Join Hadley Fox from Equitours on a return ride in one of our favorite places: the Masai Mara, a place of unique natural beauty and biodiversity of wildlife
Day 1, December 28, 2025
We have arrived in the Masai Mara in Kenya. It has been a rainy day (our small plane into the bush had to divert to another airstrip, where we waited more than two hours for skies to clear enough for a safe landing in Mara North), which provided dramatic lighting for our introductory ride this afternoon. As we rode, we viewed giraffe, hyena, topi, jackal, Cape buffalo. After about an hour, we came upon a mother lion with 4 two year old cubs she is raising. As we walked away, two of the boys perked up and started following us. Simon, our guide, told us they were pushing us around a corner into their third brother. Sure enough, that is exactly what happened. Simon had us stop and turn to face them periodically, and he used his massive bullwhip to get their attention. They followed us for probably 30 minutes before we crossed a small river, and they melted into the background. Nothing like starting a riding safari with a little light lion stalking on day one! As I write this, I am lying in my tent, listening to hippo grunts in the river alongside our tent. Can’t wait to see what tomorrow holds!
Day 2, December 29, 2025
Another day in the Masai Mara. Today started out with an early morning ride before breakfast. We observed Cape buffalo, giraffe, zebra, warthog, a mother and baby topi , mother impala who looked a bit lost and confused (our guide reckoned that she had lost her baby), and then we found our hungry lion pride from the evening before. Only now they were no longer hungry! We found them on a kill, a topi, and from looking at it, Simon estimated it had been killed after midnight. Very fresh. After they left, we approached the carcass and watched the vultures and marabou stork cleaning up. After this, we came upon a baby lion cub who was lying down and would likely never get up again. Rangers told us the cub had broken a leg (likely an adult male lion being the cause) and would almost definitely die. An incredible morning observing the cycle of life— from the young baby topi to the forlorn mother impala to the satiated pride of young lions to the dying lion cub. We saw the rhythms of nature working from many different angles. I also took some photos of a baby zebra and its mother — I really love watching zebra. Seeing the herd interactions, the long legs of the babies (our guide told me this is so when a predator sees a dazzle of zebra, they won’t see a baby below its mother’s belly, it’s protective for the babies)— I just couldn’t get enough of them today!
Day 3, December 30, 2025
Today we moved camps, which was about a 15 mile ride, and we are camping up at our highest point of the trip on the escarpment. We had to cross the Mara River, avoiding the crocodiles and hippos that live there. There is a video of the river crossing— the crack you occasionally here is Simon’s bullwhip, putting the hippos on alert as we cross. You can see several of the hippo heads poking out of river.
We saw lovely herds of elephant this morning We didn’t get too close, as a cow widened her ears, flipped her trunk and stepped towards us. Simon told her, “I hear you loud and clear,” and we immediately stopped advancing. She had a little baby, about 2 months old, and we did not want to push her limits in any way when she was feeling protective.
Snaffles, a really neat horse I remember a friend rode on safari back in 2015, followed us loose today, and he seemed to love the freedom. As we neared the base of the escarpment to climb up, the rain rolled in, and the lighting became dramatic. The last person was just zipping her rain coat as the skies opened up. It has been years since I’ve been such intense rain. It was a DOWNPOUR. I had water above my ankle in one boot from falling rain and up to the ankle in the other one. It took about an hour to get to camp from where we were, and to give my entire group credit, there was no negative chatter. We were cold and wet, and the rain kept coming— it was not ideal, but everyone stayed positive. We took warm showers upon arrival and are now settled in our tents. Tomorrow we move camp again, so we will see another new side of this incredible conservancy.
