This is the Full Monty - a serious exploration of Masai land on horseback in the classic mobile tented safaris of past generations. A rare opportunity to ride in 'Out of Africa' country accompanied by the highly professional and experienced bush guides.
Being on horseback means you avoid all other people and those mini vans with tourists the Mara has become known for. It is just yourself, the horses and the game. This is a once in a lifetime experience involving long hours in the saddle and surrounded by the most diverse and numerous species of game in the world.
This safari is of a luxurious calibre with walk in tents, beds and hot showers every night, complete with back up and support team of Masai staff, chefs, grooms, waiters and camp staff who move camp and cater for you and your horses' every need. A horse riding holiday experience of a lifetime!
No supplement if willing to share. Otherwise:
2012 10 nights: £599/€729/$945
2012 7 nights: £419/€509/$659
SAMPLE ITINERARY - MASAI MARA ON HORSEBACK
Day 1
You will be collected from your Nairobi hotel or directly from the airport in the morning and transferred to Wilson Airport for a flight to Siana Springs, in the Masai Mara.
It is a beautiful flight passing over the fertile Kikuyu Highlands before reaching the Great Rift Valley. We fly across the volcano studded floor of the Rift before reaching the Loita Hills and Siana Springs Air strip. You will be met by your guide and there will be an hour’s drive to camp. We reach our camp in a grove of acacia trees by a small stream at the southern edge of the Loita Plains at Olare Lamun (the rhino salt lick) in time for lunch. There will be an evening ride. Overnight Olare Lamun
Day 2 A full day to explore this remote area that is rich in game. Drives, rides and walks may be taken from camp. Overnight Olare Lamun.
Day 3 Our first moving day and we break camp in good time as it is the longest ride of the trip covering nearly 50kms. We ride across rolling open plains and the game generally becomes more plentiful as we approach the Mara ecosystem. We should see herds of zebra, topi, giraffe, wildebeest, gazelle and there is a good chance of seeing elephant and buffalo as well. We reach our camp on the edge of the Masai Game Reserve on the Olare Orok Lugga in late afternoon. From camp we are likely to hear lion and hyena at night and the abundance of game is apparent everywhere. Overnight Olare Orok.
Day 4 & 5
Two full days of morning and evening rides from camp with the option of driving into the game park for some good photographic opportunities. From the Landrovers we can get much closer to lion, elephant and buffalo than we are able to do safely from the horses. Overnight Olare Orok.
Day 6 Another moving day. We head west across the Mara plains and reach the Mara River on the Park boundary. We ford the river (unless in complete flood) at one of the famous wildebeest crossings. Heading south west across the Mara Triangle where we have our picnic lunch before ascending the Soit Olololol Escarpment to reach our camp in a forest glade with magnificent views overlooking the whole Mara ecosystem. Overnight Soit Olololol.
Day 7 We ride South West along the top of the escarpment enjoying more glorious views to the east and excellent going for the horses. We may see the beautiful Mrs Ross’ and Schalows Turaco as well as much plains game. We descend the escarpment on foot along a rocky cattle track and have a picnic lunch under some acacias at the foot of the escarpment. After lunch we ride back through the Mara Triangle at the foot of the escarpment before ascending on a game trail. Many bachelor buffalo herds are a feature of the afternoon. Overnight Soit Olololol.
Day 8
We descend the escarpment again and ride across to the same wildebeest crossing on the river. We head in a North Western direction and after lunch, we find our final campsite set up on the banks of the Mara River. Close by there are some hippo pools and their grunting at night is a special feature of this camp. Overnight Mara River.
Day 9
Leaving camp after breakfast with a picnic lunch we drive via the tea growing area of Kericho to Deloraine. Deloraine is the beautifully restored colonial country home of your hosts, and the home of the 70 horses the safari and polo strings are selected from. Surrounded by beautiful formal gardens, a croquet lawn and swimming pool the house has been impressively restored and furnished in its original colonial splendour. In addition there are the stables, with polo grounds, a cross country course, dressage arena, show jumping areana and lungeing ring. The last few days give you a chance to recover from the adventure of the safari and relax to experience the colonial lifestyle of Kenya. We arrive in time for tea and an evening walk around the beautiful gardens.
