2008

19th – 26th Jan
16th – 23rd Feb
7th – 14th March
26th Sep – 3rd Oct
24th – 31st Oct
22nd – 29th Nov
6th – 13th Dec

ITINERARY

Day 1: Johannesburg – Limpopo Province, South Africa.
11.00 am. Guests are met at the Johannesburg Intercontinental Hotel. Here guests can enjoy a choice of full English or continental breakfast and can relax whilst their fellow companions arrive. Our driver will then transfer all guests to the Dinaka lodge in time for a late lunch. The afternoon ride will introduce guests gently to the awesome riding country of Dinaka and will be used to assess the riders with their chosen mounts. It will give everyone the chance to ensure the perfect match before the more challenging riding begins.

Day 2: Limpopo Province, South Africa.
Today will be a ride along the foothills of the Seven Sisters mountain range, through thick woodland areas to the western boundaries. Here you will have your first experience of the unending sandy tracks and glimpse the unending views of the Dinaka plains and the abundant herds. You will arrive back at the lodge in time for a late brunch and a chance to siesta by the pool. The afternoon ride will be a fast and exhilarating ride along the Sand river, this area is prime waterbuck and hippo viewing territory.

Day 3: Limpopo Province, South Africa.
Guests will ride to an area renowned for its abundant and varied species, known as ‘Small Serengeti’ here you will be able to watch and interpret the behavior of the Springbok and Blesbok that always occur on these plains. Riding back to the lodge your guides will introduce you to some of the bush skills essential to those living in the African wilderness. Lunch time brings another chance to siesta or perhaps a chance to view the hippo at play in the dam in front of your bedroom window. The afternoon ride will be into a Terminalia woodland with the added challenge of jumping natural obstacles, this area is known to be a favorite habitat of the giraffe as well as being home to what we call the “zebra race track”!

Day 4: Limpopo Province, South Africa.
The morning ride will take you out with the explicit purpose of tracking the majestic white rhino, these prehistoric animals are one of the incredible success stories of the Dinaka reserve which holds one of the oldest breeding herds in the country. Being next to these magnificent creatures is a highlight of any safari but being with them on horseback is a truly unforgettable experience. After lunch at the lodge you will pack your toothbrush and few chosen items before departing on your overnight wilderness experience, this camping expedition will take you to an ancient refuge used by Mizilikatse as he and his people fled the wrath of the warlord Shaka. This will be a true African experience taking you up into the remote mountain pass with minimal equipment and no vehicle backup with your canopy being simply a star filled night.

Day 5: Limpopo Province, South Africa.
After waking up to the smell of coffee boiling on an open fire and the sound of your horse munching contentedly bedside you, your route off the mountain follows a valley that leads deep into the Waterberg escarpment. The trail follows the game paths made by the giant eland and mountain zebra, it is a most taxing, but also a most rewarding ride, in terms of the normally inaccessible terrain and stunning scenery. The ride brings you back to the lodge in time for lunch and a hot shower. The afternoon gives a chance to rest weary bones and experience game from a whole new perspective with a guided bush walk.

Day 6: Limpopo Province, South Africa.
Today the group will have a chance to explore the Waterberg further, this time in a vehicle and join a big five game drive. Guests will be given the option of visiting a nearby game reserve (about a 45 min drive from Dinaka) this beautiful reserve is home to The Big 5 and offers wonderful opportunities to view lions and if we are lucky elephants from the safety of a vehicle. Back at Dinaka the afternoons ride is delightful opportunity for photography. A visit to ‘jackal dam’, which is a particularly attractive spot in the late-afternoon light, where the horses splash amongst the water lilies.

Day 7: Limpopo Province, South Africa.
Day 7 brings a full days ride to another area of the reserve, where Dinaka runs its highly successful breeding programme of rare species, which include white blesbok, red wildebeest, and bontebok.. A packed lunch is enjoyed en-route at the reserves only known hippo free lake giving riders a chance to experience the thrill of swimming with their horse in the African bush. After lunch the ride crosses a particularly fertile plain where riders can experience the exhilaration and thrill of cantering amongst large herds of game, with many different species galloping together across the plains. You then make your way back to the lodge in time for afternoon tea and a welcome break to both horse and rider in the form of a game drive. A Dinaka guide will escort you on an informative drive, where you will visit another area inhabited by yet more rare species such as buffalo, sable and black impala. This drive ends with a surprise dinner in the bush where guests relax around the fire, enjoy the African night sky and toast their experiences whilst a feast is served.

Day 8: Johannesburg, South Africa.
One last opportunity to enjoy riding on this stunning reserve with its amazing array of wildlife. A final gallop on your favorite mount along the endless sandy tracks, before returning to the lodge to enjoy another of their infamous brunches. Guests then depart after brunch.

Included:
Arrival and departure airport transfers as per itinerary
All accommodation
All meals
All drinks
All Activities as mentioned in the itinerary.
All transfers between camps
Services of the guides
All riding equipment