Our horses. I am riding an Arab-cross named Nutella. She is my favorite horse I’ve ridden on a safari, and one of my top 5 I’ve ridden in the world. She is so perfect for me. When Simon, our outfitter, took me to her, he said, “she’s busy, she has a good walk, she’s a bit impatient— just don’t irritate her.” Me too, girl— I’m busy, I walk fast, and I don’t like to be irritated. The first time I mounted, she pulled a bit of a face, but she hasn’t done that since, so I like to think she is liking me too! I normally get cantering videos of my guests, but so far she’s been a bit too strong for me to ride one handed. Simon says I’ll be able to later in the week, that she’ll settle.
Richard is on Angel, who is, in fact, an angel for him. He’s been ponying Tristan, which is making him feel safer with all the wildlife and the faster canters. Angel is being an angel about this different role. Funnily enough, Tristan’s horse is dominant to Angel, so she regularly nips her and puts her in her place from behind. It’s amusing to watch.
Tristan is riding Pauline, a sweet mare who was ridden by our friend on our last safari. I loved her look then, and I love her even more now — she is being so good to him. Tristan was nervous before he rode Pauline the first time, naturally, and I was able to tell him quite honestly that I’ve known this mare longer than I’ve known him! That made him feel better. The canters have gotten longer and faster as the week has gone on, and he’s feeling so confident.
We are so grateful to these incredible horses for keeping us safe during unpredictable moments, giving us exhilarating canters, allowing us to view the wildlife in close proximity, and being so sweet when we handle them on the ground.
Day 5, January 1, 2026
For New Year’s Eve, we took a game drive at sunset to view lions and then elephants. It was incredible how close we were and how relaxed the animals remained. We had champagne and toasted endings and beginnings, old friends and new.
I had two conversations yesterday about the Chinese calendar and how we are moving from the year of the snake, which is about shedding what doesn’t serve you, accepting the change of transformation, and moving into the year of the horse, which is all about forward movement and clear-eyed purpose. When two separate people told me about this, I decided this was a message the universe particularly wanted me to hear. How fitting it is to be on horseback on the new year when we are moving into the year of the horse at the end of the month.
I think everyone here with us feels the significance of this trip—the beauty of east Africa, the noble bearing of the game in the wild, the connection with our horses, the physical tiredness we feel after riding all day and using our bodies well— we are all challenging ourselves, which is a powerful way to end one year and start another.
After our game drive we had a long dinner and stayed up past midnight with our friends. Richard and I haven’t been up for midnight on New Year’s Eve since Tristan was born. There was so much laughter, many stories, and a group rendition of auld lang syne.
Day 6, January 2, 2026
Yesterday we had a morning ride and came back to our same camp for lunch. Tristan and Richard went on a game drive with our friend Tanna while we rode, and they saw a leopard, her cub, and a cheetah. Very exciting morning for them! After lunch the rest of us went on a game drive to look for wildlife. We found the leopard in her tree, but no baby and no cheetah. How incredible to see such a majestic cat asleep in a tree, her body as relaxed as a draped noodle through the branches.
We then went on an evening ride to a beautiful acacia tree, where we met the Land Rovers. We dismounted for sundowners and the talented staff leapt on our horses and rode them back to camp, so we could enjoy sunset and drive back in the vehicles in the dark. What a way to end the day!
Today after a long morning ride, we returned to camp for a late lunch, shower, and siesta. We then loaded up into the Land Rovers and headed out for a game drive to see cheetah, observe a baboon troop, drive through a Cape buffalo herd with egrets perching upon them, and watch the playful black-faced monkeys.
There are only 40 cheetah left in the Mara— they require so much space to hunt that the encroachment of humans has not been kind to them the past decades. As solitary cats, the females raise their babies alone, and 90% of babies die before 3 months of age, primarily due to lions and hyenas. What spectacular animals— their speed, their lean bodies, their unique coats, their tear stained eyes. They are the smallest of the big cats, and they have few defenses, which makes them vulnerable to lions and leopards. They also have to eat frequently, given their slim frames and ability to run 75 mph, which also makes survival challenging.
