EXCITING HORSE RIDING AND UNFORGETTABLE WILDLIFE IN THE OKAVANGO DELTA
Set in the heart of the Okavango Delta, Macatoo promises thrilling riding, splashy canters and unforgettable wildlife viewing from the saddle, vehicle or on foot.
The Delta is a mosaic of islands, mopane forest, floodplains and streams stretching as far as the eye can see. Every year flooding makes huge areas inaccessible to vehicles and thus leaves vast expanses of untouched land calling out to be discovered by horse, by far the most exciting way to explore. In the saddle and high above the tall grasses, game viewing is exceptional; riders can see giraffe, elephant, buffalo, zebra, many species of antelope and sometimes even hyena, lion or wild dog. The Delta is also renowned for some of the best bird watching in the world so make sure you bring your binoculars.
Combine horse riding through stunning scenery teeming with game, and the luxury bush camp – Macatoo, for an okavango riding safari -of-a-lifetime. Guests are accommodated in beautifully finished, spacious tents which blend into their surroundings while still providing a luxurious bush haven in which to unwind. All tents are situated upon large, raised platforms with panoramic views of the flood plain. The Delta is amazing all year round, but the floods can be erratic, so if seeing the Delta in flood is important to you, the best months to travel are between late-June and early October.
The pace of our Okavango horse safaris is diverse; ranging from fast and thrilling gallops sometimes alongside giraffe or zebra, canters in the water and on land, to the gentle stalking of bigger game such as elephants and quiet sunset appreciation! The knowledgeable guides can provide a fountain of information about the wildlife whilst you are on board one of the well-schooled horses or on game drives; both horses and guides being well versed in Okavango Delta exploration.
There are nearly 50 horses with a huge array of shapes and sizes and a choice of either trail or English saddles. Breeds vary from Thoroughbreds, Anglo Arab, Kalahari-Arab Crossbreeds to Namibian Hanoverians and range between 14hh to 16.2hh. As a result horse and rider pairings are not difficult to form as there is something for everyone and you will normally ride several different horses over your stay. However, in order to ensure the safest and most enjoyable safari experience, horse riders must be competent at all paces and be prepared to spend up to 6 hours in the saddle a day.
CURRENCY CONVERTER
At the current exchange rate. Please note final quote might vary slightly
DATES AND RATES
Open all year round. We do not have set departure dates so you are welcome to choose the dates that would best suit your itinerary. There is a minimum stay policy of 3 nights but we recommend 5-10 nights or longer.
2024 RATES
Low Season: 01 – 31 December 2024
3 Nights: USD $GBP £1755EUR €ZAR RAUD $ per person sharing + Transfers
5 Nights: USD $GBP £2925EUR €ZAR RAUD $ per person sharing + Transfers
7 Nights: USD $GBP £4095EUR €ZAR RAUD $ per person sharing + Transfers
Mid-Season: 15 October – 30 November 2024
3 Nights: USD $GBP £2295EUR €ZAR RAUD $ per person sharing + Transfers
5 Nights: USD $GBP £3825EUR €ZAR RAUD $per person sharing + Transfers
7 Nights: USD $GBP £5355EUR €ZAR RAUD $ per person sharing + Transfers
High Season: 15 June – 14 October 2024
3 Nights: USD $GBP £2820EUR €ZAR RAUD $ per person sharing + Transfers
5 Nights: USD $GBP £4700EUR €ZAR RAUD $ per person sharing + Transfers
7 Nights: USD $GBP £6580EUR €ZAR RAUD $ per person sharing + Transfers
2025 RATES
Low Season: 01 January – 31 March & 01 – 31 December 2025
