Ride Description

The flight from Johannesburg to Maun takes two hours and after a short game-viewing air-adventure in a Cessna 206, you will be greeted by your guide and whisked off to base camp where the Macatoo Mamas sing their traditional songs of welcome.

After a refreshing drink you will be shown to your secluded and very luxurious tents, complete with toilet and washing facilities. Your private verandah overlooks a seasonal floodplain, home to baboon, hyena and elephant.

Drinks are on tap, cake and biscuits are there for the taking and we trust you will already feel relaxed and at home.

The main attraction is the joy of riding good horses over superb country, with just about every landscape dotted with game. The riding is varied, sometimes quietly walking, stalking big game and admiring the bird life, sometimes cantering through the water-meadows alongside galloping giraffe and lechwe.

The 4x4s are used for night drives, spotting the nocturnal species and for close up photography of kills and predators. When the water levels permit, you also go out in boats to put another perspective on the game.

The safari team is inspired each day by the beautiful surroundings to provide the best safari experience possible for the guests. It is an enormous privilege to have a huge unspoilt wilderness in which to run the safaris.

The Okavango Delta is an intriguing phenomena, with ever changing landscapes due to the seasonal flood waters coming through from Angola. The movement of the game, the dramatic seasonal changes in the flora and the varying interests of our guests ensures that no two safaris are the same, each one is unique.

Qualified guides will lead you on this journey, sharing with you their intimate knowledge of the wilderness. You will learn how the Delta's life-giving waters spill into the sands of the Kalahari changing the landscape from endless seas of grass into sparkling water meadows attracting herds of game.

This ride allows you to ride with a herd of giraffe of zebra across the plains, track elephant or buffalo from island to island, canter and splash through the lagoons of the delta with lechwe antelope or simply watch the setting sun whilst listening to the calls of lion and hyena.

With the seasons offering spectacular contrast there is something special offered whatever time you visit. In March and April you will enjoy exhilarating canters down dry flood plains where you will likely see zebra, tsessbe, wildebeest, ellies, giraffe, cats and maybe a wild dog.In March, April and May you will experience the tail end of the rains but the middle of the days are hot.

In late May / early June the floods arrive and herds of lechwe form. It is a also a good time for birdlife and buffalo herd moving in.

In July and August there is water everywhere and the Delta is at its most beautiful. At this time of year you are likely to see large herds of lechwe and buffalo on the floodplains. In June, July and August the mornings and afternoons are chilly but it is warm in the middle of the day.

In September the weather starts to warm up but there is still lots of opportunities for lots of wet canters. At this time you are likely to see lechwe, buffalo, ellies and cats.

In October and November the game viewing is very good with some lechwe, buffalo, plains game, ellies, cats and perhaps wild dog. In October the weaher is hot. November is warm- hot with rains to cool things down.

December brings antelope calving to coincide with fresh grass growing as a result of the rains; tsessebe and impala, whilst the brilliant Delta flowers come into bloom in January. In December and January you are also likely to see plains game, ellies, giraffe, cats and maybe wild dog.

Food & Accommodation

The camp features large, walk-in, twin bedded tents, each with their own en-suite shower and loo. Centrally there is a large furnished mess tent and tucked away a private pool.

The tents are mosquito proof, although there are few mosquitos around between June and late August. There is a generator at the camp and solar lights but there is no electricity in the tents at night.

On the longer safaris guests have the opportunity to experience the thrill of riding out to a mobile fly-camp.

Food is appetising and includes picnic breakfasts, barbecue lunches and candlelit dinners. Your cook Lydia is a great cook and her desserts are to die for. This is a top class destination and you might even get a cup of tea in bed!

Activities

In addition to riding guests can enjoy game drives, bird walks, night drives, seasonal boating, canoeing and fishing.

Horses

Type of horses: Thoroughbreds, Namibian Hanoverians and Kalahari-Arab crosses, South Africa Boerperd crosses

Nature of horses: Horses to suit all abilities. Kind temperament

Number of horses: 30

Height of horses: 14hh - 16.2hh

Weight limit: 95kg/ 15 stone

Tack type: English and western style trail saddles

Further Details

Languages: English

Health requirements: None specific but those with severe heart or respiratory or any other physical limitation must consult a doctor before travelling. Clients are asked to sign a medical indemnity form on arrival.

Age limit: 16 years and over. Anyone over 60 needs to be riding fit and strong.

