SkySafari Kenya
Elewana's flagship Kenya flying safari, nine nights across Amboseli, the Loisaba Conservancy in Laikipia and the Maasai Mara, on SkySafari's own aircraft rather than scheduled flights.
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Experience
Horseback Safaris
Game at eye level and no engine noise. You get closer on a horse than in a vehicle, which is exactly the point.
At a glanceOn land
How longA morning, or a weekPoint to point
How hardActiveRiding fitness for game rides; led rides for beginners
SeasonDry monthsFor the long point-to-point rides
Zebra and giraffe do not read a horse as a threat, so they let you come close, and you are up at their level rather than looking through a window at knee height. It is the quietest safari there is.
The rides that work in Kenya are in the Chyulu Hills below Kilimanjaro, across the Laikipia plateau, and on Borana and Lewa. You go out in the cool, canter the open ground, walk the wooded bits, and come back to a camp that has been moved to meet you. Some of it is a morning out from a lodge; some of it is a week under canvas, riding point to point.
Guides carry the responsibility for what you meet, so they ask about your riding honestly, and you should answer the same way.
Good to know
- Most riding safaris expect a confident rider who can hold a canter and get out of trouble, because big game means the group must be able to move together. Lodges usually offer led rides for beginners instead.
- Camps publish a rider weight limit; it is about the horses, and it is not negotiable.
- Bring your own hat and half-chaps if you have them. Boots and hats are lent, but rarely in your size.
Rider weight limits, minimum ages and the ability standard each riding operation requires are set per camp and per route. We confirm what applies to your dates in writing before you pay anything.
Zebra and giraffe do not read a horse as a threat, so they let you come close.
Where to do it
Where we arrange horseback safaris
These itineraries already include it. Any of them can be rebuilt around your dates.
Beach & Bush with The Safari Collection
Twelve days across The Safari Collection's Kenya. Sasaab in Samburu, Solio's rhino country, Sala's Camp on the Mara's Sand River, the Diani sand at Kinondo Kwetu, and a last breakfast with the giraffes at Giraffe Manor.
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Lion King Adventure
A privately guided family week with The Safari Collection. Giraffes at breakfast in Nairobi, Borana's Pride Rock, camels and star beds in Samburu, and the Mara's resident lion pride at Sala's Camp.
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Questions we are actually asked
How good a rider do I need to be?
For a riding safari among big game, confident: able to hold a canter and get out of trouble, because the group has to be able to move together. Operators ask about your riding honestly and you should answer the same way, because this is the one place where over-claiming is dangerous.
Can beginners ride at all?
Yes, but not on a game ride. Lodges in Laikipia and the Chyulu Hills offer led rides out from camp, which is a lovely morning and a different thing from riding point to point through wildlife.
Is there a weight limit?
Every camp publishes one and none of them will bend it. It is about the horses rather than the rider, and it is worth checking before you plan a trip around it. We confirm the figure that applies to yours in writing.
What should I bring?
Your own hat and half-chaps if you have them. Boots and hats are lent but rarely in your size, and a hard hat that fits properly is worth the luggage. Otherwise ordinary safari clothes and a warm layer for the early start.
Where are the good rides in Kenya?
The Chyulu Hills below Kilimanjaro, across the Laikipia plateau, and on Borana and Lewa. Some of it is a morning out from a lodge; some of it is a week under canvas with the camp moved to meet you each evening.
What happens if we meet an elephant?
The guide handles it, which is why the ability standard exists. Horses see and smell things before you do, the group stays together, and you go the long way round. It is the reason a riding safari is guided at a lower ratio than a game drive.
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