We GUARANTEE you won't find the same horse riding holiday at a lower price through any other source... and if you do, we promise to refund the difference!
from £2,450 or €2,780
Suitable for intermediate plus to experienced riders who are confident and secure in the saddle at all paces as you are riding in areas of big dangerous game.
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Rates are quoted per person sharing.
Single Supplement - if you are willing to share with same sex, there is no single supplement, otherwise 25% applies in low season and 35% applies for other seasons.
There is a Tuli safari running every week Saturday – Saturday.
Note: Rates are subject to daily exchange rate fluctuations, please refer to our ‘Terms & Conditions’ for full details.
Includes – All the riding, full board including drinks & alcohol, plus other activities like bush walks & drives.
Excludes – $70 conservation levy payable on site, Flights, transfers and tips.
How To Get There
International flight to Johannesburg.
Transfer
A charter plane from Johannesburg airport is available for the Tuli safaris. The charge is £780 return or £390 one-way.
Road transfers take 6 hours and are also an option, the cost is £553 for a saloon car (1-3 people) and £672 minibus (4-8 people) each way.
You flight should arrive no later than 7am at Johannesburg airport and leave after 9pm on day of departure.
All our horse riding holidays hold a price guarantee. We believe in your piece of mind on price when you book one of our horse riding holidays and will refund the difference should you find the same horse riding holiday elsewhere at a lower price.
An exciting safari with lots of big game and herds on well-schooled horses makes this a riding holiday of a lifetime. Former Horse & Hound Editor, Lucy Higginson says ‘best mannered horses I’ve met on a riding safari’.
Tuli Safaris are a fantastic wilderness riding safari destination in Botswana, owned by long time safari operators Laura and Shane Dowinton. The safari operation is managed by a fantastic long serving team of guides and camp crew who go out of their way to ensure clients have the very best time. These safaris offer fantastic horses, a top class riding experience on well schooled horses. The riding safari operates from the Mashatu Game Reserve which is located in the Northern Tuli Game Reserve on the eastern tip of Botswana. Mashatu is 30,000 hectares within a greater area of 70,000 hectares.
Tuli Safaris are well known for great herds of elephants, 800 just on Mashatu, as well as numerous cats, including leopards, lions, cheetahs, African wild cat and some cerval.
The Tuli block itself is known as ‘The Land of the Giants’, because of the magnificent Baobab tree, huge sandstone outcrops, and magnificent plains and of course the Mashatus trees, prevalent along the great Limpopo River.
This area is perfect for exciting horse riding, good going with natural ditches and logs to jump, regular game sightings not only of the elephants and cats but also of antelopes, wild dogs, jackals, bat eared foxes, giraffe and the thrill of fast canters with herds of zebra and wildebeest across the plains.
Tuli Safaris are tented and partially mobile, giving you a proper bush experience.
Horses – A good mix including Boerperd, Basuto, S.A.Warmbloods, Shire x Thoroughbreds, Friesan & Appaloosa Crosses.
Level of Riding & Pace – Intermediate to Advanced. Guests are riding in wild game country and need to be able to sit tight.
Tack – South African stock saddles similar to endurance saddles.
Weight Restriction – 16 Stone / 102 kg / 224 lbs.
Group Size – Maximum 8
TWO MASHATUS
Nestled in the shade of two large Mashatu trees, the heart of the camp has two traditionally built Lala Palm rondavels for dining and lounge areas.
Guest accommodation is in large A-frame walk-in tents set on teak platforms each with en-suite bathrooms. Each tent is private and positioned in the shade of a tree in the bush, not far from the main area. Each tent has a small deck area in front where guests can relax privately during the afternoons.
Two Mashatu also has a small swimming pool under a Mashatu tree for guests to enjoy.
TREE CAMP
This is a very unique camp; any childhood dream of sleeping up in the arms of a tree, will be completely fulfilled here. Nestled in the bough of a giant Mashatu tree and two ancient Leadwood trees, this Seligna deck, 4 metres off the ground, will be your retreat for the night.
Two guests each share an airy and cool sleeping pod. Along a short walkway, shared showers and toilets are under the Leadwood trees.
The spacious dining and lounge area flow from the sleeping pods and overlook the Majale River. This truly extraordinary camp is one that will be remembered and spoken about for years to come.
KGOTLA
The ‘Kgotla’ is an old traditional court enclosure from a nearby community, which was relocated to the banks of the Motloutse River on the western periphery of Mashatu. This open-air enclosure, made of Leadwood logs, provides a secure location for a camp.
The camp has hot running water, beautiful open-air showers and flushing toilets: the perfect combination for comfort and an authentic bush experience. Guests sleep on single beds around a large log fire in the centre of the enclosure.
The highlight of this camp to guests is sleeping in the open under the stars and listening to the resonance of an Africa evening.
Tulis Safari
Meet your guide at the border. Short transfer to the reception area overlooking the Limpopo river, in time for a light lunch. Enjoy an introductory ride to check you are suited to your horse, before embarking on your first ride out to our Two Mashatus Camp. This will be your first opportunity to experience the beauty of the Mashatu Game Reserve and view the wildlife on horseback. Mashatu Game Reserve is home to the largest herd of wild free-roaming elephants on private land in Africa, and, although not a guarantee, it is almost assured that there will be great viewing of these incredible creatures. As evening falls at Two Mashatu Camp, relax in the cool of the thatched rondavel lounge and dining areas, before enjoying a three-course dinner and getting to know your fellow adventurers for the next seven days.
