Day 1
Riding: No riding.
Arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport, where you will be collected and driven c. 40mins to your lodge hotel where you will be accommodated for the night. You will have a chance to settle into your new surroundings and meet the other guests that are participating in the safari. The lead guide will join you for dinner and briefly introduce the itinerary for the next few days as well as answering any questions you may have.
Day 2
Riding: 4 - 5 hours
After a big breakfast, you will set off at around 11am for the 20 minute drive to Arusha National Park's gate. Here the horses will be waiting for you and you set off riding into one of the most beautiful parks in East Africa. The vegetation will change dramatically from open grassland to rainforest. There are good opportunities to see elephant, buffalo, plains game, leopard and rarer species such as Suni, Red Duiker and the magnificent Hartlaub's turaco.
There is a magical feeling as you enter into the big canopy forests. Lunch will be taken along the route and there is time for a short siesta, after which your ride continues through leopard country and on towards your night stop, passing by Margarete Trappe's old house. This legendary lady is known and remembered 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 adventures of 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 wild beasts as though they were tame." These are some of the tales about Margarete whose old riding paths your horse safari follows through the park's holy forests.
You will arrive at camp, situated at the foot of Mt Meru, in time for showers, sundowners and dinner under the stars.
Day 3
Riding: 4 - 6 hours
After being woken by the talkative Colobus monkey, you have breakfast and set out riding towards the area where the film Hatari, staring John Wayne, was filmed. Halfway through your morning ride you start ascending to a viewpoint - sometimes on horseback and sometimes on foot - if the weather is clear, you should be able to see Mount Kilimanjaro. The last, steepest part of the climb is done in a vehicle and you'll drive past Fig Tree Arch - a massive arch of fig trees which is large enough to stand underneath. Continue to lunch which is beautifully located in the rainforest next to a waterfall at 2,000m.
After lunch, you head back to the horses remount and ride towards camp. At camp there is the option to jump into the vehicles to go and visit Momella lakes where you may see hippo and water birds or relax in camp. Have sundowners beside the lake and head back to camp for dinner.
Day 4
Riding: 4 - 5 hours
Today you will wake with the sun and enjoy a tasty breakfast in camp. Today you head out of Arusha in a vehicle - the drive takes about 2-3 hours and leaves Mt Meru behind you as you head eastwards towards Mt Kilimanjaro. Late morning you are reunited with your horses in the bush and set off riding through typical Tanzanian farmland in the famed Maasai steppe. There will be many cultural interactions along the way. Your lunch will be served under the shade of a large acacia tree, sometimes near the dam where the Maasai herdsmen water their cattle - also an opportunity for the horses to have a drink. You will have a good 3 hour stop for lunch, with time to enjoy a siesta and regain some strength. The afternoon continues across open plains, ensuring you reach your overnight stop before the sun hits the horizon.
Day 5
Riding: 4 - 6 hours
An early wake up call will be followed by a tasty English breakfast which will set you up well for the day ahead. The safari will begin by heading out towards the Seven Sisters hill range, so called because of the seven prominent peaks. Riding over the seven hills, you continue to reach your lunch spot, under the shade of another delightful, large tree. The terrain in this area varies dramatically from open green grassland to beautiful canopy forests. This day of riding offers great chances of spotting plains game such as zebras, giraffes and wildebeests, but most importantly the shy antelope - the "Gerenuk". Tonight is spent at an astonishing location which, on a clear night, will allow you to experience the feeling of being watched over by the four powerful mountains, Mt Meru, Namanga, Longido and the most legendary of all, Mt Kilimanjaro.
Day 6
Riding: 4 - 6 hours
Another early wake up with coffee and tea before a delicious bush breakfast is served. Today will be spent tracking the largest land-living mammal in Africa - the elephant! The terrain differs significantly from that of the previous day, with thick scrublands and acacia woodland. Today you will return to camp for lunch and then head out for another ride in the afternoon. Before sunset you return to camp to enjoy another night in this remote and remarkable place.
Day 7
Riding: 5 - 6 hours
You will wake with the sun and enjoy another early start to your riding day, in order to make the most of the cooler early hours. Hopefully you'll have good luck tracking and get the chance to see lions, elephants or the very shy lesser kudu. Your camp will be the same as the previous night, overlooking the pans with its plains game on constant alert for predators. Hopefully the night will be clear, as apart from the view of the beautiful mountains in this area, the African night sky is a breath-taking sight.
Day 8
Riding: No riding.
A more leisurely morning as you enjoy a large breakfast and then pack your belongings for the transfer back to the airport (c. 3 hours drive). If your departure flight is late, then we can arrange a day room at a lodge for you at extra cost - please enquire.
Note: The itinerary is subject to change, without prior notification, at the discretion of your hosts and guides.
Note: All programmes and itineraries are weather dependent; in the face of adverse, or unexpected, weather conditions reasonable attempts will be made to provide equivalent riding. All programmes are accurate at the time of writing. However, the team may adapt or modify details, whilst aiming to provide a similar experience.