3 Nights: USD $GBP £1875EUR €ZAR RAUD $ per person sharing + Transfers
5 Nights: USD $GBP £3125EUR €ZAR RAUD $ per person sharing + Transfers
7 Nights: USD $GBP £4375EUR €ZAR RAUD $ per person sharing + Transfers
Mid-Season: 01 April – 14 June / 15 October – 30 November 2025
3 Nights: USD $GBP £2460EUR €ZAR RAUD $ per person sharing + Transfers
5 Nights: USD $GBP £4100EUR €ZAR RAUD $ per person sharing + Transfers
7 Nights: USD $GBP £5740EUR €ZAR RAUD $ per person sharing + Transfers
High Season: 15 June – 14 October 2025
3 Nights: USD $GBP £3015EUR €ZAR RAUD $ per person sharing + Transfers
5 Nights: USD $GBP £5025EUR €ZAR RAUD $ per person sharing + Transfers
7 Nights: USD $GBP £7035EUR €ZAR RAUD $ per person sharing + Transfers
EXTRAS – SUBJECT TO CHANGE
2024: TRANSFERS
Maun-Macatoo Camp: USD $GBP £280EUR €ZAR RAUD $ per person one way
Kasane-Macatoo Camp: USD $GBP £390EUR €ZAR RAUD $ per person one way
50% off transfers for those staying 7 nights or more
Free transfers if saying 10 nights or more
2025: TRANSFERS
Maun-Macatoo Camp: USD $GBP £300EUR €ZAR RAUD $ per person one way
Kasane-Macatoo Camp: USD $GBP £420EUR €ZAR RAUD $ per person one way
50% off transfers for those staying 7 nights or more
Free transfers if saying 10 nights or more
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT
A single Supplement of 50% on daily rate will apply if you are not prepared to share twin-bedded accommodation.
The camp also keeps one tent dedicated to single travellers where no single supplement would apply, subject to availability.
SPECIAL OFFERS
NON-RIDERS & CHILDREN
50% discount offered for non-riding children under 12
10% discount offered for non-riding adults
GREEN SEASON FAMILY HOLIDAY
01 December 2024 – 31 March 2025
Families or groups of 8 or more people staying for a minimum of 5 nights will be offered exclusive use of the camp
INCLUDES & EXCLUDES
Includes
- Accommodation on a sharing basis
- All meals and drinks
- Personal and expert guides throughout your trip
- All the riding throughout your stay
- Well-trained and responsive horses
- Non-riding activities such as game drives, guided walks, boat and mokoro trips
Excludes
- International flights to Maun
- Visas
- Comprehensive Medical and Travel Insurance
- Charter flight between Maun/Kasane and Camp
- Premium Drinks
- Gratuities for camp staff and guides
- Items of a personal nature
- Helicopter flips and activities not mentioned
QUICK FACTS
Duration: 3 – 10 Nights
(Tailor-made)
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 unparalleled experience of riding and cantering alongside the game in one of Africa’s most impressive settings
- Exploring Africa’s ‘Eden’ and its exceptional array of wildlife
- Getting to indulge in some faster paced riding across vast open spaces
- The chance to complement your horse safari with other activities such as game drives, fishing and boat rides
- Stunning luxury tents complete with plunge pool and morning tea and coffee brought right to your tent
TOUR REVIEWS
READ MORE REVIEWS”African Horse Safaris in the Okavango Delta lived up to all our expectations, despite being in the worst drought for years. Macatoo Camp was beautifully laid out with each of the luxury tents having privacy & a view across the "river". Ours had a resident bush buck that rustled around & ignored us most of the time! All the staff were friendly & helpful & we had excellent food.
Diana PeatMacatoo Camp, Okavango Delta, Botswana
The horses were well trained, well looked after & they were well matched to rider ability. The big plus for us, was that they cater for non riders too, so while I went riding David went out on the safari vehicle & got wonderful photos.
