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Masai Mara Riding Safari

Duration
8 Days
Price from
$11,227 pp.
Location
Masai Mara, Kenya
Offbeat safaris riding

Trip Highlights

  • Exhilarating horseback safaris
  • Guided game drives
  • Close wildlife encounters

What's Included

  • Guided horseback rides
  • Game drives
  • 7 nights accommodation

The Ultimate Riding Safari

This is Kenya at its most exhilarating. An unforgettable mobile safari on horseback, designed for experienced riders seeking a deeper, more immersive connection with the wild.

With the wind in your hair and the sun on your back, you'll ride across the legendary plains of the Masai Mara, surrounded by wildlife, free from the constraints of a vehicle.

Run by one of Africa's top riding outfitters, this is a true frontier-style journey. Days are spent riding alongside giraffe, buffalo, and zebra, with the chance to approach elephant and even big cats. It's the closest you can come to being part of the landscape. The experience of galloping alongside wildebeest or quietly tracking a herd through the grass is nothing short of extraordinary.

Our Kenya specialist, Otti, says:

"If you're a confident rider, this is one of the most extraordinary ways to experience Africa. The horses are superbly trained, and the team behind this safari are the best in the business. I used to work as a polo groom and have a lot of riding experience, and this trip is a dream holiday for me. You’ll cover huge ground, explore remote corners of the Mara, and end each day around the campfire. It’s a proper old-school safari, with all the thrill and none of the crowds."

Over the course of a week, you’ll ride from one side of the Masai Mara to the other, covering over 250km. The pace is varied, with plenty of long canters and time to pause and take in the views. Some terrain requires dismounting and walking, and lunch is usually a long, shaded affair under the trees before continuing on in the cooler hours of the afternoon.

Each night is spent in a traditional mobile camp that moves with the group, fully supported by a team travelling ahead by vehicle. The set-up is simple but extremely comfortable, with hot bucket showers, hearty meals, and a front-row seat to the African night. You’ll wake to the sounds of the bush, ready for another day in the saddle.

Whether you ride during the migration season from July to October or choose the quieter dry months between December and March, the wildlife is always spectacular, and the sense of freedom incomparable.

Who this trip is for: Experienced riders with a sense of adventure and a love of nature. You need to be confident at all paces and comfortable riding for 4–7 hours a day over varied terrain.

Trip Itinerary

Day 1 Arrival

Offbeat Day 1 166

This morning you will either be collected from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport or, if you have arrived earlier, from your Nairobi hotel and transferred to Wilson Airport for your one-hour flight departing at 10 am to Mara Naibosho. It is a beautiful flight passing over the fertile Kikuyu highlands before reaching the Great Rift Valley.

Flying across the volcano-studded floor of the Rift you will reach the Loita Hills and Naibosho airstrip by 11 am. Your guide will meet you and there will be an hour’s drive to camp. Our Olare Lamun camp is set in a grove of acacia trees near a small stream on the southern edge of the Loita plains. Olare Lamun translates to rhino salt lick in Maa. You will have time for lunch and a camp tour before your first evening ride.

Day 2 Olare Lamun Camp

Offbeat, cheetah, mara, kenya

After an early morning ride we will come back to camp for a light breakfast and then set out for a game drive and walk up the nearby hill, known as Oloiburmut. We will return to camp for lunch. There will be time for a siesta and at around 4 pm, we will head out to visit the local Masai village.

Day 3 The Big Ride

Day 4 Olare Orok

Day 5 Up the escarpment

Day 6 To Mara River Camp

Mara river, Riding, Kenya

This is our last moving day as we descend the escarpment and ride through the Triangle once more to the same wildebeest crossing on the river. We head in a northwesterly direction and after lunch, we find our final campsite set up on the banks of the Mara River. Close by, there are some hippo pools, and their grunting at night is a special feature of this camp.

Day 7 Enjoy Mara North

Day 8 End of the adventure

Ottilie
Speak to an expert
Ottilie

"I'm an experienced horse rider and Kenya specialist. Let me help you plan your dream riding safari!"

