Trail riding in the Kingdom of Eswatini

Arrive in the early afternoon. Enjoy your first evening game drive to meet the horses and guides. Return to the rest camp for dinner in the Hippo Haunt Restaurant and a unique night in the traditional Beehive Huts

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast at the Hippo Haunt Restaurant, followed by a 3 hour game-viewing ride. On the ride, you will test the paces of you steed, visit an old tin mine and learn more about the Mlilwlane Wildlife Sanctuary and its history. Return for lunch and a siesta then spend the afternoon on horseback, exploring a different area of the park, including a small river crossing while looking for wildlife. Time to arrange an overnight bag for the next camp before settling down to sleep in your grass hut.

Breakfast at the Hippo Haunt Restaurant before departing for your 5-day trail ride. The ride climbs over the Nyonyane Mountain where you will have a break for a saddle-bag lunch before crossing the Usushwana River towards camp. Spend the afternoon relaxing in camp followed by a fun evening around the campfire.

Today is a full day riding, climbing through commercial plantations to Foresters Arms in the quaint Mhlambanyatsi Village, with saddle bag lunches and a water stop en-route.  Foresters Arms provides a wonderful night of comfort, with warm fires, great food and fantastic hospitality. Guests will find their full luggage in their rooms, which will be transported in a truck to the camps over the next few days.

Another full day of riding through commercial pine plantations, private farms and rural Swazi communities before arriving on Mlilwane North.  A short steep scramble, requiring riders to dismount and lead horses adds a fun element of adventure, rewarded by a relaxing saddlebag lunch amongst aloes and rocks. The afternoon is spent riding through local villages and farmlands, offering a chance to interact with the community and see the traditional way of life. The ride ends at emaSonimi Camp on Mlilwane North – a picturesque fly camp, your home for two nights.

A leisurely breakfast marks the start of a much-appreciated slow day for horses and riders after two long days in the saddle. The morning ride explores the ridges of Mlilwane North with incredible views across the country with South Africa and Mozambique seen in the distance on a clear day. While on the ridges, look back to trace your route through the mountains and marvel at your accomplishments.  A late lunch is served back at camp, and the afternoon is your time to walk, read, snooze or chat. Campfire dinner is preceded by sundowners on the rocks behind camp.

An early breakfast sees you mount up for your final day in the saddle. The trail follows the ridges, winds down the escarpment and back over the Usushwana River. The river roads provide great opportunities for trots and canters, opening out to the plains and bringing us home to the Rest Camp for a shower and lunch.

In the afternoon, you will be driven to Hlane Royal National Park, home of Eswatini’s only lion and elephant populations. The night is spent in simple, comfortable rondavels (chalets) without electricity – just how parks used to be!  Dinner is in Ndlovu Camp’s semi-open restaurant overlooking a busy waterhole.

Breakfast in the restaurant is followed by a game drive into the lion and endangered species areas with a good chance of spotting lion, elephant, giraffe and white rhino. There is a little time for curio shopping, journalizing or just being around the waterhole between the game drive and lunch.  14h30, we transfer to Mkhaya Game Reserve (1,5 hours) to the south.

On arrival at Mkhaya, the group transfers onto open Land Rovers for a short game drive en-route to Stone Camp. This off-the-grid camp is enchanting, with unique semi-open accommodation accessed by lantern-lit sand paths winding through the riverine forest.  Black and white rhino, bushbabies and birds are highlights at Mkhaya.

This is a real Safari day!  An early wake up call gets us onto Game Drive just after dawn.  Return to camp for a well-deserved breakfast, followed by a a low-key interpretive game walk, with the good possibility of viewing white rhino on foot. Lunch is served under the giant sausage tree at Stone Camp. An evening game drive departs at around 4PM, returning in good time for dinner.

The dreaded day of departure arrives with an early breakfast. You will depart Stone Camp straight after for your shuttle transfer to Ezulwini. From here, we can arrange transfers to OR Tambo Airport or onwards to the Kruger National Park.

We can arrange 2-4 night itineraries for 2-8 people.

• Fixed accommodation – 2-3 nights in Mlilwane Rest Camp, with 2 days riding, 4-5 hours each.   Beginners welcome – great family option!  Mlilwane also offers fantastic hiking trails and mountain biking, guided or self-guided.
• Fly Camps – riding onto Mlilwane North for 2-3 nights at Klipspringer or EmaSomini Camp. 4-6 hours of riding per day, including mountains, rural community and plains game.  Novice riders with decent fitness levels welcome.