Wild Zambia
Zambia horseback safari
The Edge of Zambia
Bordering the mighty Zambezi, you will find a place where humans and wildlife peacefully – and sustainably – coexist. Perched along the fringe of where Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, Angola and Zimbabwe meet, this special area is home to a community-owned conservancy that has successfully re-wilded the plains with wildebeest, zebra, red lechwe, puku, hartebeest, impala, waterbuck, giraffe, buffalo, eland and sable – amongst others.
And with just one operator in this vast wilderness of almost 520,000 km² – riders and guests are guaranteed a raw and remote riding experience unlike any other in our portfolio.
Ride Notes
- Beautiful Tented Eco-Camp
Four raised safari tents provide uninterrupted views across the plains. Water and electricity are powered by the sun, each tent having everything you need and nothing you don’t.
- Star Bed Experience
Sleep beneath a blanket of stars in safety and seclusion, with just a mosquito net between you and the open night sky for an unforgettable sleep in ultimate peace.
- No Dangerous Predators
Free of predators and elephant, riders will enjoy a perfect combination of safety and raw wilderness, allowing for intermediate & above to ride here.
- Zambia
- Scheduled + Custom
- Tented Camp
- Wildlife Safari
- 5-7 Hours Daily
The Riding
Guests will enjoy riding in comfortable Western trail or Australian stock saddles, each with a set of saddlebags. Long exploratory walks amongst wildlife and exhilarating canters across open plains bring a perfectly varied amount of serenity and excitement. Your horse is calm and collected around the wildlife, allowing easy viewing (and between the ears snapshots!).
The Horses
Horses truly are family here at this horse safari camp. Gently and expertly started and schooled by the owner who has a lifetime of horse training experience, they are then slowly introduced to bush and wildlife by staff wranglers. Each horse is forward going yet steady with exceptionally gentle and willing natures.
Approximately 20 horses make up the herd each safari season, selected for their hardiness and responsiveness. Breeds include a mixture of Quarter Horses and QH crosses, Boerperds (the brilliant South African trail horse), Basotho horses and Thoroughbred crosses.
Animal husbandry is at the forefront of this horseback safari, with an on-site farrier and in-house breeding program for the next generation safari horse.
The Riders
This remote Zambian horseback safari is best suited for intermediate to experienced riders. Please be riding fit as well as confident and competent at all paces. Novice to intermediate riders can be accommodated when a group books out the entire camp for exclusive-use.
Minimum 4 guests and max 8 guests provide for a personal experience.
Riders weighing over 95kg can be provided for so long as they are quite experienced. It is essential to bring your own riding helmet, chaps and gloves.
The Riding
Guests will enjoy riding in comfortable Western trail or Australian stock saddles, each with a set of saddlebags. Long exploratory walks amongst wildlife and exhilarating canters across open plains bring a perfectly varied amount of serenity and excitement.
Your horse is calm and collected around the wildlife, allowing easy viewing (and between the ears snapshots!) and you will likely be provided with 2 horses to ride throughout your Zambian riding safari.
The Horses
Horses truly are family here at this horse safari camp. Gently and expertly started and schooled by the owner who has a lifetime of horse training experience, they are then slowly introduced to bush and wildlife by staff wranglers. Each horse is forward going yet steady with exceptionally gentle and willing natures.
Approximately 20 horses make up the herd each safari season, selected for their hardiness and responsiveness. Breeds include a mixture of Quarter Horses and QH crosses, Boerperds (the brilliant South African trail horse), Basotho horses and Thoroughbred crosses.
Animal husbandry is at the forefront of this horseback safari, with an on-site farrier and in-house breeding program for the next generation safari horse.
The Riders
This remote Zambian horseback safari is best suited for intermediate to experienced riders. Please be riding fit as well as confident and competent at all paces. Novice to intermediate riders can be accommodated when a group books out the entire camp for exclusive-use.
Minimum 4 guests and max 8 guests provide for a personal experience.
Riders weighing over 95kg can be provided for so long as they are quite experienced. It is essential to bring your own riding helmet, chaps and gloves.
The Tented Eco-Camp
Created to blend harmoniously with the Zambian plains, the peaceful tented camp provides the perfect balance of comfort and amenities. There are four raised safari tents for a maximum of 8 guests and riders. In line with the founders commitment to sustainability and respect for the environment, all water and electricity at the camp is generated by solar power.
Riders will find USB charging ports on your bedside reading lights, colorful Zambian robes, luggage racks, reusable water bottles and mosquito spray. The tented camp also provides its own organic shampoo, conditioner, soaps and moisturizers – and encourages guests to use these as they are environmentally-safe (and thus safer for you too!).
The Zambian Star Bed Experience
Not to be missed, riders are offered the picturesque and photograph-worthy star beds for one night during their Zambian horseback safari. You must sleep out in Africa at least once in your life, and this is the perfect spot to fulfill that bucket list item with an immersive night underneath the stars.