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or call 888 445-2912
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Duration

8 Days

Location

Masai Mara, Kenya

Price from

$11,227 pp.

Price Includes

  • Full board accommodation and laundry
  • All house drinks and food
  • All activities, riding, game drives, walks, night drives
  • All conservation fees, park fees, camping fees
  • Internal return domestic flights from Nairobi to the safari
  • Transfers associated with the safari (pick/drop in Nairobi)
  • Dayroom in Nairobi on the last day if required
  • Amref Flying Doctors membership (Air-Evac to Nairobi)

Price Excludes

  • Single Supplements: $100 per night (if not willing to share a tent)
  • Gratuities, other services, personal items, insurance

This price is based on two people sharing a tent on a set departure trip. There are set departure trips each month of the year, please enquire for more information.

Trips in Masai Mara

Masai Mara Trip Inspiration

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When to go to Kenya

Find out the best time to visit Kenya with our month by month guide.

  • Best
  • Good
  • Mixed
  • Jan
  • Feb
  • Mar
  • Apr
  • May
  • Jun
  • Jul
  • Aug
  • Sep
  • Oct
  • Nov
  • Dec

January

January is a great time for wildlife viewing. The landscapes are lush and green after the 'short rains' and newborn animals can been seen. It is hot, but brief afternoon or evening showers cool things down, without compromising your safari. Over on the coast the sea is clear, making it ideal for diving and snorkelling, and the days are warm and bright.

February

February is an ideal time to visit Kenya, and great for game viewing. The landscapes are green and thriving thanks to the short rains, and newborn animals will be hopping around the plains. There maybe a few afternoon showers which are welcome in the heat, and don't impact on wildlife viewing. Water clarify is excellent at the moment, which is good news for watersports enthusiasts. And if you want to spot a whale shark, now is the time to try.

March

Still a good option for wildlife viewing and diving, although with the 'long rains' just around the corner, expect wetter and hotter weather.

April

April brings the start of the 'long rains' which means game reserves and national parks become muddy and harder to drive around. Over on the coast it's hot and wet, so it isn't the best time of year to travel. Some camps and lodges close during this period.

May

The 'long rains' continue into May, making park tracks difficult to navigate in the mud, and the coast very warm and wet. There will be less accommodation choice at this time as several lodges and camps during this period.

June

June is a beautiful time of year to visit Kenya, with the rains receding to just light showers, and the long dry season not far ahead. The high grasses can sometimes make it more of a challenge to spot game, but the landscapes are lush and some animals may begin arriving early for the migration. At altitude nights can be cool, but elsewhere the temperature is pleasant.

July

July marks the beginning of the great migration into the Masai Mara, and with warm and generally dry weather, this is a great time of year to visit. Days are sunny, skies are blue and there isn't too much dust around, so it's a great time for photography.

August

The migration is now in full swing in the Masai Mara, with lots of river crossing action, so if you want to see those massive herds of wildebeest and zebra, now is the time to come. Game viewing in general is excellent and it's one of the most popular times of year to visit, so some of the main parks do become crowded. Temperatures are warm and dry.

September

Game viewing continues to be excellent, and the weather is generally dry so this is another ideal month to visit Kenya's parks. The bush is less dense and as animals gather around waterholes and rivers it makes wildlife spotting much easier.

October

October is a great time if you want to avoid the crowds and don't mind the temperature slowly starting to rise. There may be a few short showers, but game viewing remains excellent with the end of the migration, and it's a good time to holiday anywhere in Kenya.

November

November heralds the start of the 'short rains' and with hotter temperatures some camps are closed. The Mara however is still open, and despite sometimes stormy skies, game viewing is still good. Fewer crowds and lower prices make this an attractive month to visit. Over on the coast water clarify is good for snorkelling and diving.

December

The 'short rains' are bringing the landscapes back to life, and as the plains start to become green again, wildlife viewing remains good, and it's a great time for birding. Some camps are closed (mainly in the north of Kenya) but many others remain open. The showers tend to fall in the afternoons and don't impact greatly on a safari. Take advantage of reduced visitor numbers and lower prices.

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