Sunrise, the dawn chorus and tea or coffee which is brought to your tent, sounds the start of your first day. After breakfast, it’s time to mount and depart from the dense woodland that hugs the Limpopo River, and head towards the rocky hills that delineate the edges of the great river valley. As the ride traverses the heartland of Mashatu, you will encounter plentiful game: plains game, many giraffe and herd of elephants.
Having meandered across the hills with vast views back towards South Africa, the ride arrives at Tree Camp in time for lunch. Overlooking the Majale river, it is possible to watch the wildlife from above, coming down to drink at the river.
That afternoon choose a ride or enjoy your first bush walk exploring the area along the West of the Matabole River returning to Tree Camp for sundowners.
The safari passes through the centre of Mashatu to the ancient rock formations synonymous with the Limpopo Valley. Giant Baobab trees continue to scatter the landscape as they have for centuries and ancient elephant trails make for wonderful tracks for long canters through open bush veld. Whilst riding alongside the banks of the Motloutse River, discover the old Leadwood ‘Kgotla’ (or enclosure used for the traditional law court of a Botswana village). This open-air enclosure forms the perfect, secure camp for the night.
In the afternoon, we search for the area’s resident lions on a game drive and draw the day’s adventures to a close with sundowners at the ancient “Amphitheatre” rocks. Back at the Kgotla, dinner is enjoyed around a large log fire. The night is spent with a ceiling of stars and Africa’s night-time melody to sing you to sleep; a veraciously rare experience which is just about as far away from city life and the modern world as anyone can imagine.
The sandstone formations, including the famed Solomon’s Wall, one of the numerous dolorite dykes in the area, are explored on horseback. Some of the oldest civilisations in southern Africa settled in this valley. Archaeological evidence in the area includes middle and late stone age tools, rock art and the legendary Mapungubwe Dynasty. Mapungubwe means “Place of the Jackal” in the Venda language and this dynasty existed around 1220 AD. The Mapungubwe topography itself is ancient and timeless, and combined with marvellous wildlife sightings, it makes for an incredible riding experience. This afternoon enjoy a short drive to the Mmamagwa Hills.
For the most visually stunning and ethereal sundowner, we visit the Mmamagwa Hills. A short climb up the sandstone ridge, brings us to the site of the Mmamagwa Ruins, which is of a similar period to Mapungubwe (13 century). To date these ruins have not been excavated and have been left alone. It is conceivable that similar treasures to those found at Mapungubwe (for example the golden rhino) could be buried here. After a short climb, enjoy sundowners beneath a beautiful baobab tree with a breath-taking view of the area.
Wind up Elephant Valley along ancient trails stamped into the soil by centuries of migrating elephants, before heading north towards upper reaches of the Majale River.
This area is peppered with enormous baobab trees and is one of the more remote areas of the reserve.
After an exhilarating ride through this timeless countryside, enjoy a relaxing lunch at Tree Camp.
An afternoon ride or, subject to availability, a game drive with Mashatu Main Camp vehicles may be possible to enjoy the central area of the reserve (additional cost $75 pp). This is a great chance to photograph big cats and hyena up close.
Today’s riding promises great game viewing from horseback as we explore the Pitsane River Valley. Drinking holes, dug by elephants along the course of the Pitsane, attract thirsty herds of game. An area, where history has it, there was a skirmish during the Boer war which destroyed Bryce’s Store, an old British supply post.
There was a stagecoach line, called Zeederberg’s, that ran from the towns of the Transvaal in South Africa to the newly forged settlements of Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe. Those coaches crossed the broad Limpopo and followed the Pitsane River into Zimbabwe.
The ride returns to the Two Mashatu Camp in time for lunch and a cooling swim in the pool. A guided bush walk to one of the nearby koppies for sundowners is the afternoon excursion.
Our ride today meanders its way through the beautiful plains between the Majale and Pitsane rivers, with abundant game and spectacular views into the Limpopo River Valley.
En route, we explore the remains of an old Boer War fort on a rocky outcrop, followed by a ride down into the cooler wetland area where plentiful game enjoy the lush grasses.
In the summer months, rain and water dependent, it can be possible to enjoy cantering through the shallows of the Limpopo River. There is time to relax in camp, before either an afternoon ride or bush walk for your last African sundowner.
The last ride in the Limpopo Valley is a great opportunity to take one last picture of elephants and enjoy a long and winding canter through the scattered Mustard bush with your guides.
Arriving back at the stables and reception mid-morning, there is plenty of time for a hot shower and a tasty brunch, before saying farewell to safari companions, new found friends and Horizon Horseback Mashatu.
Zara’s Planet Horse Riding Holidays Guarantee:
All our horse riding holidays hold a price guarantee. We believe in your piece of mind on price when you book one of our horse riding holidays and will refund the difference should you find the same horse riding holiday elsewhere at a lower price.
If you are having trouble finding exactly the right horse riding holiday for you from our horse riding holidays collection, please contact us directly using the form below and tell us in your own words what you would like to do and we will use our extensive knowledge to make sure we find that perfect horse riding holiday.
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