SAMPLE ITINERARY / WHAT TO EXPECT
** This itinerary is subject to change it is an example and not an exact timetable.
DAY 1: ARRIVAL & INTRODUCTORY RIDE
You will be met at Maun airport and assisted onto your transfer flight into the Delta. The flight is a spectacular experience in itself as it offers an eagle’s eye view of the Okavango, and lasts about 30 minutes. A safari vehicle (or one of the local ‘mokoro’ boats depending on the time of year!) will be waiting for you at the air strip to whisk you away on your first 45 minute game drive back to Macatoo Camp. On arrival, you will be handed an ice cold drink and introduced to the staff before being shown to your tented accommodation.
After settling in, you will be offered afternoon tea and homemade cake during a briefing from your guide, before heading to the barn for your first chance to mount up. Evening rides are deliberately taken at a slower pace to let you enjoy the sunsets and make the most of those Kodak moments provided by the extensive wildlife. After a hot shower, drinks and snacks are served in the comfortable mess tent before sitting down to a delicious alfresco dinner set by the fire.
DAY 2: MORNING RIDE & EVENING RIDE/GAME DRIVE
If you aren’t woken by the dawn chorus then you will receive a gentle wake-up call and a steaming cup of tea or coffee, from the comfort of your room. A light breakfast is served around the cozy campfire to prepare you for the first long ride of your holiday.
Your morning ride will vary depending on the season but could involve some long canters or gallops across the dried flood plains, swimming through flood waters or navigating the tall grasses in search of giraffe, zebra, antelope, elephant, buffalo – and any other surprises you can find.
Back at camp a hearty lunch will be served daily. This proves incredibly popular after all those miles in the saddle and is often accompanied by a glass of wine to lead you nicely into an afternoon siesta before tea and the evening ride or evening game drives. Sundowners are often enjoyed out in the bush before heading back to camp to freshen up before dinner.
DAY 3: MORNING RIDE & AFTERNOON DRIVE
After waking up to yet another glorious African morning, and sipping on a mug of something hot, you will have left any first day nerves behind you and will be impatient to jump on. Taking a new direction, encounter new scenery and the exciting opportunity to see a different combination of game. Enjoy picking up the pace and keep up with some of the larger animals such as giraffe or zebra.
After lunch, if you don’t fancy a siesta, then read, watch the wildlife go by from your tent deck, or enjoy the camp pool – an ideal place to cool down and escape the midday heat. After afternoon treats of homemade cakes or scones, you have the option to swap an evening ride for some sunset fishing off the boat, or from the banks of a pool often home to the odd wallowing hippo. A game drive, accompanied walk or boat rides – depending on the time of year – are also available for those wanting time away from the safari horses or for non-riding partners and guests.
DAY 4: MORNING RIDE & AFTERNOON GAME DRIVE/RIDE
Again you will ride through a variety of landscapes, passing clouds of bushman hair grass to plains dotted with fig trees. You might encounter giraffe or shyer antelope while passing through mophane woodlands. When you hit the flood plains, your pace can pick up as you embrace that feeling of freedom which can only be felt on the back of a horse.
The afternoon offers the possibility of hiring a helicopter for the flight of a lifetime over the Delta (at an extra cost) or finish off the day with a night game drive to find those glinting eyes with the spotlight and seek out game harder to see in the daylight, such as leopard and hyena.
DAY 5: MORNING RIDE & SLEEP OUT
This morning you will have the opportunity to ride deeper into the heart of the delta, to areas where vehicles cannot follow. Traverse high palm islands which offer great sweeping views of the Okavango Delta plains, before sitting down to a deliciously luxurious champagne breakfast under a large baobab tree.
After tea and one of the relaxed sundowner riding safaris, you may find yourself at the fabulous ‘tree house’ where you will have the option to spend an unforgettable night out, sleeping high up in the tree canopy under the African night sky. You can rest easy as you guides will be staying too!
DAY 6: MORNING GAME DRIVE & RIDE/MOKORO
After greeting the African morning from up in the treetops, you are whisked back to camp by vehicle to change before riding out again. Make the most of a bush breakfast, or lunch out in the bush and savour the sights and sounds around you.