Day 10
An early morning ride before breakfast is optional. Also day trips to either the nearby Lake Nakuru Park or Bogoria famous for their flamingos can be arranged with a picnic lunch. Overnight Deloraine.
Day 11
Transfer to Nairobi in time for your return or onward journey.
As with many riding holidays, the itinerary may change due to game movements, rainfall or other environmental or other conditions that are out of the control of the organisers.
NOTES - MASAI MARA ON HORSEBACK
2012 dates and itineraries
02–12 Jan (8 nights Mara + 2 nights Deloraine House)
18-28 Jan (8 nights Mara + 2 nights Deloraine House)
04-14 Feb (8 nights Mara + 2 nights Deloraine House)
03-13 Mar (8 nights Mara + 2 nights Deloraine House)
20-30 Mar (8 nights Mara + 2 Deloraine or 8 Laikipia + 2 Sosian)
16-26Jun (8 nights Mara + 2 nights Deloraine House)
15-25 Jul (8 nights Mara + 2 nights Deloraine House)
01-08 Aug (7 nights Mara)
08-15 Aug (7 nights Mara)
15-25 Aug (8 nights Mara + 2 nights Deloraine House)
01-11 Sep (8 nights Mara + 2 nights Deloraine House)
15-22 Sep (7 nights Mara)
22-29 Sep (7 nights Mara)
06-16 Oct (8 nights Mara + 2 nights Deloraine House)
10-20 Oct (8 nights Mara + 2 Deloraine or 8 Laikipia + 2 Sosian)
01-11 Dec (8 nights Mara + 2 nights Deloraine House)
The weight limit for this ride is 15 st/209 lb/95 kg, please enquire if you are an experienced rider exceeding this weight.
FURTHER DETAILS
As we are specialists in our field we have extensive knowledge of all our products from details of accommodation and meals to number/size/type of horses to pace of riding ... and much more.
Should you wish to receive further details of this ride please click here.
WHAT IS INCLUDED
Internal flight, full board accommodation, drinks (excluding champagne), professional guide, all National Park/Game Reserve fees, all camping, wilderness concession fees, full complement of safari crew (cooks, waiters, mechanics, drivers, grooms, porters and tent stewards), safari equipment and support vehicles, horses and saddlery, all transfers (including road and air)within the time frame of the safari. On the 7 night itinerary a dayroom in Nairobi on the last day.
WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED
Flights to and from Nairobi, champagne, visas, travel insurance, staff gratuities and Nairobi hotel accommodation either side of the safari (if required).
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Reading List We're avid readers here at Unicorn Trails and have selected several books connected to this ride. If you're interested in reading more about the area before you travel, or want to get into the cultural background, here are some suggestions that may inspire you. Click on the links for more information.
Going Down the River Road - Meja Mwangi. This is a good introduction to East African Literature. The Safari Companion- Richard E. Estes (Chelsea Green, UK) This book aims to explain not only what animals you're looking at, but also what they're doing, and its illustrated explanations make fascinating reading. The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals - Jonathan Kingdon (Natural World, UK) A detailed and comprehensive catalogue of African land mammals, illustrated with photographs and distribution maps for each species. Kenya from the Air- Anne Arthus-Bertrand and Anne Spoerry (Thames and Hudson, UK/Vendome, US) Superb images of the country from the eagle's viewpoint. Marsh Lions- Brian Jackman and Jonathan Scott (o/p). Beautifully produced and painstakingly researched study of the lions and other animals around the Musiara Marsh in Maasai Mara.
What you see on our web site is exactly how much your invoice will come to and this will not change once booked. Unlike some other companies the prices on our web site are fully inclusive of often hidden extras such as: VAT, Sales Tax, state taxes, city taxes, service charges, non-optional tips, fuel surcharges which can add 20% or more to the advertised cost. Prices are available in £ sterling, Euros and US$. Once invoiced, prices are guaranteed against adverse currency fluctuations. Contact us for package prices which include flights from the UK and see each ride for exact details of all items in individual itineraries.
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- Meja Mwangi. This is a good introduction to East African Literature. 