Perfectly safe in this wilderness lacking predators, it is the ideal star bed experience for those a little nervous of spending a night outdoors in the African wilds. Sumptuous beds and linens, set by a four poster frame draped in a mosquito net, you can experience the remote romance of Africa without a care in the world.
Zambia Horseback Safari Itinerary
Riders can choose a 3, 5 or 7 night Zambian horseback safari.
/ Open only during the Dry Season: July through January /
3 Nights
/ Riding Safari Only /
Low Season
1 July – 30 August 2022
$1050 USD per person sharing
$1650 USD per person single
High Season
1 September 2022 – 31 January 2023
1 July 2023 – 31 January 2024
$1350 USD per person sharing
$1950 USD per person single
*3 nights at Tented Eco-Camp*
The PERFECT add-on to any Zambian safari.
5 Nights
/ Riding Safari & Vic Falls /
Low Season
1 July – 30 August 2022
$1950 USD per person sharing
$2775 USD per person single
High Season
1 September 2022 – 31 January 2023
1 July 2023 – 31 January 2024
$2250 USD per person sharing
$3075 USD per person single
*3 nights Tented Eco-Camp & 2 nights Luxury Lodge*
7 Nights
/ Riding Safari & Vic Falls /
Low Season
1 July – 30 August 2022
$2750 USD per person sharing
$3887.50 USD per person single
High Season
1 September 2022 – 31 January 2023
1 July 2023 – 31 January 2024
$3150 USD per person sharing
$4287.50 USD per person single
*4 nights Tented Eco-Camp & 3 nights Luxury Lodge*
The 5 night and 7 night itineraries include two or three nights
at the Zambian horse safaris luxury river lodge alongside the mighty Zambezi and a Victoria Falls experience!
Extra Details
Riders stay on a full board basis, with only your transfer fees and Park conservation fees not included.
- All delicious home-cooked meals, bush picnics, sundowners, snacks, house wine + beer, soft drinks, teas & coffees.
- 6-7 hours of riding per day, depending on group preference – and two horses per rider
- Accommodation in ensuite safari tents with hot showers, lounge facilities and a shared eco-pool.
- VAT, Tourism Levy & Service Charges
- Your flights to Zambia
- Park conservation fees fo $50 USD per person per night. These go directly to support the community conservancy
- Transfers to/from the safari or lodge
- Travel + medical insurance
- Staff gratuities
Livingstone Airport to Tented Eco-Camp (road + boat) – $286 USD pp round trip
Luxury River Lodge to Tented Eco-Camp (road + boat) – $250 USD pp round trip
Victoria Falls Airport (Zimbabwe) to Tented Eco-Camp – $366 USD pp round trip
Kasane Airport (Botswana) to Tented Eco-Camp – $220 USD pp round trip
*Heli or Light Aircraft charters are available*
Zambia Horse Safari Reviews
“If you love horse riding and the African wilderness, we would not hesitate to recommend. Setting out from base in various directions, in search of adventure across varied terrain. Saddle bags loaded with tea and cake in the mornings, or a sundowner to enjoy just before returning home at the end of the afternoon ride armed with cameras and binoculars . . . A big thank you! The trip far exceeded my expectations. I loved the riding through those plains. Your horses were excellent and well schooled. Tents / food / staff all great. I absolutely loved it.”
“I was very nervous for this trip ! I am not a big horse rider but as an agent I really wanted to experience Zambia’s first and only horseback safari camp… WOW! This is a little piece of heaven and I definitely had the most gentle amazing horse. I cannot speak highly enough of everything Gail and Doug have put into this project. Truly spoilt to have had this opportunity in my life. Thank you.”
“I approached my first horse safari with a little trepidation at the prospect of 6 hours a day in the saddle and 4 nights in a tent. In fact, our stay surpassed all expectations. On arrival the setting of the camp, overlooking a vast expanse of golden flood plain, quite blows you away. Nestled amongst the trees are 4 luxury tents with outside en suite, king size beds, crisp cotton bed linen and discreet solar lamps complete with USB sockets. Every detail is eco-friendly to blend with this unique, unspoiled wildlife conservancy.”
Let's Ride.
Contact us via the general inquiry form here.
Zambia Horse Safari FAQs
Do I need a visa to enter Zambia?
All visitors to Zambia fall within one of the three (3) distinct categories:
- Nationals who do not require visas in order to enter Zambia; Nationals of the countries listed do not require visas to enter Zambia. However, they must be in possession of valid return air tickets or be able to show enough funds for their stay in and departure from Zambia. South African nationals currently do not need a visa to enter Zambia for up to 30 days.
- Nationals requiring visas on arrival; Nationals of the countries listed can get visas to Zambia on arrival. They can also apply for an e-visa from the eServices portal.
