Riding safaris for the experienced

Riding with zebra, Masai Mara, Kenya

For those used to hunting or eventing, finding a suitable riding safari can present a challenge. After all, some operators in Africa cater for a range of abilities and, inevitably, in some cases this can mean that they have to take into account the fact that not all guests have the same degree of ‘stickability’. While they will do their best to cater for a variety of abilities, slower and safer rides can be frustrating for those who have hunted all their lives and relish galloping across varied terrain.

Thamalakane River Ride, Ride Botswana

David Foot of Ride Botswana, who runs a number of rides in both the Okavango Delta and the Kalahari Desert, is reassured when he sees ‘hunting’ on a guest’s form - he knows they will be able to cope with the pace of his more challenging rides. And while there is capacity to take special care of less experienced riders within a group, he is at pains to point out that if a ride is categorised as being for the experienced, that means being able to sit securely on a good horse at a flat out gallop across rough terrain. 

Tristan Voorspuy of Offbeat Safaris offers perhaps the most challenging and exciting riding for guests in a number of locations including the Masai Mara. His five or ten day rides are not for the faint-hearted but they do provide thrills and spills sufficient to satisfy the most experienced cross-country rider.

Offbeat Safaris, Kenya

The advantages of matching riding ability to operator, ride and terrain are obvious. Viewing game close up is not without its risks, but galloping alongside herds of wildebeest or among zebra is truly thrilling. As is seeing an elephant at close hand or galloping in a moonlit desert. But if an operator is confident about the abilities of a group, more risks can be taken and experience is often enhanced by the frisson of a little bit of danger.

Drinks stop, Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, Botswana

At Bushbuck Safaris we are always happy to discuss the exact abilities and ambitions of every guest, whether travelling in a group or as a single person, and we will advise on all aspects of a trip so that we can ensure the reality matches the dream. Prices are the same whether you book through Bushbuck Safaris or directly through an operator so there is nothing to lose and an awful lot to gain.

When is a tent not a tent?

A tented room at Kings Pool, Botswana

Anyone who has ever wondered whether they would find a tented safari in Africa a bit primitive needs to reconsider their definition of the word ‘tent’. For many of us the word conjures up images of soggy canvas, constricted space, outdoor ablutions and charred food. But tented camps in Africa have taken the term ‘tent’ and elevated it to a whole new level. Think glamping and then double or treble it, adding a long list of creature comforts along the way. This is luxury at the highest end of the scale; and tents are veritable palaces. While some retain an element of canvas, at the top end of the scale, they come with thatched roofs and wooden floors, vast canopied beds and sumptuous armchairs, flushing loos and power showers, decks, day beds and plunge pools.

Bathroom with a view: Serra Cafema Camp, Namibia

Of course, you don’t go on safari simply to enjoy the indoor facilities. So it is important when selecting camps to visit to ensure that you will be visiting areas with great game viewing too. Many of the top camps have been long established in the best spots in the finest concessions, making game viewing from your own terrace a realistic prospect. What is more, from the dining and sitting areas of the camp, it is often possible to see animals crossing a river or grazing in the near distance. This is what makes a high end safari so special: privileged game viewing without any compromise to your creature comforts.

Pride of lions viewed close up from game vehicle at Selinda Reserve, Botswana

Proximity to big game delivers an inevitable thrill, but not at the expense of safety. Viewing from specialist safari vehicles gets you extremely close to animals, especially in areas where they have established trust that these large mobile objects will do them no harm. The expertise of local guides, working with a network of trackers, will ensure that you have the best chance of seeing whatever game is in your area, but they also have deep knowledge of the wildlife they are following and will ensure that no risks are taken.

Sundowners, Linyanti Reserve, Botswana

Game drives are usually early in the morning, followed by a delicious breakfast; and evening game drives are never undertaken without the traditional ‘sundowner’ overlooking a breath-taking view. There is no compromise with food and drink; they are an important aspect of the high end safari experience. Fresh food is flown in regularly and chefs are highly skilled, so after an excellent lunch you have nothing to do but snooze the afternoon away. And that is where the tent comes in.

Safaris in Kenya

Kenya is the spiritual home of safaris and remains Africa's most beautiful and diverse country and one of the few safari destinations with a strong traditional tribal life. For scenery Kenya is second to none. Breathtaking mountain ranges, tropical rainforests, the Great Rift Valley with it's soda and fresh water lakes, mighty rivers, stunning coastline and the wildlife is legendary - open plains dotted with wildlife to the acacia tree horizons, lakes rimmed with pink flamingoes, home of the Big Five, scene of the famous wildebeest migration.

Contrary to popular belief, it is not a country overcrowded with tourists, there are areas of tourist concentrations, you just have to know how to avoid them. The secret is to join Charlie McConnell on his privately guided safaris using his mobile tented camp to penetrate the more remote wildlife areas of his native country. Or stay in a combination of small exclusive camps and lodges, usually owner-hosted, located in game areas well off the beaten track.

Charlie McConnell Classic Safaris in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda




Ride Kenya



Off-beat riding safaris Kenya


Rekero Camp Masai Mara Reserve, Kenya

Chiawa Camp, Lower Zambezi National Park, Zambia - Boo's Best

Lower Chiawa Camp, Zambezi National Park, Zambezi River, Zambia

Owned and operated by the Cumings Family since it opened in 1989, Chiawa Camp was the first safari camp to be established in the Lower Zambezi National Park. It wins over other camps for its situation on the banks of the Zambezi - the Cumings had the pick of locations back then - and the way in which this family have dedicated themselves to conserving this incredible wildlife wilderness - a gamedrive from Chiawa now is just as it was then.

