Riding safaris - horses for courses

When it comes to riding safaris, the expression “horses for courses” is particularly apt. For a start, the horses being ridden by guests will be specialists in their discipline; whether it is the Kalahari salt pans, the deserts of Namibia, the open plains of Kenya or the waters of the Okavango Delta, they all require horses with specialist experience in that type of terrain.

Thamalakane River Ride, Botswana

Different operators favour different types of horse. In the Okavango, one of the stables favours the Boerperd, a stocky small horse breed with a calm temperament that originated in South Africa. Less prone to accidents or sensitive to cuts and scratches, they are resilient in an environment where puncture wounds are a habitual issue and vets are many miles away.

Others prefer cross-breeds with Shire, Appaloosa, Clydesdale traits bred into thoroughbred and native stock. The common factor with all these, however, is not their conformation or looks but their suitability for the job. Schooling is, of course, important because visiting riders require a responsive animal. But training a safari horse requires more: they must be habituated to game, willing to gallop if required or stand still and graze while their riders watch and photograph game.

First familiarisation ride, Makgadikgadi Pans, Kalahari, Botswana

Sourcing the right horses and then training them is one aspect of the process for riding safari operators, but the second is matching each horse with a suitable rider (or vice versa depending on your perspective).

Everyone has their own system for matching up the abilities of riders and horses on a safari. Ahead of the guests’ arrival, they will have completed forms indicating their size, weight and level of ability. But many operators will have to read between the lines because one person’s definition of experience may not be the same as another’s.

Riding for beginners at Ant's Nest, Waterberg, SA

In some cases, it will transpire that the individual has very little actual experience of riding across rough country. Those who ride regularly in a school will have a high level of technical ability but may lack the ‘stickability’ of those who hunt or enjoy endurance riding. In very rare cases, it may become apparent that someone has exaggerated their ability and a riding test will reveal that they simply cannot ride safely in open terrain.  Then there is a problem.  

Ultimately, safety is paramount and an experienced riding safari consultant will advise the safari best suited to your ability. Ant’s Nest in South Africa, for example, is perfect for complete beginners and at Royal Tree Lodge in Botswana, there is an enclosed park of over a thousand acres which provides a safe predator-free environment for the less experienced. Whereas galloping across the Masai Mara with Offbeat Safaris is not for the faint-hearted.

Full pelt with Offbeat Safaris, Kenya

At the other end of the scale, others may be unnecessarily modest or cautious when completing a form but would ultimately become bored riding a very quiet horse. These people are likely to be spotted at the very beginning and changed onto something more suitable. Subtle signs need to be read by the guide to ensure that the best matches are made. One experienced safari operator looks at the size of women’s hands as an unspoken indicator of their experience, working on the theory that their hands are larger than average from years of being around horses.

In the end it is not, of course, an exact science, but an expert will be able to help you to find the best operators and terrain to meet your expectations together with guidance on relaying an accurate picture of your ability.

Bush Pilots

Okavango Delta from the air, April 2015

Transfer flights in Southern Africa

There is a joke: ‘Mum, when I grow up I want to be a pilot.’ ‘Wait a minute son, you'll have to decide which you want as you definitely can't do both.’ There may be a little truth to this, seeing the young bucks who fly between bush camps, but don't let it put you off.

Why fly? Well, although many main roads are good in Southern Africa, even allowing for road side cattle, donkeys and game, the distances are vast. Away from main routes, roads tend to be bumpy sandy tracks; fun for a game drive but not a four hour transfer. So small aeroplanes are the best mode of transport for travellers visiting a number of camps during one safari. It starts with a flight on a scheduled airline into one of the main airports; from there, transfers could not be easier.

Check in at Selinda airstrip, April 2015

Maun in Botswana, effectively gateway to the Okavango Delta, is typical. It is ranked as the second busiest airport in the whole of Southern Africa; the figures however are not based on the number of passengers, but on the number of flights. Here, in addition to the occasional international flight, the tarmac is crowded with small aeroplanes equipped to carry from two to twelve passengers, which fly the length and breadth of the local area, criss-crossing the Delta and hopping between sandy landing strips. It is more like taking a taxi than catching a conventional flight, however. There is no checking in or waiting; no security or baggage collection. Oh, and the views are spectacular.

