Surf & Turf Horse Safari in Mozambique

After being met at Vilankulo Airport by either Pat or Mandy, your hosts for the week, you will be transferred to the lodge where you will have a chance to settle in. In the afternoon meet the horses and the staff at the stables. Head out for your first relaxing ride across those brilliant white sand beaches, to get to know your steed. The ride will take you through a variety of vibrant eco-systems; wide open beaches, incredible cliff top views, pristine dune bush and mangrove shoreline.

For your first evening in paradise, enjoy a fresh seafood dinner served under the stars and overlooking the sea.

After waking up to your first African morning and delicious breakfast, mount up and head inland – following natural trails past African villages and large natural freshwater lakes. The area boasts spectacular birdlife with a good chance of seeing eagles, herons, harriers, rollers, pelicans and kingfishers. As you ride through the bush, past African farmland and rural schools, the old farm roads invite some faster riding, calling out to be cantered along as you head for the Govuro River.

Upon the river’s grassy banks, a delicious picnic lunch will have been laid out for both riders and horses, and you will be welcomed with an ice-cold beverage. After a leisurely lunch, mount up again for a long ride home, with plenty of open trails for lovely long canters.

As the sun sinks this evening, enjoy a relaxing sundowner sitting around the campfire and waiting for the spectacular stars of the vast African sky to appear. For dinner, indulge in a sumptuous Mozambican BBQ.

This morning, an early start is imperative; you will be picked up from town by a dhow, which will take you through the picturesque Bazaruto National Park to Benguerra Island. En-route, a packed breakfast will be served as you keep your eyes open for dolphins, turtles, and rays and take in the stunning sea views. Riding on the island is an exceptional and breathtaking experience: large sand dunes, freshwater lakes, endless white sandy beaches and excellent birdlife – often featuring large flocks of flamingos.

You are soon saddled up, the horses are eager with ears pushed forward. Your guide will talk to you about the flora and fauna found on the island. The trails head inland where you will pass through local villages, towards high golden sand dunes and fresh water lakes with flocks of flamingos. The ride continues at a relaxed pace along sandy tracks onto a long beach past waving fisherman. Just before reaching the stables, you slip off the saddle and wallow into the sea bareback.

Enjoy fresh seafood lunch whilst you sit back, relax and island hop to Margaruque. After lunch, if the tide allows, grab some snorkelling equipment and experience some of the best snorkelling in the world along a vertical rock drop-off. However, if snorkelling isn’t your thing, take some time to wander along the beach or work on your tan. As the sun sinks lower over the ocean, you will return to Vilankulo and enjoy a sumptuous meal with breathtaking views – another night to remember.

Today’s riding will begin at 11.30 am, allowing you to enjoy a leisurely breakfast and morning swim before mounting up and heading out. Past the rocks the beach opens up and you can canter towards mangrove trees in the distance and up a red bank to the “Finger Print of God”. The panoramic views look out over the Bazaruto Archipelag. From here you will see colourful dhows and fisherwoman hunting crab in shallow sands. You continue through winding coconut plantations along a beach path to the Managlise Fishing Village.
Riding through the beautiful coconut plantations, you will reach Enrique’s Fishing Village, where the local chief is waiting to welcome you. You’ll hear the distinct chatter of laughing children and are soon greeted by a horde of smiles. Once sat in simple thatch shelter, newly harvested coconuts are cracked open, the refreshing juice is rich reward after a long ride. Then a traditional lunch is served, fresh crab from the beach, grilled fish from the mornings catch and Matapa; a Mozambican dish made from cassava leaves, nuts and coconut milk. After your meal the children come out to sing local songs and dance, their smiles and energy make the occasion feel very special. Once goodbyes are completed the horses are saddled up and you start the return home.

The Fishing Village Ride is completely authentic, rich in cultural experience and brings much appreciated business to a locality well off the beaten track. It also means that locals who once feared the horses, have a better understanding and involvement with them in their community.

Today’s ride is a favorite with many of our guests. The route will take you along the old coastal main road running parallel to the beach before meandering up and wading across a small river estuary. Riding through small rural villages where young children will come to wave at the horses. After several hours in the saddle, you will follow a bush track through dense woodlands that leads down on to the beach with amazing views over the bay. The long, deserted, safe, sandy beaches offer a chance to experience dream-like canters on your way back to the stables.

If you’re keen to keep active, there is the option to enjoy a day of scuba diving, kiteboarding or deep-sea fishing at an additional cost.

After a long day of adventures, there is a chance for sundowners and a fine dinner at a local restaurant.

Following breakfast, drive to the stables and set off for a ride through the outskirts of town before reaching the deserted sand beaches that lead to the Red Dunes on North Beach. This is an exhilarating ride with ample opportunities for canters on the wide-open beaches. You will climb the red coastal dunes and experience panoramic views of the iconic white sandbars and bright turquoise seas. A splendid seafood bonanza is served at the lovely beachside restaurant, where you will stop for lunch.

In the afternoon, stop at a local arts and crafts centre supporting the local community before returning to relax by the pool or take a stroll along the beach.

The ocean walk is a favourite! Mount up bareback on the beach before riding through the turquoise blue seas until you reach a safe swimming spot. Then head into deeper water where you’ll feel the extraordinary feeling of weightlessness as the horses surge beneath you! It’s a phenomenal feeling and the horses seem to enjoy it as much as the riders! Then slip off and give the horses the chance to splash and roll as they wish. You really see their personalities shine as they play in the warm water.

In the late afternoon we will travel out to the Govuro River by vehicle where you will paddle/be paddled along a picture-perfect waterway. Soak up the lush river riverine, look out for native fish and listen to the magical calls of birdlife. As evening falls ducks will return inland to roost and there is a good chance that you will see fireflies lighting up the evening sky.

Spend your last night in a beautiful setting, reminiscing about what will have undoubtedly been an unforgettable week and enjoying a delicious meal in paradise.

After a relaxing breakfast, you will climb aboard for a last morning ride, bidding farewell to the spectacular coastline of unspoiled beaches and turquoise seas – an image that will stay with you forever. Once you’ve finished capturing all those last moments in the saddle, there will be time for one more lunch before you bid a sad farewell to Vilankulo paradise and continue your journey.