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South Africa

South Africa is truly one of the most extraordinary horseback riding holidays I have ever done. Here you live for a few weeks on a horse farm in the middle of a nature reserve. Your days consist of horse riding, spotting zebras and giraffes, game drives by jeep and cooking with the other volunteers in the evening. It feels a bit like you are actually living there instead of being on holiday, which makes this trip so special. Important to know: this trip is for participants aged between 18 and 40 and you will stay at the horse farm for a minimum of 2 weeks.

During this trip, you will stay at a horse farm, where you will volunteer a bit. This means you will occasionally help with small jobs, such as checking the horses for water in the evening, but otherwise you will mainly be riding and doing fun things. You live with a group of other volunteers and share a room with private bathroom with one other volunteer. There is a communal kitchen and living room where everyone gathers. Breakfast and dinner are arranged by yourself, but lunch is cooked for you every day and your room is cleaned.

You will get jumping and polework lessons and go on regular outrides. In the reserve where you ride, you may encounter zebras and giraffes along the way, which makes riding here really special. There are no dangerous animals in this reserve, so you don't have to worry about your safety. Besides the organised lessons and outdoor rides, you often have the opportunity to ride even more, as all the horses need exercise every day. Together with the other volunteers, you will then agree who rides which horses. For example, you can ride in the arena, lunge or go on an outside ride together with another volunteer (you should never go on an outside ride alone).

Besides riding, almost every day you will go on game drive by jeep to spot wildlife (now the big five!). This is included in the price. On Sundays, you can do extra activities, like going to the Kruger Park, an elephant sanctuary, scenic nature tours or other activities. These activities are optional and you pay on the spot. You get a list of all activities and prices there and can choose what you want to take part in.

You can also choose to stay at the accommodation and relax by the pool, or go to the nearby town during the day for groceries, shops or nice coffee shops. The accommodation is in a secure reserve, so it's safe and you can go in and out independently during the day.

The minimum stay is 2 weeks, but you can extend your stay to 3 months. The longer you stay, the cheaper the price per week becomes. For example, a 2-week stay is £1,975 (± €2,270), while a 3-month stay costs £9,870 (± €11,350).

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Sunday

Sunday is the travel and arrival day. You fly to Hoedspruit Airport, where you are picked up and taken to your accommodation. This is usually a quiet day to arrive, check out your room, meet the other volunteers and get used to life on the horse farm.

Monday

The group will be divided into two groups so that everyone gets plenty of riding and can join the game drive. In the morning, one group goes on game drive while the other has a polework lesson. Later, the groups switch. In between, you help a little in the stable, there is theory, lunch and free time to relax. In the afternoon, one group goes on an outdoor ride and the other group again on a game drive. In the evening, you can optionally join the night check to make sure all the horses are okay.

Tuesday

On Tuesday, you will go on an outdoor ride with the whole group. Then you will help with the outreach, helping dogs in the area with food and medicine. In the afternoon, after lunch and some free time, you will help with the horses. Also this evening, you can join the optional night check again.

Wednesday

Wednesday looks a bit like Monday. The groups are again divided between game drives and jumping lessons. In between, you help in the stables, there is theory, lunch and free time. In the afternoon, one group goes on an outdoor ride and the other group goes on another game drive. In the evening, there is another optional night check.

Thursday

Thursday you help with the horses in the morning and then it's Thursday Funday: fun activities with the horses, often games, riding without a saddle or other fun stuff. After lunch you can go to the tourism centre or the town to do some shopping, look around or have a coffee. Later, you'll help with the horses for a bit and in the evening there's another optional night check.

Friday

On Friday, you will start by helping in the stables and then go on an outside ride with the whole group. In the afternoon there is time for stable work, theory, lunch, free time or possibly a visit to the town. Later in the afternoon, the whole group will go on game drive together. In the evening, there is another optional night check.

Saturday

Saturday is usually excursion day. What you will do depends on that weekend, e.g. a market, event or other activity. In the evening, the whole group often goes out for dinner at a restaurant. Again, this evening there is an optional night check.

Sunday

Sunday is a day of rest. This is also the day when new people arrive and others leave. You can spend this day relaxing by the pool, reading a book or taking an optional excursion, such as a day trip to Kruger National Park. In the evening, there is another optional night check.

Accommodation

The accommodation consists of double rooms that you share with another volunteer, each with their own bed. You have your own shower and toilet in the room and large windows with a view outside. And by view, I mean real view - it is quite normal for animals to walk by. Once we even had zebras in the garden. You would be wise to close your windows when you leave though, as the monkeys have been known to come and "clean up" your room. There is a common living room and kitchen where you get together a lot with the other volunteers and there is a swimming pool where you can relax after riding. The accommodation is right next to the horses' paddocks, so you can walk straight from your room to the stables.

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South Africa

The guides on the South African safari trail whisper about the "Memory Pools," hidden watering holes that are said to hold onto the sounds of everything that has ever drunk from them. They say the water doesn't just quench your thirst; it shares its secrets.

During a long ride through the bushveld, Susja's horse, a sturdy Boerperd named Kalahari, suddenly veered from the path, pulling her toward a cluster of ancient Marula trees. Tucked behind them was a small, perfectly still pool, so clear it looked like a piece of the sky had fallen to earth. Trusting her horse, she dismounted and let him drink.

As Kalahari's muzzle touched the surface, the water didn't just ripple; it seemed to hum. When Susja squeezed and cupped her hands to drink, the world went silent, but her mind filled with sound. It wasn't a sound that reached her ears, but one that bloomed directly in her thoughts. She heard the thunder of a thousand wildebeest hooves from a migration long past, the low rumble of a lion's content sigh from the night before, and faintest of all, the rhythmic beat of ancient drums from a people who had danced on that very spot centuries ago.

Kalahari lifted his head, his ears twitching, listening to the same silent symphony. For a moment, they weren't just a rider and a horse in the present; they were visitors to all of the moments that had ever made that piece of Africa what it was, a land that remembers everything.

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Overview

14 days / 14 riding days
85
Riding level:
Beginner
Accommodation, a kitchen full of ingredients for self-catering, unlimited tea, coffee and water, horseback riding (lessons and outside rides), game drives in the Big 5 reserve, washing your clothes, wifi and transfers to and from Hoedspruit airport.
Flight to Hoedspruit, extra drinks outside tea/coffee, outings and activities you book yourself, such as the Kruger Park, the Big Swing or other excursions, and dining out.
Date Select
From €1975
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