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Horseback Riding in the Kenyan Wilderness
By Straus Karl Heinz | November 7, 2008
Horseback riding in the wilderness is the most unique and exciting adventure in Kenya and East Africa. It can be done as part of your holiday activity or as Horseback Safari for the experienced rider like the pioneers of Kenya in the good old days did.
The good thing with horse back riding routes is that they avoid the tourist vans, roads or even lodges. The riders will find themselves alienated from the rest of the world and the life takes a slower pace. The camps that one is set up in are quite comfortable and managed by experienced staff. There is nothing like the thrill of hearing a load roar of a lion or watching graceful antelopes as you run along them.
One gets to ride through forests and mountains, across open vast savanna and into waterholes and rivers and up huge escarpments that are populated with wildebeest and zebras. Also get to see the elephant quietly feeding. You get to experience all of this as part of your travel experience on a horseback riding safari.
Rides are done in the shadows of Mt. Kilimanjaro in the Chyulu Hills - smoothly shaped, grass covered rolling country rising to 7,000 ft., in the Great Rift Valley, Lake Naivasha area, Masai Mara Reserve, Loita Hills and Mt. Kenya Area in Laikipia and Amboseli National Park.
The breeds of horses that the riders ride upon are Somali-Arab crossbreeds as well as thoroughbred horses and thoroughbred cross polo ponies. All these horses can suit all riders. Beginners to experts will have no trouble using them and also patent safety horses, which are trained to work well with children and people that are not experienced with horses.
Laikipia Ride, Kenya
An enormous variety of wild animals is found in the Laikipia area in Kenya. These also includes the Big Five. It is also the area that we have the Jackson Hartebeest and also home to various rare species of wild animals including the Beisa Oryx, Reticulated Giraffe, Somali Ostrich and the Grevy Zebra.
The Mount Kenya Safari Club
The Safari club is blessed with a magnificent view of Mount Kenya and has 115 luxurious guest rooms which are set over 100 acres of neat gardens that offer the guests a high level of comfort, adventure and relaxation. Some of the club great guests have included Winston Churchill and Bing Cosby.
Mount Kenya Safari club has a choice of 7 thoroughbreds from which to choose from and the guests can ride them any time always in the company of one or more grooms. Children under the age of 12 years are not allowed to ride them.
Loisaba Area
The private game ranch in Loisaba is located between the border of Laikipia and Northern Frontier District. The ranch is only a few km away from the equator and its a land that is magnificently beautiful and the farm management are working hand in hand with the locals including the Masai and Samburu to preserve the enviroment.
Loisaba is an immense region that is much larger than 10 of the world’s fully fledged nations. Its interesting to note that you can ride through this great land and not encounter the same view twice. The horses here have been trained from birth to be near the wild animals and so are accustomed being near them. The horse are stable but its advisable to know that experience is required to ride these animals.
Riding in Amboseli, Kenya
This national park is located on the North West side of Mount Kilimanjaro, on the border of Tanzania. A company by the name of Ride Kenya offers horse riding tours in this game-rich park in East Africa. The 6 night tour starts at the Kenyan Tanzania border and passes through the Amboseli National park and finally ends at Chyulu hills.
The rides feature huge game densities including herds of elephants up to 100 strong. Guests will most certainly ride with buffalo, hippo, leopard, lion, cheetah, and massive herds of zebra and wildebeest. As Amboseli is situated at the base of Kilimanjaro, the views of the mountain promise to be second to none.
Topics: Travel&Leisure |
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