An African horseback experience for the ultimate equestrian.
Tanzania Riding Safaris
Perhaps not as familiar as its neighbor Kenya for horse riding experiences and safaris, Tanzania is the type of unknown and the extra special location that we at Ride The Wild love to offer.
The vast number of wildlife you will come across on a horseback safari in Tanzania is unparalleled and so will be the view from your saddle. From extensive herds of Wildebeest and Zebra making their way across the endless plains for the famed East African Migration, to large groups of Elephant just a few meters away with Mount Kili as your backdrop. And let’s not forget the predators. Prides of African lion to packs of African Wild Dogs and the elusive leopard.
Choose from set departure dates, where the majority of your nights will be spent in a luxurious mobile safari camp, moving to a new location each day as you canter up the kilometers. Or choose our Hybrid experience for your African horseback safari in Tanzania – a unique and custom creation combining a mix of must-do riding experiences along with the classic safari activities you won’t want to miss out on, spending your nights between luxury lodges, tented fly camps and beachfront villas.
- Tanzania, Africa
- Set Departures
- 3+ Nights
- Intermediate+
- Luxury Lodge + Camp
- from $2800
The Riding
The Horses
The Tanzania safari horses are sure-footed and ready to take you across a variety of terrain. Each horse is trained for the long days in the saddle and to remain calm in situations where you’ll encounter wildlife and big game on horseback.
Forward-going and responsive, many of the horses are pure Thoroughbreds, but the herd also has a few purebred Arabs and several mixes of Thoroughbreds, Boerperds (a local South African trail breed) and Friesians.
Many of them play polo and are very responsive to neck-reining. This allows you to take photos and dig into your saddlebag while out on safari!
The Rider
You’re riding fit and ready to spend 4 to 6 hours daily in the saddle. You’re adventurous yet mindful and attentive while riding, with a solid seat for group canters and the breath-taking encounters with bigger game.
The Serengeti and Mt Kilimanjaro rides require an Advanced Intermediate rider who is confident at all paces. The shorter Arusha ride along with our Hybrid Experiences in Tanzania allow for those with less experience in the saddle. You shouldn’t weigh more than 85kg but advanced riders over this limit can possibly be catered for, please let us know!
The Riding
Ride across iconic landscapes with nothing but endless plains and vast herds of wildlife in sight. You’ll explore areas on horseback that vehicles cannot access, making for a special safari away from tourists.
Depending on the safari you choose, you’ll ride for three to six days and spend between 4 to 6 hours in the saddle each riding day.
The Horses
The Tanzania safari horses are sure-footed and ready to take you across a variety of terrain. Each horse is trained to remain calm in situations where you’ll encounter wildlife and big game on horseback.
Forward-going and responsive, many of the horses are pure Thoroughbreds, but the herd also has a few purebred Arabs and several mixes of Thoroughbreds, Boerperds (a local South African trail breed) and Friesians.
Many of them play polo and are very responsive to neck-reining. This allows you to take photos and dig into your saddlebag while out on safari!
The Rider
You’re no stranger to the saddle and ready to spend 3 to 6 hours daily on your horse. You’re adventurous yet mindful and attentive while riding, with a solid seat for group canters and the breath-taking encounters with bigger game.
The Serengeti and Mt Kilimanjaro rides require an Advanced Intermediate rider who is confident at all paces. The shorter Arusha ride along with our Hybrid Experiences in Tanzania allow for those with less experience in the saddle. You shouldn’t weigh more than 85kg but advanced riders over this limit can possibly be catered for, please let us know!
Luxury Lodge & Under Canvas Mobile Camp
Most of your time on the 7 and 8 night horseback safaris in Tanzania will be spent enjoying the beautiful mobile tented camp. Custom-made, comfortable and spacious, each tent is 4 X 4 meters with mosquito net doors and windows, to let the fresh air in (and keep the baddies out!).
Each tent is provided with a welcoming throw rug, towel rack, bedside table and water bottle, single bed with cotton linen and a solar light. Outside each tent there is a veranda with chairs and a brass wash stand that you share with your tent partner, along with your own bush toilet and hot bucket shower to enjoy watching the stars as you bathe.
Your meals while on the riding safari are cooked over-the-fire by bush chefs specially trained by South African gourmet chef Mark English. Breakfast is Cowboy style complete with homemade juice and exotic African fruits. Lunch is alfresco, enjoyed out in the wild under a nice shady tree, and is either vehicle supported or carried along in our saddlebags. Dinner is a three-course affair, with a mix of local and international cuisine, always served with newly baked bread and fresh salads and herbs.
You won’t go thirsty on horse safari either, with plenty of locally and internationally sourced drinks brought along and chilled to perfection.
The Tanzania Horse Safaris on Offer
THE LAND THAT RUNS FOREVER.
Ride with the biggest mammal migration on earth.
