Low & Slow Travel on Horseback: Africa

Horse riding holidays foster a deep respect for the incredible landscapes, animals and people that we are fortunate to encounter. Travelling as globetrotters, we can rest easy knowing that we’re boosting the local economy and treading lightly on the land. But it’s up to us to ensure the rest of our trip is carried out in the same respectful, sustainable way. And nowhere is this more important than Africa!

Enter low travel. Enter slow travel! These two concepts are centred around the idea that the journey is just as important as the destination, and that travel is best when you take the time to fully immerse in the places you visit rather than flitting from one to the next.

Low travel essentially means flying as little as possible, instead opting for land-based means of transport such as trains, buses, cars, bikes, hiking and, of course, horse riding! Slow travel involves truly unwinding to live on local time, giving yourself as long as you can, or would like, to explore, and valuing the depth of your experience more than the breadth. By doing these things, you’re guaranteed to leave a more positive impact wherever you go.

So here are our suggestions for globetrotting low and slow across the spellbinding continent of Africa.

Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and Botswana

In all four of these countries, you’ll be able to experience some of THE best safari riding in the world. Whether you book one of these trips or make it a pair, you’re in for the ride of your life. In Kenya, you’ll explore the vast expanse of the famed Maasai Mara game reserve; in Tanzania, you’ll ride alongside elephants in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro; in Botswana, you’ll splash across the wildlife-filled water meadows of the Okavango Delta or explore a vast, unfenced, three-nation game reserve on The Tuli Safari; and in South Africa, all riding abilities are welcome to explore the beautiful Bushveld and beyond.

After the thrill of riding with lions, giraffes, elephants, zebras and more, you might want to keep riding forever. If that’s the case, then you must visit…

Namibia

Here you’ll find four absolutely EPIC endurance rides, all bundled up with the same unbelievably skilled and generous horses, guides and crew. The Namibia Safari will take you places few people are ever fortunate enough to go. For the die-hard endurance rider, this will give you lifelong bragging rights. Whether you choose to traverse the Skeleton Coast or the vast Namib Desert, you’ll travel between 40 and 70 kilometres (25 and 43 miles) each day!

What would your dream multi-ride African adventure look like?

And for more tips on how to be a responsible globetrotter, click here.