FOLLOW THE ELEPHANT TRAILS IN THE SHADOWS OF MT KILIMANJARO
Traversing some of Africa’s most iconic landscapes and set to the backdrop of Mt Kilimanjaro; horse riding in Tanzania promises an unforgettable experience.
As you return to a ‘safari of old’, following in the footsteps of the majestic African elephants, you will be astounded by the spectacular beauty of the African bush. Explore some of the last true wildernesses on earth, as you become part of a herd of cantering zebra, creep up on a munching elephant or gaze up in wonder at a tall giraffe.
Trail riding, with the assistance of a mobile camp set-up, and spending 7 nights watching sunsets, sitting round campfires and sleeping out in the wilderness will be an adventure like no other. With fabulous varied riding terrain, you will pass through savannah grasslands, forest canopies and thick scrub – riding in Arusha National Park for part of your trip.
Ride alongside game and enjoy the thrilling experience of cantering next to some passing wildebeest. You are likely to encounter giraffe, zebra, elephant and plenty of plains game – maybe even some big cats if you are lucky.
You will take on this challenge with the help of a fit and responsive four-legged friend. This riding holiday in Tanzania is for experienced riders only as you will be riding in areas with big game. Non-riding family members, partners or friends can join the adventure on a custom made Land Rover, following a similar route and joining for all meals and other activities.
CURRENCY CONVERTER
At the current exchange rate. Please note final quote might vary slightly
DATES AND RATES
Open June – October. Please enquire for availability as there are limited spots.
2024 RATES
04 - 11 September 2024
30 October - 06 November 2024
7 Nights From: USD $5590GBP £EUR €ZAR RAUD $ + USD $960GBP £EUR €ZAR RAUD $ Conservancy Fees = USD $6550GBP £EUR €ZAR RAUD $ per person sharing
2025 RATES
04 - 11 June 2025
18 - 25 June 2025
07 - 09 July 2025
16 - 23 July 2025
30 July - 06 August 2025
13 - 20 August 2025
23 - 30 August 2025
06 - 13 September 2025
20 - 27 September 2025
7 Nights From: USD $5590GBP £EUR €ZAR RAUD $ + USD $960GBP £EUR €ZAR RAUD $ Conservancy Fees = USD $6550GBP £EUR €ZAR RAUD $ per person sharing
INCLUDES & EXCLUDES
Includes
- All accommodation
- All food and beverages at the mobile camp
- Dinner included upon arrival to the lodge and lunch upon departure
- Shower at the lodge on the last day
- Shared Airport Transfers
- Professional Guides
- All Horse riding on well-trained and responsive horses
- Game drives
- Wildlife Department fees (subject to change)
- Village fees
Excludes
- International flights to Kilimanjaro Airport
- Visas
- Comprehensive Travel & Medical Insurance
- Lunch on the day of arrival at the lodge
- Drinks on the day of arrival and departure at the lodge
- Gratuities for the camp team and guides
- Any personal purchases
QUICK FACTS
SUITABLE RIDING LEVELS
- Beginner
- Novice
- Intermediate
- Intermediate Plus
- Advanced
CURRENCY CONVERTER
At the current exchange rate. Please note final quote might vary slightly
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
- The chance to ride with the backdrop of two of Africa’s most impressive mountains
- A huge variation of scenery and landscapes to feast the eyes upon
- Experience tracking and following in the footsteps of the magnificent African elephants
- The unparalleled experience of riding and cantering alongside game in some of Africa’s most iconic settings
- Getting to immerse yourself in bush-life; camp fires, sundowners, alfresco dining, unbelievable sunsets and spectacular stars
TOUR REVIEWS
READ MORE REVIEWS”It was a great, amazing, cool, top experience to ride the Tuliblock in Botswana. 8 day's on a back of a horse and view a lot of game. The guides and staff were great. So I will come back! Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Sullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?
Nicole PlasTuli Safari, Botswana
SAMPLE ITINERARY
**Please be aware that the ride below is for intermediate plus and advanced riders only and that each itinerary is subject to change due to movement of game and weather conditions. The routes are designed for the best possibilities of viewing wildlife and follow suitable terrain for horses. If the itinerary would change prior to the safari, this would only be for the safety and to the benefit of the journey on horseback.
DAY 1: ARRIVAL & OVERNIGHT AT THE LODGE
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.
DAY 2: ARUSHA NATIONAL PARK
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.
DAY 3: RIDING & GAME DRIVES
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.
DAY 4: GAME DRIVE & RIDE
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.
DAY 5: RIDE ACROSS THE SEVEN SISTERS
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.
DAY 6: MORNING & EVENING RIDES
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.
DAY 7: FULL DAY OF RIDING
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.
DAY 8: DEPARTURE
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).
THE ACCOMMODATION
PERMANENT LODGE
The first night is spent at a lodge situated on a golf, polo and wildlife estate, only 30 minutes drive from the international airport. Each room provides its guests with a delightful mix of comfort, privacy and style, blending together simple, modern colours and furniture with pieces of historic dhow wood from the East African coast. Each room has its own en-suit bathroom, flush toilet and white fluffy towels. There is WIFI and a swimming pool to be enjoyed and SPA treatments and golf can be organized upon request.
MOBILE CAMP
Embrace bush life with this tented mobile camp; you will have a comfortable and spacious custom-made tent. The mosquito lining keeps your tent insect-proof but allows for ventilation. Each tent has scissor beds, cotton linen, a solar light and outside there is a chair and a wash stand. Each tent has its own short drop bush toilet and star gazing canvas bucket-shower, suspended from a tree inside the shower enclosure.
You will be moving camp regularly and at each sight the on ground team will go ahead of you, and have camp set up by the time you ride in that day.
THE DESTINATION
Arusha
The areas that surround the ‘four giants’ – Longido, Namanga, Mt Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro – are teaming with wildlife and the landscapes boast a wide variety of ecosystems. You will cross areas of mountain forests, wide open savannah plains, African scrub and Massai farm land as you explore the diverse scenery.
The Enduimet Wildlife Management Area (EWMA) was formed in 2007 and covers 1,280sq km of land. The area is situated in the Longido District, near to the Tanzania-Kenya border, and provides an essential trans-national migratory route and dispersal area for many fauna including the African Elephant. The EWMA is the only corridor that connects to the Kilimanjaro Ecosystem, and is extremely important in creating a safe haven for Tanzania’s wildlife to pass through.
TOUR GALLERY
HOW WE CARE FOR OUR HORSES
Our horseback adventures are hand-picked for their quality and care of their horses. Here’s how the horses in Tanzania are kept in tip-top shape for your safaris. Our horses are on top of the hierarchy and receive very special care:
- Saddles are checked regularly and tack cleaned daily
- Each safari is led by qualified and professionally trained guides with years of horse care experience to ensure
- Horses have dedicated rest days each week and varied training
- Our horses live out in a herd environment, allowing them to live as naturally as possible.
- The horses come in at night and they all have their own stables where they are groomed, de-ticked, temperatures taken and where breakfast and dinner is served and if cold, blanketed at night.
- While on safari, they are ridden for about 3 hours in the morning, with a midday break, and then another 2 hours ride in the afternoon. At night they are on a picket line with hard feed, water and hay throughout the night.
Please let us know if you have any more questions about this.
HOW TO SIGN UP FOR A HORSE SAFARI
Fill in the form on our website/social media describing your dream African Horse Safari
A Horse Safari Specialists will get in touch to help you plan the perfect escape
Confirm your ride and dates by paying your deposit
We’ll send you a reminder for your balance payment + travel advice
Pack your bags for your adventure!
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