Horseback Riding in Tanzania

Kilimanjaro Ride

Overview

This horseback riding vacation in Tanzania ventures into prime elephant habitat, allowing you to and experience the excitement of horseback riding among these magnificent creatures. You have opportunities to view all the exciting wildlife Africa has to offer, and also interact with the local Masai people.

You’ll be off the beaten path, away from crowds and engines, where you can explore Africa in the shadows of the snowy peaks of Mt Kilimanjaro. This is a true and traditional mobile horse safari, where you cover great distances by horseback.

Six nights in fly camp with en suite bush toilets and hot bucket showers. One night at a lodge near Arusha.

The food is of high standard, with professionally trained bush chefs. It is good wholesome home cooking.

  • Overview:
    The horses are all purpose trained safari horses, with a mix of local breeds and thoroughbreds. All horses are given lots of love, care and attention, resulting in good characters and strong personalities, which allows a perfect fit with each rider. English saddles and cavalry saddles are available, and all the horses go in snaffle bridles.
  • Horse Breeds:
    Thoroughbred crosses
  • Trip Pace:
    Challenging
  • Tack:
    English saddles and calvary saddles
  • Weight limit:
    90 kg / 198 lb

Kilimanjaro Airport

Trip Itinerary

Day 1

Arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport where you will be picked up by your outfitter and driven about 40 minutes to a comfortable lodge. The day ends with dinner when the safari briefing takes place to prepare everyone for the next day’s adventure.

Day 2

Wake up with tea and coffee, and breakfast is made to order. At around 11am, drive for about twenty minutes to Arusha National Park gate. Here the horses will be waiting, ready to be mounted and ridden into one the most beautiful parks in East Africa. Here the vegetation will change dramatically from bush and open grassland to rain forest. You’ll ride by giraffe, zebra, waterbuck and baboons, and if you’re lucy you might spot elephant and buffalo as well as unusual forest species such as Bushback Suni, Red Duiker, the magnificent Hartlaub’s turaco and so much more.. Lunch is on route, with time for a short siesta. After lunch the ride continues through leopard country and you’ll pass by Margarete Trappe’s former home. This legendary lady known as the Iron Lady from the First World War: “If, as children, we were thrilled by Buffalo Bill we should have been still more spellbound by Mrs. Trappe’s adventures, the fearless woman with her two legendary horses, Comet and Diamond, and her two inseparable Alsatians. Like a phantom she would suddenly appear, like a phantom she would vanish; as intimate with the wild beasts as though they were tame.” There are many tales about this historical figure, whose riding paths the safari will follow through the park forests. In the afternoon you’ll arrive at camp, which is based on the foot of Mt. Meru, in time for shows and sundowners, then dinner under the stars.

Day 3

This morning you may wake up to the very talkative Colobus monkeys. Breakfast is served and shortly thereafter you’ll mount up set off toward the area where“Hatari,” was filmed, starring John Wayne. Thereafter halfway into the morning ride you’ll start the climb to reach the “Fig Tree Arch,” big enough to fit five horses underneath. The ride continues until you reach the lunch spot, beautifully located in the rain forest next to a waterfall. You’ve reached about 2,000 meters above sea level. After lunch you’ll head back toward camp, passing another waterfall en route. Upon arrival back at camp you will have the option to travel by vehicle to the Momella Lakes, to look for hippos, flamingos and many other and beautiful water birds. Sundowners at the lakes before heading back to camp for showers and dinner.

Day 4

Wake up with the sun and enjoy a big breakfast before mounting up to ride out of the park. You’ll go eastbound, toward Mount Kilimanjaro and leaving Mount Meru behind. Today’s ride is a long one, through Tanzanian farmland and Masai Steppe, with scenic sights and cultural interactions as you go. You’ll make use of the cooler hours in the morning and try to cover as much ground as possible, before lunch is served under a big acacia, sometimes near a dam where the Masai water their cattle and you your horses. You’ll have a nice break with plenty of time for a siesta before the afternoon ride through wildlife areas, across open plains to reach your night stop before the sun reaches the horizon.

Day 5

Wake up calls followed by an English breakfast. Everyone mounts up as today is another moving day, and directions are taken towards the Kenyan border. After having crossed the seven hills (seven sisters) we continue towards lunch, served somewhere under a shady tree. The terrain varies from opened grassland to beautiful canopy forests. The day offers good chance of seeing plains game such as zebras, giraffes, elephants, and wildebeests but most important is the presence of the shy antelope, the Gerenuk that we will keep an eye for as we ride along. The night is spent at a new location, hopefully the night is clear, and you will get the feeling being watched by four powerful mountains, Mt Meru, Namanga, Longido and the most legendary of all, Mt Kilimanjaro.

Day 6

Early wake up with coffee and tea before breakfast is served. The day might be spent tracking the biggest landliving mammal, the elephants or jump the trees pushed over by them. The terrain differs from scrublands to acacia woodland to open dried out lake pans. Today we will return to camp for lunch and head out for another ride in the afternoon. Before sunset, return to camp to enjoy another night in this remote and remarkable place on earth.

Day 7

Wake up with the sun as this is the last full day of riding. You will make the most of it, exploring the area, hopefully have good luck tracking and get the chance to see lions, elephants maybe even the very shy lesser Kudu. The night will be spent in the same camp overlooking the pans with its plains game on constant alert for predators. Hopefully this night is clear, as apart from the view of the mountains within this area, the night sky is a mind-blowing site.

Day 8

The last morning has arisen and the safari has come to its end, enjoy a big breakfast before directions are taken towards civilization, depending on road conditions about 3 hours journey back to the airport. If you have a late departure we can add a day room option for you with advance notice.

Itinerary Addendum

The itinerary is flexible, and changes may occur at the guide's discretion based on unforeseen circumstances.

Trip Map

Trip Dates & Pricing

Departure Dates

Trip Starts
Trip Ends
Jun 1, 2024
Jun 8, 2024
Jun 15, 2024
Jun 22, 2024
Jun 29, 2024
Jul 6, 2024
Jul 13, 2024
Jul 20, 2024
Jul 27, 2024
Aug 3, 2024
Aug 10, 2024
Aug 17, 2024
Sep 4, 2024
Sep 11, 2024
Oct 2, 2024
Oct 9, 2024
Oct 30, 2024
Nov 6, 2024

Pricing & Options

  • Base Price
  • $6,550

  • Single Supplement
  • $560Not required if willing to share.
Additional Pricing Information:
A 50% deposit is required for this ride.


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Contact Megan Barrett

My horse had a good strong walk, was comfortable and fit: perfect. Long gallops were a blast. While camping, the Milky way overhead was a halo on our piece of heaven. I wouldn't change a single moment of our adventure.

George Richardson, 2014