Transfers usually take place in the late morning after game drives, and airlines operate a day to day schedule accommodating the needs of visitors. The airstrips become a meeting point for guides who exchange news and goods. Sometimes, pilots, passengers and guides chat at leisure while guests assemble; but frequently there is a ‘hot stop’ and the engine keeps running while passengers and supplies are quickly manoeuvred on and off.

Pilots can also bring guests in the late afternoon, depending on itineraries, and stay at camps overnight, ready for the next day. In many of the smaller camps they will join an activity and supper; in others there is pilot accommodation. They can spend several days at a time in the bush, travelling between camps and it is rather reassuring for the nervous traveller to see the pilot joining guests for breakfast, making it virtually impossible to miss the flight.

The pilot who came for dinner...with guides and Boo at Motswiri, April 2015

These short flights are an excellent way of building up flying hours for young pilots. But do not be concerned by their average age. In hospitals, they always say that routine operations are better performed by registrars rather than consultants because they carry out those procedures every day. The same is true of flying small aeroplanes between landing strips: it is the bread and butter of the young bush pilots and they are experts in their craft.

To book flights in Africa, for peace of mind, use an experienced agent in the area who can advise on the best airlines, routes and transfers. Charter or scheduled flights are both options. And if you are very lucky, you can sit next to pilot.

To find out more about flying and safaris, see www.bushbucksafaris.com

How green is Botswana?

Late rains and eco-tourism 

Zebra in the Kalahari, April 2015

After a particularly dry start to the year, unusually heavy late rains at Easter have transformed Botswana into a verdant paradise. With plentiful water and good grazing across a vast area, game has dispersed widely, making it sometimes hard to see. But the overwhelming sense of contentment and plenty, with species grazing alongside each other in sunlit glades, makes it an uplifting experience. For the time being, even the Kalahari is green; grazed by zebra and wildebeest as far as the eye can see. 

Giraffe at Selinda Explorer Camp, April 2015

Botswana's greenness is, however, not limited to the vagaries of unpredictable weather patterns. In this country, greenness goes much deeper. Traditionally Botswana was sustained by beef, diamonds and hunting but for many years and particularly since the total ban on killing game for sport, eco-tourism has replaced hunting as a major source of income. 

As a country, Botswana has an area roughly the size of France and a population of only 2.1 million people. So exclusivity is the key to its low volume / high value tourism model. Essentially, the government owns the land, granting concession areas to private companies on fifteen year leases.  

Motswiri Camp, April 2015

Yet, the Botswana authorities retain a degree of control, monitoring the environmental impact of camps and operations, advising on changes of sites if existing sites have adversely impacted the area in which they operate. Those who hold leases for the concessions are willing partners in the drive to sustainable eco-tourism because it is Botswana’s stability and green credentials that help to make it such a desirable tourist destination.   
In line with this green approach, the generators that power camps are increasingly being replaced with renewable energy sources, with many lodges and camps now having solar installations on site as well as small scale solar farms for additional power. Solar lights and electricity produced by food waste are being explored and hybrid electric vehicles may be seen in some areas in the near future. 

DamaTau Camp, Linyanti Reserve

In keeping with the high value tourist market, visitors’ comfort is in no way compromised and camps and lodges remain top of the range with safety and creature comforts in abundance. For many, however, the green experience is additionally enhanced by lack of phone reception or internet availability, making reading and talking round the bar or camp fire accompanied by the sounds of nature the norm. 

As the season advances, the lush greenness of April and May will give way to vast parched areas of tinder dry vegetation, concentrating game increasingly to areas with access to water. But while the background colour changes, Botswana’s tourist industry will remain resolutely green. 

For more details about planning a trip with Bushbuck Safaris see www.bushbucksafaris.com

Okovango Delta, April 2015