The Lower Zambezi is always a favourite - it has to be one of the prettiest game areas in Africa, with the most varied activities for guests. There is never a dull moment here - options include day and night gamedrives, boating, fishing, walking, canoeing, birding. For the less active, you can often see just as much by sitting quietly and relaxing in camp - game is always to be seen on the far bank, hippo and croc in the river, elephant often pass through camp and the array of birdlife is stunning.

Boo's Best because....

• owned & operated lovingly by the same family for over 20 years
• exceptional guiding
• varied activities
• great game including lion, leopard and occasionally wild dog
• for extended stays, downstream is the smaller sister camp Old Mondoro, located in a lovely walking area of the park
• Maximum Number of Guests: 16

Accommodation:  Elaborate safari tents on wooden decks, with huge beds, roll top baths, his and hers washbasins, indoor and outdoor showers with timber verandahs under the shade of a grove of giant mahogany trees with fabulous views of the Zambezi. Elegant 'Out of Africa' explorer's atmosphere to the interiors, as featured in Conde Nast's House and Garden Magazine.

Best Time: May to October

Rates (in US Dollars):  from $650 to $1050 per person per night, no single supplement, discounted rates for children. Closed mid-November to mid-April.

Jackson Looseyia - Masai Guide - Kenya

BBC Big Cat Live Presenter, Rekero Camp, Masai Mara, Kenya

Jackson Looseyia is a Masai guide of international reputation and partner with Gerard Beaton at Rekero Camp in the Masai Mara. Jackson deserves mention here, the story of his life is fascinating.

Born in 1967 in the heart of the Masai Mara, Jackson grew up surrounded by wildlife and from an early age found it a source of inspiration. Tracking wild animals is in his blood - he comes from a long line of master hunters and trackers. Jackson’s father was a particularly famous hunter who clashed with the park authorities and actually ended up being imprisoned for eight years. On his release he became the archetypal poacher turned gamekeeper and was appointed head ranger in the Southern Mara. It was at this time that Jackson was trained in the ways of the wild – his father took him into the heart of the bush for six months solid training. During this time he was shown how to track dangerous animals such as lion and buffalo. The trip had dramatic consequences as during the adventure, Jackson’s father was attacked by a buffalo and had his right hand broken. This was when responsibility for the family was handed to Jackson.

The young man quickly rose to become one of the first Masai guides in the Mara and is now a partner in our favourite camp in the reserve, Rekero. Jackson has an intimate knowledge of all the wildlife in the Mara from the smallest insect to the largest predators, but the big cats are his particular favourites and it wasn't long before he was 'discovered' by the 'Big Cat Live' BBC team and was invited to join them as a new presenter. Jackson believes strongly in passing on knowledge to others. In his wildest dreams he could not have foreseen himself broadcasting on live television around the world, spreading his knowledge of the Mara to millions of people.

'Jackson Looseyia is a star simply because he doesn't try to be one. Being himself - knowledgeable, warm and movingly articulate - is more than enough' Michael Parkinson

Jackson is usually in residence at Rekero Camp although nothing can be guaranteed.

Tena Tena Camp - Boo's Best

South Luangwa National Park, Zambia

For many years Tena Tena was the flagship camp for Robin Pope Safaris and it is still one of the Luangwa's best camps, the tents are all secluded in quite thick vegetation between the main river course and a small lagoon behind camp. Robin Pope Safaris are the only operator in this section of the Park and so you are pretty much protected from encroachment and there is an undoubted feeling of exclusivity.

Like all the Pope camps in the area (Nkwali, Nsefu and Luangwa River Camp), here there is a sense of simplicity, and as one guest commented 'all you need and nothing you don't'. There is no unnecessary clutter - it gives an old fashioned safari feel - one where the focus is on the experience of the stay and not the decor of the camp.

Boo's Best because....

• traditional safari camp
• location is in a less busy part of the National Park, fewer vehicles
• great leopard viewing
• the waterhole in front of camp is highly productive
• walking and nightdrives are options
• Maximum Number of Guests: 10

Accommodation: 5 'suite' tents each with a veranda, dressing room and large open bathroom. The main area is a large canvas marquee placed between two mahogany trees.

Best Time: Late May to end of October (closed November to early May)

Rates (in US Dollars): from $605 to $705 per person per night including park fees. Closed November to May.

Namibia - a country unlike any other

Sera Cafema Camp, Namibia

A country unlike any other. Namibia, 'Africa's harsh paradise', is a land of intense natural beauty, from the famous red dunes scenery of the Namib Desert, to the wild unforgiving Skeleton Coast, not to mention the wall to wall wildlife of the endless white plains of Etosha - one of the finest and largest game parks in Africa. Remarkably the desert too is alive with an unimaginable variety of flora and fauna which is able to survive on moisture derived from coastal fog and humidity. Desert adapted lion, rhino and elephant are unique to the region.



Visitors leave Namibia awe-struck. It is the combination of the grand scale of the scenery, the feeling of unconfined space, the incredible geological formations, the wild coastline, the desert game & endemic birdlife and the authentic nomadic Himba tribe, it is no wonder that Namibia draws an increasing number of visitors from all over the world who come to marvel at the country's compelling beauty. Namibia enjoys abundant sunshine and a year round safari season.


 The Fort, Onguma