Destinations
General information
Pre-safari preparation
Come horseback riding on one of the largest saltpans on earth, hidden within Botswana’s vast Kalahari Desert.
Your trip begins at Gweta, 200km to the East of Maun, the gateway to the Pans, where you will be transferred by 4x4 vehicle to the horses, which are based at the edge of the giant Ntwetwe Pans. This drive through the vast mopane forests and open grass plains brings you to the kraal where your guide and horses will be waiting for you to go out and get your first taste of one of the most spectacular places on earth. A bleached white expanse of salt pans, stretching as far as the eye can see, surrounded by endless grass plains and riverine tree lines, the Makgadikgadi Pans can only be described as magical.
The first evening ride takes you from the cattle post across the grass plains to the Pans as the sun sets upon your back. Head out further onto the pans under the moonlight where you will find Star’s Camp – a truly luxurious setting deep on the Pans with a bathroom offering hot showers and ‘the throne’, open-air bedrooms with everything from carpets, sumptuously cosy beds and bedside lanterns. You will enjoy a five-course dinner under the classic candle chandelier, with fine South African wines, and drinks around a roaring fire. The horses are there as well, spending the night grazing peacefully on the nearby grass island.
The next morning after breakfast continue exploring the Pans riding to the west of Star’s Camp and visit a sweet water seep where there are often herds of zebra and dozens of ostrich slacking their thirst amongst the resident herds of semi wild horses and cattle - Quite a sight to see!
You will return to Star’s Camp for lunch and a well-earned afternoon rest under the Bedouin awnings. There are also quad bikes, land yachts and power kites for those who wish to try out some other activities or perhaps a little polo-X for the riders. Much later in the afternoon you will head out on horseback to enjoy another wonderful meal under a clear sparkling African night sky.
Bright and early, after a wholesome breakfast you will get to spend the morning exploring the Pans and the ancient riverine tree lines to the east of camp, another area never visited by tourists and still totally untouched by any form of first world human influence. Have one final lookout for stone-age tools and flints on the Pans crusty surface, or try your hand at some cattle herding before bidding farewell and transferring back to Gweta and beyond.
The horses are of mixed local breeds, and are very easy going and simple to ride. Having been raised in the desert, they are hardy and fit. There is a lot of Arab and Warm Blood influence in the bloodlines and this makes them wonderful riding horses. As you will not riding in Big Game country, non-experienced riders are welcomed, as well as children (minimum age 8). For more experienced riders: the going is good and the wide-open pans allow guests to have some superb canters!! Whilst there is not the dubious pleasure of meeting lion on the rides, we often see zebra, ostrich, small plains game, elephant and interesting bird life, some of which is not found elsewhere.
There is a mixture of English and Western saddles so the choice is yours! The ride distances and pace are governed by your riding ability and fitness, but generally you will be in the saddle for approx 3 hours at a time. We attempt at all times to ensure that experienced and non-experienced riding groups are not mixed, unless of course you are all part of the same party. Our maximum number of riders is 6, excluding your guide. We also have no problem with accommodating non-riders as part of your group – they are most welcome to travel on our vehicles to get to camp/dinner spots, and we can arrange other activities such as quad bikes, power kites and land yachts for them.
As the Makgadikgadi Pans are only accessible in our winter months when there is no rain, you can do your trip anytime between April and October. The winters are comfortably warm and sunny in the day (averaging 24 deg C), but at night the temperatures drop dramatically in the desert (as low as -5 deg C). As this is a mobile camp, please keep your luggage to a minimum. We suggest you bring some seriously warm jackets, gloves etc for the evenings and early morning riding, sunscreen, and small cameras that are easy to ride with or slip into our saddlebags.
There is full radio back up to Gweta and all rides are conducted by a qualified guide with a hand held radio and GPS. Hard hats are also supplied.
Please make sure you all have valid medical insurance that covers you all for horse riding and any other extra activities you may be interested in. Please note we have a maximum weight limit of 95kg.
