Arusha & Mt Kilimanjaro Horse Safari

Arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport followed by a short transfer to your first base for the night. Located on a wildlife estate with great views of Mt Meru, and on a clear day Mt Kilimanjaro, the lodge is the perfect place to get acquainted with Africa. Here you will have some free time to relax and get to know your fellow adventurers! Over dinner you will be joined by the lead guide who will give a quick introduction and an overview of what to expect during the course of your safari.

Breakfast is served anytime from early hours. After breakfast take a short 30 minute drive to Arusha National Park gate. Here the horses will be waiting, ready for you to ride into one of the most beautiful parks in East Africa. The vegetation will change dramatically, from open grassland to rain forest.

There are good chances here of seeing elephants, buffaloes and other plains game, as well as leopards, rare species such as Suni, Red Duiker and an array of birdlife. The feeling is magical as you enter the dense forests, keeping your eyes open for the White Colombus monkey’s that provide endless entertainment.

Lunch will be set en route, with time for a small siesta. After lunch, the ride continues through leopard country and as you head towards the night stop, passing by Margarete Trappe’s old house. The legendary woman known and remembered as the Iron lady from the first world war.

There are many tales about Margarete who’s old riding paths this safari follows through the holy forests of the park. Arrive to camp, based on the foot of Mt Meru in time for showers and sundowners then dinner under the stars.

This morning you will hopefully wake up to the very talkative Columbus monkeys. Breakfast is served and shortly thereafter you mount and directions are taken towards the area where the film Hatari was filmed, starring John Wayne. Half way into the morning ride, start the climb to one of the best viewpoints of Mt Kilimanjaro. Due to the terrain, you might need to dismount and lead your horse, but the view is worth it! The last last, steepest part is done in a game drive vehicle. You drive past the “Fig Tree Arch”, big enough to fit five horses underneath it, to reach your lunchspot situated next to a waterfuall. You are now at about 2000 meters above sea level. After lunch you’ll ride back towards camp, passing by another waterfall along the way.

After returning to camp, there will be the option to jump into the vehicles and go visit the Momella lakes, where you will hopefully see some hippos and flocks of flamingos that turn the lake pink. Enjiy sundowners at the lakes before heading back to camp for showers and dinner.

You wake up with the sun and a big breakfast is served before it is time to drive out of Arusha National Park.  The drive will take about 2 ½ hours and you will be travelling eastbound towards Mount Kilimanjaro and leaving Mount Meru behind you like a shadow. You’ll meet up with the horses that were trucked there, and mount up for the day’s adventure. The ride is long, amongst Tanzanian farmland and the Massai steppe, with many cultural interactions as the ride progresses. Make use of the cooler hours in the morning and try to cover as much ground as possible.

Lunch is served under the shade of a big acacia, sometimes nearby a dam where the Massai’s water their cattle and you, your horses. You will have a good 3 hour’s stop for lunch, with time for a siesta to regain some strength. The afternoon ride is back into wildlife areas and across open plains, making sure to reach our night stop before the sun hits the horizon at the new camp.

Wake up calls followed by an English breakfast. Mount up and head towards the Kenyan border. After having crossed the seven hills (Seven Sisters) we continue towards lunch, served somewhere under a shady tree. The terrain varies from opened grassland to beautiful acacia forests. The day offers good chance of seeing plains game such as zebras, giraffes, elephants, and wildebeests but most important is the presence of the shy antelope, the Gerenuk that we will keep an eye for as we ride along. The night is spent at a new location, hopefully the night is clear, and you will get the feeling being watched by four powerful mountains, Mt Meru, Namanga, Longido and the most legendary of all, Mt Kilimanjaro.

Early wake up with coffee and tea before breakfast is served. The day might be spent tracking the elephants or jumping over the trees pushed over by them. The terrain differs from scrublands to acacia woodland to open dried out lake pans. Today you will return to camp for lunch and head out for another ride in the afternoon. Before sunset, return to camp to enjoy another night in this remote and remarkable place on earth.

Wake up with the sun before riding out, headed towards the Kenyan border. This day will be spent tracking the footsteps of the elephant. Hopefully we have good luck tracking and get the chance to see these giants from the back of a horse. The night will be spent overlooking the pans with its plains game on constant alert for predators. Hopefully the night is clear, as apart from the view of the mountain landscape, the night sky is absolutely breathtaking.

The last morning and your safari has come to an end. Enjoy a big breakfast before heading back towards civilization, depending on road conditions it is about 3 hours back to the airport. You will arrive back to the lodge and have a last lunch together. There will be an option for a shower for everyone however for those who fly out late please let us know if you would like to book a dayroom (extra cost).