The baboons were hysterical to watch. The female in the photograph was meticulously grooming the baby in her arms. Then this male walked over and plopped down in front of her asking for attention. The baby scampered off, and she started inspecting her own fur, doing anything she could to avoid giving the male the time of day. She ignored him for a solid 15 minutes, just made him beg for her attention!
The Cape buffalo and their egret friends were very charming to watch. As Daisy, one of our guides, told us— some people consider the egret the real king of Africa because it gets to ride around on the mighty Cape buffalo!
Day 7, January 3, 2026
Today was our longest day— almost 30 miles! On our first leg we found a lion and lioness on honeymoon. They leave the pride and copulate about once every 20 minutes for four days before rejoining. What an incredible event to witness! The statistic is that two lions mate 1000 times to get one male lion cub to adulthood. Extraordinary. We stopped for breakfast, rode another couple hours over short grass and smooth ground (so much cantering!), and then stopped for lunch at my favorite spot thus far for a barbecue and a variety of salads.
Day 8, January 4, 2026
After our long day, we arrived at our final camp for our last night of safari. About half of us decided to go on a sunrise ride the next morning before our plane ride to Deloraine, where we are all spending a few days. After running with the giraffe, we were able to get quite close to three bull elephant. It was a bright, sunny day, which made it a much more relaxing 30 minute flight to Deloraine. Our departure flight to the Mara was on a cloudy, rainy day, so we had to land at a different airstrip for a couple hours to wait for things to clear enough to finish our flight to Mara North. So this one felt like a breeze!
Day 9, January 5, 2026
It is so special to be back at Deloraine! This was where Richard and I met, and we’ve had good laughs with our group, reenacting our first conversation on the couch in the sitting room. The landscape is very different here, so we are all enjoying riding through ancient forest, climbing a volcano to find expansive views of the Rift Valley, exploring the various corners of the estate from horseback. This is where the horses live when they are not on safari, and what an idyllic home it is for them. It was such fun to welcome the lorry back and to see our hard-working safari horses turned out on pasture for a rest.
We arrived, got settled in our rooms, and then went out for an evening ride. Tristan is riding Bardomat, who has been mostly retired from safaris now. Bardomat is all business, has a serious walk, and I just love his character and head carriage. Tristan is enjoying riding independently again. This morning took us on a longer ride, after which we had lunch by the pool.
In the evening, people had the opportunity to try their hands at polo and also to try riding side saddle. I had never ridden side saddle before, and I was excited to see what it was like. I was surprised how similar the balance was to regular riding— I found it an easier transition than I thought it would be. Before sunset, Bertie, the British gap year student who was on safari with us and has also come to Deloraine with us, led us through a game of croquet. Tristan loved it and thinks we need a new evening lawn sport at the ranch!
Day 10, January 6, 2026
Cindy Voorspuy, one of the most remarkable horsewomen I know, took us this morning on a ride to a striking gorge. Then we continued onto a dam, where abundant birdlife congregates. We saw pelicans and crowned cranes, which are my favorite birds I’ve seen. They are so festive! At the dam, we took our horses out deep into the water. One person swam, but the rest of us enjoyed the splashing and marching through the water. So many fun things to do on horseback! Richard’s horse plunged into a deep spot, and the two very nearly submerged. We returned to Deloraine for another delicious lunch by the pool.
On our final evening at Deloraine we went on a walk to visit the foals and the numerous vegetable gardens. Avocado trees, a variety of lettuce types, bell peppers, fennel, asparagus and so much more. I’m not in Wyoming anymore! We then returned to the house, where Cindy taught Tristan to play fireball football. They were kicking around flaming orbs! She is now his fairy godmother. Finally, Tristan had the sweet border terrier puppy in his lap, which made going to sleep oh so hard. So glad we have a final ride in the morning and lunch here before departure!
Day 11, January 7, 2026
My last morning at Deloraine started with a beautiful view of the rising sun from the balcony outside my room, followed by an early morning run up the airstrip , then a final ride with lovely cantering around their exercise track.
