Horse Riding Holidays Botswana

Why choose a Horse Riding Holidays in Botswana? Botswana is one of my personal favourite countries to go on a horse riding safari. Unspoilt, largely unfenced, it remains one of the few countries where the game roams wildly across massive areas. There is lots of big game in Botswana and it is definitely the country where I have seen the biggest herds of Elephants, Giraffe and Buffalo together making for spectacular viewing.

There are three areas you can take a horse riding holiday in Botswana:

The Okavango Delta

For many the Okavango Delta is the dream destination. Covering 17,000 km sq, the Okavango is the largest inland delta in the world, a mix of labyrinth channels, palm fringed islands and fertile floodplains. Trapped in the parched sands of the Kalahari Desert, it is a magnet for the wildlife that depend on the delta’s life giving waters. More than 400 species of resident and migrant birds, lions, elephant, hyenas, wild dog, buffalo, hippo and crocodiles congregate with a variety of antelope and smaller animals – warthog, mongoose, genets, monkeys and bush babies to name a few. The water comes in seasonally from Angola so water levels vary with highest water levels (lots of swimming with horses) being in May and lowest tends to be in December. We work with two fixed camps and one mobile camp in the Okavango Delta, the fixed camps being accessible by private plane or helicopter which is part of the adventure. The fixed camps are open camps with animals wandering freely around and all offer superb horses, fantastic forward going riding in big game country and luxurious tents on teak platforms with excellent food. Each fixed camp only has six tents so this is a very personal experience. The mobile camp is using a frame tents which are transported by mules or boats depending on the season to a different location each day…it’s a real adventure. We have holidayed at all three camps so are delighted to chat to you about each wonderful experience.

The Makgadikgadi Pans

The Makgadikgadi Pans lie southeast of the Okavango Delta and are surrounded by the Kalahari Desert. It is one of the largest salt flats in the world. This is a fascinating area to ride horses in with luxury mobile camps and a night out sleeping under the stars in the desert for something different. Here you will find the 2nd largest migration of Zebra and Wildebeest in the world (after the Masai Mara, Kenya) normally during the early months of the year which is a brilliant and unique time to visit. This safari is a wonderful option to combine with the Delta or Tuli block we think.

The Tuli Block

In the South East, the Tuli Block is more easily accessible (you can get here by a 4 hour road transfer from Johannesburg). It is a dry area quite different in landscape from the Delta with river beds and trees. There is plenty of game here and particularly lots of Elephants. You have a chance of probably getting closer to game as they are a bit more habituated to humans/horses. The accommodation is more basic with dome tents and camps beds; this and the relative accessibility make the Tuli safari a well-priced big game safari.

In summary a horse riding holiday in Botswana is one of the ultimate safari trips you can do. You do need to be a good rider if you want to ride in this area of wilderness but for non-riders, our camps cater fantastically for them. Although mostly it is adults who holiday in Botswana, adventurous families can book out camps and I personally have brought my children on a horse riding holiday in Botswana when the youngest was only 5 years old. The teenagers rode, my non riding husband viewed game on boats and jeep with the 5 year old. The holiday is still cited in our family as the best ever!

Please email or call myself or Jill if you want more insight into selecting a horse riding holiday in Botswana as we’d love to make sure you pick your perfect holiday.

~ Zara