Horse riding safari in Botswana's Okavango Delta

Fly into Maun from Johannesburg or Cape Town on either Air Botswana or SA Airlink (SAA). There are daily flights by both airlines.Guest will arrive at Maun and will be met by their guide or transfer driver where they will first be offered a light lunch and refreshments at the Jiko Airport Café where the guests can also change into their riding gear (so we suggest it is easily accessible out of their luggage). Once it has cooled down (approx. 3pm) the guests will be driven to the Xaraxao Buffalo Fence (approx. 35 min drive) on the edge of the Okavango Delta where the horses will tacked up and waiting. From here the guests will then take a short afternoon ride into camp. Your luggage will be loaded onto mokoros (local canoes) and transported there to meet you.

There is no set itinerary, with the location of the camp dependent on water levels, wildlife movements and the length of the safari (the longer the safari the more likely the camp is to move). However every location is exquisite, there being a plentiful choice of shady tree-lined islands. A typical day starts with an early wake-up call and a light breakfast around the camp fire as dawn breaks. The morning is spent on horseback, following ancient elephant trails, searching for a variety of wildlife, enjoying the prolific birdlife, and cantering through the recently flooded plains.

Herds of buffalo may be in the vicinity, giraffes often saunter by and red lechwe splash through the water alongside, whilst kudu peer out from the thickets.

No vehicles are involved, and this, along with our working in partnership with the local community, guarantees a genuinely environmentally-friendly safari. Exploring this water wilderness on horseback is absolutely exhilarating, in particular a first encounter with elephants – an experience very different from viewing them from a vehicle. Before the sun sets we ride into a secluded camp on a beautiful, remote island.

We return to camp for lunch and siesta in the dense shade of the giant jackalberry or leadwood trees. A meditative evening ride is spent listening to the sounds of the bush and the snorting and splashing of the horses, before returning to camp for dinner under the stars.

Occasionally guests (and horses) may need to rest, which is the perfect opportunity for a tranquil ride in a mokoro, the traditional way of traversing the glittering, lily-lined lagoons and waterways. It is a chance too, to venture out on foot to appreciate the smaller creatures that inhabit the bush – or to learn some rudimentary tracking skills.

No two days are the same, but every day is astonishing and joyous, and it is a privilege to share this unique and untouched wilderness with you.

Departure day is a slightly later start with a cooked breakfast and a leisurely ride out of camp back to the Buffalo Fence where the transfer vehicle will meet the guests and drive them back to Maun for their onward journeys. Guests can once again change out of their riding gear at the Jiko Airport Café.