Luxury Lodge x 1 night, Under Canvas x 7 nights
You’ll fly into Kilimanjaro International Airport and be whisked away to your first night at the luxury lodge and residence (as well as stunning Polo Club) where the horses call home. Spend a few days pre- or post- horse safari here with a Hybrid experience and enjoy polo lessons and chukkas at what is certainly one of the most remote and beautiful polo fields you’ll set your hooves on.
Enjoy a scenic flight the following morning over the Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara or Tarangire National Park before checking in at the Ngorongoro Conservation area and heading out on a spectacular game drive across these endless plains of the Serengeti to reach the first locale of the under canvas fly camp. The plains are filled with wildlife, especially Wildebeest (likely to be in the throws of giving birth) and large herds of Zebra.
Meet your team of support staff and settle into your tent and way of life for the next 7 days. Post welcome lunch and siesta, you’ll be introduced to the horses and grooms followed by a short evening ride to test out our new partner. Hot bucket showers under the setting sun and cold drinks by the campfire truly marks the beginning of the next several unforgettable days.
Days three to seven on this Tanzania horse safari in the Serengeti are replete with horseback exploration you won’t find anywhere else. Ride across open plains, grassy valleys dotted with picturesque granite outcrops, swathes of whistling thorn and iconic East African flat-topped acacia trees.
The route and arrangements will vary each day based on the weather and movement of wildlife to provide you with the ultimate horse riding safari, with the tented camp moving every day or so to a new locale.
Ride highlights include crossing the gorge ‘Cradle of Human Kind”, an impromptu and magical fly camp immersed amongst the herd of wildebeest, and any number of incredible wildlife encounters from cheetah to lion and leopard, elephant and more.
Amongst the riding, you’ll have opportunities to rest your weary legs and bum, hoping into a game vehicle to explore other areas of the reserve and relish in special spots for your meals outside of camp.
Your final day, day nine, will see you flown back to the residence and polo estate for lunch and a refreshing shower before your drive to Kilimanjaro International Airport for onward flights home. Book a few extra nights here for a post-safari relaxation minus the riding and extend your horseback getaway with a trip to our partner in Zanzibar for the ultimate holiday ending – riding spotted horses along the beach.
2023 AVAILABLE DATES
1 – 11 January
25 January – 2 February
8 – 16 February
22 February – 2 March
11 – 19 March
UP CLOSE WITH GIANTS.
Luxury Lodge x 1 night, Under Canvas x 6 nights
You’ll fly into Kilimanjaro International Airport and be whisked away to your first night at the luxury lodge and residence (as well as stunning Polo Club) where the horses call home. Spend a few days pre- or post- horse safari here with a Hybrid experience and enjoy polo lessons and chukkas at what is certainly one of the most remote and beautiful polo fields you’ll set your hooves on.
Wake early or late with breakfast served all morning long. At 11AM, don your riding apparel and take a brief drive to the Arusha National Park gate, where your horse awaits. The vegetation in this park changes drastically from open grasslands to rainforest, with wildlife encounters from elephant to buffalo, leopard and the rare Suni or red duiker, for an incredible full-sensory experience as you ride.
Emerge from towering canopy forests with lunch magically appearing en-route. Your first day in the saddle will see you riding through leopard country and passing by the iconic Margarete Trappe’s (the Iron Lady) old house. Arrive into your first camp locale at the base of Mt Meru and receive a warm welcome into #camplife.
Fall asleep and waken to the sound of wildlife over the next several days, with magical lunches next to waterfalls, giant tree arches, rainforest excursions and lakes filled with grunting hippo.
You’ll ride through and out of Arusha into the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro along the Maasai steppe and Tanzanian farmland, with emotions heightening at each cultural encounter along the way. Tracking giants, we will encounter a multitude of elephant so prolific they will become one with the landscape, daring you to say ‘oh, another elephant’.
Believe us when we say there is nothing that compares to being in the presence of these emotive and powerful individuals. Your beautiful tented camp will move locations along the way, from open sites bordering rainforest, to mountainous views as if you’re being watched, to overlooking the pans with plains game on alert for predators on the hunt for dinner. You won’t see anything but blankets of stars as you bid each day adieu.
Your final day will see you flown back to the residence and polo estate for lunch and a refreshing shower before your drive to Kilimanjaro International Airport for onward flights home.
2022 AVAILABLE DATES
19 – 26 June
30 July – 6 August
20 – 27 August
24 September – 1 October
8 – 15 October
22 October – 5 November
2023 AVAILABLE DATES
3 – 10 June
19 – 26 June
1 – 8 July
15 – 22 July
29 July – 5 August
12 – 19 August
PERFECT HORSEBACK SAFARI FOR THOSE SHORT ON TIME OR AN ADD-ON TO OUR EXCLUSIVE HYBRID EXPERIENCE.
