Moolmanshoek Horse Safari

Most guests fly into OR Tambo (Johannesburg Airport) where you’ll be met for your 4 hour road transfer to Moolmanshoek. Upon your afternoon arrival, enjoy a light lunch on the veranda taking in the incredible scenery.  You have the afternoon at leisure to get to know the lodge, the stable yard and the magnificent horses. If time allows, you’ll have a first ride in the late afternoon light.  Return to the lodge to enjoy drinks and a sumptuous dinner at Bamboebos Restaurant.

Awaken to the charm of Moolmanshoek with breakfast on the veranda. The day unfolds with a morning 3-hour Old Wagon Trail Ride, climbing the old wagon trail behind the sphinx outcrop leading to incredible panoramic views. Traverse the boundary fence to the left side of Versierskerf Mountain, riding down to discover the 7 pools trail. A light lunch on the veranda precedes the afternoon ride, culminating in sundowners overlooking the plains. A warm dinner awaits at the Bamboesbos Restaurant.

The day begins with an early breakfast before a picnic lunch ride to explore the Bushmen Paintings. Journey through the Endurance blue loop, encountering wildlife such as rooi hartebeest, giraffe, and sable antelope. Explore overhangs with ancient bushman paintings estimated to be over 400 years old. Enjoy a picnic lunch in the valley under the willows. Large herds of rooi hartebeest, black wildebeest, impala, giraffe and sable antelope can be discovered on the ride.  A short ride down into the valley to enjoy a picnic lunch under the willows, where we can relax in the shade as our horses graze nearby.  This trail is a slower pace, with some long canters before we climb up the mountain.

Conclude the day with a three-course dinner at Bamboesbos Restaurant.

Indulge in a breakfast on the veranda before departing on the Holkrans Ride. A breathtaking ride through the donga forest with some exciting canters up steep trails, following a scenic route up the mountains with beautiful views into Lesotho. As we summit Sekonjela’s Hat, the second highest peak in the Witteberg Mountain Range we discover unbelievable views from the summit back to Moolmanshoek over Lesotho. All our young horses are raised in these mountains and can often be seen on our ride.  Working our way back to the shower pools where, in the summer months, we enjoy a refreshing dip in the pools before indulging in a delicious picnic lunch as we warm up on the sandstone rocks.  Mounting up, we follow narrow trails, passing the rare mountain bamboo that was discovered on the reserve, resulting in it becoming registered as a Natural Heritage Site.  We ride on to discover Holkrans, a large cave chamber where a unique water break has resulted in the rocky overhang, looking out over the Sandstone Ledges.

This unique cave offers an overnight experience for the adventurous, where, in the company of friends both old and new, you warm up around an open fire.  One could almost imagine how the cave dwellers of old would gather around a similar fire, sharing stories and the history of their culture.  Sleep on comfortable stretcher beds and fall asleep to the sounds of nature, as the fire casts its glow on the beautiful sandstone overhang.  Your horses graze contentedly a short distance away.

However, winter months are incredibly cold, therefore overnight stays are restricted to the summer months in fair weather.

Awake to the inviting aroma of coffee brewing over an open fire. Ride past Sugarbush Protea trees, relishing incredible views as you head back to the lodge (this is if you have done the sleep-out and not returned to the lodge the previous evening). The descent down the mountain slopes includes sagewood, red hairy heath, ouhout, and various fynbos species. Lunch back at the lodge is followed by an afternoon game drive for a change of pace.

Embark on a full-day Rosendal ride, accessing mountain passes above Langesnek Farm to the Hamlet of Rosendal. Enjoy long canters along sandy tracks, with lunch in charming Rosendal before the return trip. Experience a faster pace and a sample of the Endurance Horses Competitive Gait on a 12km stretch of a sand road. Marvel at the wonderful views as you ride up and over the dividing mountains.

Savor another scrumptious breakfast on the veranda before an exciting ride up the Pyramid Mountain Trail. Climb the Pyramid Mountain, heading down over the side of the second pyramid onto the plains. Revel in the nice canters to the rocky outcrop overlooking the savannah, with game grazing contentedly on the steep mountain slopes. Enjoy amazing views and lovely rolling canters on the return ride, concluding with the sight of large herds of plains game on the open savanna en route back to the lodge. The afternoon offers leisure or a short late afternoon game viewing ride on the plains.

Early morning coffee or tea and rusks at the stables, before a final ride on the reserve before departure.