- Nationals required to apply for visas prior their travel to Zambia. Zambian entry visas for nationals whose countries fall under this category require advance clearance by the Zambian Authorities. Applications for visas for this category must be made online through the eServices portal.
Single, double and multiple-entry visas will be valid for 90 days from the date of first issue, with the exception of nationals of the US, whose multiple-entry visas are valid for three years, on a mutually agreed reciprocal basis.
If you are planning on visiting both Zimbabwe and Zambia, the KAZA UNIVISA is the most economical option! Visas cost between $25 and $75 USD depending on which you choose – the best is to bring the exact cash you will need when passing through immigration.
How do I get to Zambia for my horseback safari?
Your Zambian horseback safari is located in Western Zambia, within the incredible Kavango Zambezi (KAZA) Transfrontier Conservation Area. KAZA is situated in the Okavango and Zambezi river basins where the borders of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe meet.
The nearest airport is Livingstone Airport (Harry Mwanga Nkumbula International Airport HMIA).
Once you land in Livingston, clear Immigration and collect your luggage, you will be met by a member of the horse safari team and transferred on a 25 min drive to the luxury river lodge for the start of your Zambian horseback safari. Depending on your itinerary, your first night might be here!
Continuing onto the Tented Eco-Camp, your journey will resume with a beautiful 90 minute boat journey on an 8-seater Alli-Boat with a canopy for shade. Once you reach land, you’ll be met by the horses on the river’s edge, mount up and ride into camp!
What is the accommodation like on the riding safari?
Depending on the chosen itinerary, you’ll stay at just the tented eco-camp or also at the luxury river lodge. The tented eco-camp features four raised safari tents with ensuite open-air bathrooms, front deck seating to look out over the endless grassy plains, and comfortable mattresses and linens to rest after a long day in the saddle. You’ll dine under the stars or the shade of a tree, commune at an elevated lounge with 270 degree views, and cool off in the plunge eco-pool.
In the 5 and 7 night itinerary, you’ll also get to spend a few nights at the luxury river lodge. Featuring 5 river-facing raised chalets with twin or king bed configurations, along with a lounge, Zambezi viewing deck, rock plunge pool and gardens.
When is the best time to visit Zambia for a riding safari?
The best time to visit Zambia for a regular safari as well as a horse safari, is during the Dry Season. Many lodges along the Zambezi are closed between December and May during the heavier rains. Your horseback safari has an operational season from 1 July through to 31 January each year. A hot and dry climate provides exceptional game viewing and when the first rains arrive in late November, your Zambian horse safari landscape will be transformed into a verdant refuge, vibrant with varying shades of green and filled with new life as many plains give birth.
July & August provide colder mornings and nights but comfortably warm days as the Zambian bush starts to dry out. Pack layers and enjoy cozying up to a hot water bottle in your bed in the evenings. September & October really start to warm up, but the heat is usually dry instead of humid. Wildlife abound and tiger-fishing for those interested is ideal during October.
November is hot and humid as the atmosphere starts to change and clouds gather for rain. Still good for game viewing as the bush isn’t too green or lush yet. December is the start of the rainy season, and while cooler, it is still hot and humid. January may rain here and there (brilliant thunderstorms at times!) and prone to heat waves but often pleasantly warm with a nice breeze.
What wildlife will I see on horseback in Zambia?
Zambian wildlife variety and concentration is second-to-none. During your riding safari on the vast community conservancy, you won’t need to worry about running into any dangerous predators such as Lion or big game like Elephant. A success story of conservation, the conservancy was rewilded with a slew of African wildlife and plains game.
From the first wildlife translocation in 2013 to more than 3,000 animals relocated today into the conservancy, you’ll ride with red lechwe, puku, eland, sable, hartebeest, wildebeest, waterbuck, roan antelope, buffalo and giraffe on your horseback safari. You’ll also see zebra, impala, Nile crocodiles, hippo, vervet monkey, and side-striped jackal.
Is a horse safari in Zambia safe?
All horse riding activities carry risk, especially in remote places with wild animals. But barring that, a Zambian horseback safari is very safe. You’ll be in expert hands with the owners and guides who know this land with their eyes closed, and horses that are well-accustomed to the landscapes and the wildlife that dot them. With no predators or the more dangerous game like Elephant or Rhino, you’ll be riding with wildlife that happily graze on the plains with the horses as you explore Zambia on horseback.
Will I get to see Victoria Falls on my safari in Zambia?
Yes! If you do the 5 night or 7 night itinerary, your horse safari will include two to three nights at the luxury river lodge along the Zambezi and an exciting day trip to ‘Mosi-oa-Tunya’ or the ‘Smoke that Thunders.’ Also known as Victoria Falls, it is the biggest waterfall in the world and a sight to behold from both the Zambian and Zimbabwean sides.