Luxury Lodge x 1 night, Under Canvas x 2 nights
Arrive into Kilimanjaro International Airport and be driven a short 35 minutes to the lodge and residence at the Polo Estate, where you’ll settle in and spend your first night.
Enjoy a sumptuous lunch overlooking the grounds while getting briefed on the days ahead. After your meal, hop on your horse for an afternoon introduction ride across the estate where you’ll see wildlife like zebra, wildebeest and other plains game. Sundowners and dinner back at the lodge.
Your first full day on this short but sweet Tanzania horseback safari starts with wake up calls of hot tea or coffee delivered directly to your room. Post-breakfast, you’ll get into your riding gear and be driven 20 minutes to the Arusha National Park gate where your horse awaits!
Vegetation here changes dramatically, from open grassland to rainforests and deep canopies. You’ll have a good chance of seeing elephants, buffaloes, a slew of plains game, and even leopards and rare species such as Suni and the magnificent Hartlaub’s turaco.
Enjoy lunch en-route in a canopy forest before riding through leopard country and onto your first overnight camp, riding along the same historic pathways of the iconic equestrian and Iron Lady, Margarete Trappe. Your first under canvas camp will be at the foot of Mt Meru, reaching it in time for hot bucket showers under the stars and a cold drink and hot meal by the fire.
Walking to the sound of rather talkative Colobus monkeys, breakfast is served Cowboy style and shortly thereafter you’ll mount and ride toward the same area where a famous John Wayne movie was filmed. Your lunch setup magically appears next to a waterfall as you ride through the forest, now about 2000 meters above sea level. Arriving back at camp later in the afternoon, you’ll have the opportunity to jump into the game vehicles and go visit the Momella lakes, replete with hippos and beautiful water birds. Sundowners at the lakes before heading back to camp for showers and dinner.
Enjoy a last morning with your mount the next and final day back toward the Arusha gate. After this, many guests choose to stay on at the luxury lodge to enjoy polo lessons and exciting chukkas, with a further option in our Hybrid experiences to head to the tropical island of Zanzibar just a short flight away, to continue your riding getaway galloping the beaches on beautiful spotted horses.
2022 SET DATES
2 – 9 July
16 – 23 July
*This ride can also be custom scheduled and private*
Safari Costs & Information
Endless Plains: $7,615 USD per person (8 nights)
Mt Kilimanjaro: $6,042 USD per person (7 nights)
Hidden Pathways: $2,818 USD per person (3 nights)
- Airport transfers from Mt Kilimanjaro / Arusha + on-safari ground transport
- All accommodation, meals + drinks
- All national park and reserve fees
- Your amazing safari horse!
- International flights to Mt Kilimanjaro Airport in Arusha, Tanzania
- +$625 for internal flights for the Endless Plains ride
- Any extras en-route to destination
- Single supplement if unwilling to share = $70 per night
- Staff gratuities
- Any required health travel tests + travel health insurance
Let's Ride.
Contact us via the general inquiry form here for more information, dates, and help in choosing the ultimate riding experience with us.
Tanzania Horse Safari FAQs
Why choose a horse safari in Tanzania?
An African horse safari in Tanzania is steeped in history and the iconic safari scenes one thinks of when they imagine crossing the East African plains. Ride across incredible landscapes that change dramatically with each turn, often with the immeasurable backdrop of the now-capped Mount Kilimanjaro. From the Serengeti, a word that means ‘Endless Plains’ to deep rainforests and tall canopies, to hidden waterfalls and massive craters filled with wildlife.
You and your horse will become one with the herds of wildebeest and zebra, as you traverse these vast plains, keeping your eyes peeled for the lion, cheetah and leopard that a Tanzania horse safari promises.
This unique destination, and most especially our custom Hybrid experiences here, cater perfectly for families, couples or the daring solo traveler. Experienced riders will revel in up-close wildlife encounters and fast gallops across the plains, while traveling companions that aren’t so secure in the saddle can come along and enjoy a classic African safari experience with game drives and immersive walking safaris and private air safaris. Meeting up with riders each night for sundowners and dinner under the stars.
All adventures, riding and otherwise, are led by professional guides with an exhaustive amount of experience and knowledge of the area and its special spaces.
Can I customize my horse safari?
Yes! In fact, our custom Hybrid Experiences are what we pride ourselves on creating and delivering . Far superior to any other horse safari product you’ll find, our private and tailor-made luxury riding experiences are the best there is, where all requests and needs are exceeded.
Combine luxury lodge stays and polo lessons with under canvas tented camps amongst wildlife and the best riding safari and classic safari experiences, and hop a quick flight to the azure waters of Africa’s Caribbean to soak up the sun, indulge in water sports and continue your riding experience with beach gallops and swimming with your horse. Anything is possible and all riding levels are catered for, including non-riders wishing to experience something different.