Mel Fox recently returned from her seventh riding safari in Tanzania. Having been brought up on a farm at the foot of Kilimanjaro she speaks fluent Swahili and is very much at home here.

This time, because the rains had failed in some parts of the Serengeti, camps were set up in the south western section and the group was surrounded by the great herds of the wildebeest migration every day. There is northing more exhilarating than starting a canter and having numerous animals cut across in front of the horses.

Next up in October 2027 Mel will be returning to explore a new ride in Ruaha National Park, the land of the giants – elephants and baobabs.

Recommended extensions before or after a ride, where one can relax and unwind, are Mkomazi and Tarangire National Parks, both about a 3 hour drive from Kilimanjaro Airport.

Mkomazi is off the beaten tourist track, boasts a comfortable lodge with permanent tented accommodations and few other visitors. The bird life is spectacular, zebra, giraffe and buffalo are common and waterholes attract large herds of elephants. There is also a fenced rhino sactuary.

Tarangire has more tourist pressure, but the older lodge is in a spectacular location. Morning and evening game drives provide wonderful opportunity for bird enthusiasts. Elephant herds are constantly coming to water in the Tarangire river and there are numerous species of gazelle as well as small fry such as hyrax and mongooses, which are quite habituated.