Tuition: No

Included: Inclusive of all accommodation, activities, meals, beverages (within reason)

Not included: Flights, transfers, travel & medical insurance, camp staff tips and gratuities.

Travel Information

Flights are generally overnight from UK to Johannesburg arriving at 10am followed by a connecting flight to Maun. Direct flights from the UK to Johannesburg can be booked with the following airlines:

London Gatwick to Johannesburg - Nationwide Airways

London Heathrow to Johannesburg - British Airways, South African Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

Indirect flights from the UK to Johannesburg departing from a number of regional airports can be booked with the following airlines:

KLM
Lufthansa
Virgin Atlantic

We will arrange transfer from Maun to camp. This is by light aircraft followed by 1 hour game drive / boat trip depending on water levels. Transfers to camp can also be arranged from Kasane and are priced as follows:

Maun - Macatoo Camp £125 per person each way

Kasane - Macatoo Camp £185 per person each way.

Airport: Johannesburg (JNB)

Airport 2: Maun

Safari

Please note this horseback safari is exciting but not strenuous. This itinerary only serves as a guide; all scenarios are dependent on the season and levels of the Okavango flood. At times it may not be possible to go on fly camps and during cooler months one longer ride may replace the normal morning and evening rides. Your host reserves the right to alter the itinerary in any way and leaves this to the discretion of the guides. Local weather conditions may also affect game movements.

Day one:
On arrival in Maun you are met and transferred by plane and a game drive to the camp which overlooks a seasonal flood plain lagoon. After lunch under the trees, there is time for a rest before the evening ride where you can get to know your horse. You return, as every evening, to a candle-lit dinner.

Day two:
Awoken by a cup of tea or coffee in bed, followed by a light breakfast you then ride westwards following elephant trails from one palm island to another through seas of grass into the back country. After lunch and a siesta you ride out into the plains, later enjoying a drink while the sun goes down.

Day three:
You leave camp early to investigate fresh game tracks, joining semi-aquatic red lechwe as they thunder through the water meadows. A champagne breakfast is waiting for you under a large baobab tree. The evening ride is spent exploring the lower flood plains where elephant often gather at a pool. As dusk closes in you have drinks around the fire.

Day four:
You ride through different country, making your way through clouds of bushman hair grass to plains with fig trees.You might encounter giraffe or shyer antelope while passing through mopane woodlands. Your pace increases as you break out onto the flood plains, often disturbing troops of baboons. Returning to the camp for an afternoon spent at leisure and later a night drive by spotlight.

Day five:
While staff pack up you leave for your fly camp riding deeper into the heart of the delta. On reaching another river system you find your fly camp looking out over a hippo pool. Here you stay for the night. The afternoon may be spent swimming or walking. Fires are lit at night to create a strong human presence to keep maurauding animals away from the horses. Night watches are fun and guests usually join in.

Day six:
Having kept watch under the stars the next morning you splash through water on the vast open plains, home to wildebeeste and zebra. The riding may be fast as you approach deep reedy areas full of bird life – heading back to main camp for a hearty lunch.

Day seven:
For our last full day you ride through the shallow flood plains admiring the deeper pools of lilies. Here the buffalo gather in numbers and you have to creep up to them using islands for cover. The evening offers a last quiet ride with memorable smells of sage as the sun goes down.

Day eight:
For your final ride you will go along some of the high palm islands which offer great vistas. You'll maybe take a final exhilarating gallop and run with the game before returning to camp to prepare for your onward journey.

We are sure you will never forget the true sense of freedom which you will experience on your horse with in the Okavango Delta in Africa.

Minimum group size: 2

Maximum group size: 8

Ability description: Confident, fit intermediate and experienced riders

Type of ride: Safari

Total riding time: 4-6 hours per day

Departure dates: All year around 3/5/7/10 nights

Pricing: Rates are per person per night and vary during the season.

The Secret Green Season: Jan, Feb, March, April, November & December - £250.

Mid Season: May, June, July & October - £300.

Peak Season: August & September - £375.

Single supplement of 50% if not prepared to share twin bedded accommodation.

The Secret Green Season: Jan, Feb, March, April, November & December - £275.

Mid Season: May, June, July & October - £325.

Peak Season: August & September - £375.

Single supplement of 50% if not prepared to share twin bedded accommodation.

A special group leader rate is available to one person in a group of 6 or 7.

Exclusive Personal Paradise: During the Secret Green Season Macatoo camp can be booked exclusively for groups of 6 or seven for no extra cost per person. Please note group leader discounts do not apply with this offer.