The afternoon can be passed as you please and often tricky decisions have to be made as to which of the spellbinding excursions will be chosen today. As usual a candle lit dinner will be served and often prompt bed times are met after last night’s treetop excitement.
DAY 7: MORNING RIDE & AFTERNOON DRIVE/MOKORO/WALK
Your last morning in the Okavango Delta and it’s time to get wet! Grab your GoPros as you’ll set off to discover the deeper flood plains which are scattered with flowering lilies. The snaps will flow as you wade through (or sometimes swim!) the water, taking in the reflections of the trees, your horse, the blue sky and beautiful flowers. Here, the Cape buffalo can gather in large numbers (anything between a dozen and 2000 at a time). We have to creep up on them using the islands as cover.
After a leisurely lunch you will be able to choose your last evening activity. A last game drive, fish or a quiet evening meander aboard your trusty steed in the now familiar Okavango Delta landscape and watch the sun turn the sky orange and red with the smell of wild sage in the air. Dinner will be a memorable one perhaps with another surprise location in store…..!
DAY 8: LAST MORNING ACTIVITY & DEPARTURE
If time allows, enjoy one final morning in paradise and a last fun filled and fast paced ride out in Africa’s Eden. You will go splashing through the shallows close to home and getting your last glimpse of the Okavango’s incredible warblers as they spring noisily from the reeds after being disrupted by cantering hooves.
After returning to Macatoo and bidding a sad farewell to your horse you will have time for a quick freshen up before hopping into the vehicle for a game drive to the airstrip. A picnic lunch will be provided to keep you going before you set foot back into life outside the Okavango bubble – a place many can’t wait to return to.
THE ACCOMMODATION
MACATOO CAMP
Macatoo Camp is a beautiful tented camp situated in the idyllic setting of an island in the depths of the Okavango Delta. Each spacious safari tent is equipped with proper beds, an en suite shower with hot and cold water and a flush loo. All tents have a raised deck out front which provides the perfect place to relax, read, and watch the wildlife go by or simply soak up the sun. The indulgence doesn’t stop there however; the camp has a large furnished mess tent and a plunge pool for those hot afternoons from October to May. For single travellers there is one single tent, with no supplement, allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Thereafter guarantee of single tents requires a suppliment. There is no supplement if you are willing to share.
There is the option to spend one night sleeping under the stars on a platform up in the treetops. Mattresses will be laid out and each one will have its own mosquito net draped overhead. The Treehouse is lit by candles and lanterns.
THE DESTINATION
Okavango Delta
The Okavango Delta is one of Africa’s unique treasures and is one of the most important and beautiful wildlife sanctuaries on the continent; often referred to as Africa’s ‘Eden’. The Delta experiences seasonal flooding with an influx of water from Angola, this influx reaches the Delta between March and June, peaking in July. The peak flooding coincides with Botswana’s dry season creating a safe haven and acting as a magnet for a huge variety of birds and mammals that migrate from the dry outskirts. A constant and reliable source of water all year round makes the Okavango Delta an ideal safari destination at any time of the year.
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 at Macatoo are kept in tip-top shape for your safaris. Our horses are on top of the hierarchy and receive very special care:
- Our string of 50 horses are as well looked after as our guests by the brilliant staff. Each horse is recognised and appreciated for his unique ability and personality and every effort is made to match him with the most suitable rider
- Our guests rotate between two or three horses during their days with us to ensure that each animal is given time to recover between rides
- When the horses are not out on the rides they spend their days out in a paddock as a herd and are stabled at night to protect them from predators
- The horses are fed concentrates 3 times a day, and hay in the evenings while they are stabled
- Each horse has their own bridle and saddles are checked regularly by staff to ensure their condition and fit for the horses
- Our farrier is flown in every 5 weeks to trim and where necessary shoe the horses as the old saying goes “No foot, no horse”.
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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