride with us, which has been really great, and something we couldn’t have done at home =D
I would really encourage everyone to visit and give it a try. All of our PCR test have been really smooth, and on time. And the craziest thing is that we could have done the PCR test in the middle of the Mashatu Game Reserve in the smallest airport I have ever seen, and still get the results by next morning… Faster than Europe!
And although we had to keep certain rules for travelling in and out, filling out many forms and doing tests, it was easy and did not take away from the experience at all!
Thank you to African Horse Safaris, especially Isabel and Margot, for the organisation and for the support we got!
Kriszti & Marcus
Tuli Trail – Ride and Cycle Botswana
