Ride Botswana | Riding Safari Association

About

From the waterways of the Okavango Delta to the arid salt pans of the Makgadikgadi, Botswana is a land where the desert meets an oasis.

A land where wildlife still roams freely over vast distances and the Milky Way glitters in all its glory above. A land still home to the San Bushman, the original inhabitants of this great continent, Africa.

With our passion for wildlife, pristine wilderness and ancient people, join us on horseback exploring the remote areas.

Ride

Ride Botswana is the only company offering horseback safaris in diverse regions of the country, namely the Okavango Delta, the Kalahari Desert and the Thamalakane River, thus giving you the unique opportunity to experience the contrast of these magnificent landscapes and habitats.

Combining the mosaic of wild and wet in the Okavango Delta, the unbroken stretches of the Salt Pans of the arid Kalahari Desert and the riverine woodland of the Thamalakane River, Ride Botswana offers you a horse safari unlike any other.

Ride Botswana caters to every level of experience. You determine your own level of adventure! Ride Botswana takes care to group you together with riders of your experience level so that you will enjoy the ride of your lifetime!

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Guides & horses

Botswana is a land of miracles and paradoxes, a flat sea of arid land which meets myriad channels of clear water interspersed with lush islands of clattering palms and expanses of harsh white salt and soft grasses. It is ever-changing, a wilderness which constantly surprises in its astonishing variety of wildlife, peoples and experiences.

We invite you to share David and Robyn Foot’s passion for this serene but exciting land by joining them to explore these remote areas on horseback.

Born and raised in Africa, David and Robyn Foot share a love for exploring the wildest places in Africa on horseback. Ride Botswana remains 100% owner-operated, with their eldest daughter Kirsty officially joining the business in 2016. With over 30 years guiding experience, David is considered to be one of Africa's most accomplished horse guides.

The Feet (as they are known) have a herd of thirty-eight fit, responsive and reliable horses which are adapted to their environment. They vary in breeds from sporty Thoroughbred X, to hardy Apaloosas and tough African Boerperds, as well as some lovely Shire X, Friesian X, and gentle Botswana Kalahari ponies: perfect for children.

The horses range in size from 14hh - 17hh, and some of these can cater for the heavier rider.

Under the guidance of our permanent and qualified Equestrian Stable Manager, a team of fifteen guides and grooms takes pride in the wellbeing of their horses, ensuring that they are well-schooled but not overworked and well rested in between safaris.

Botswana

Recently declared the 1,000th World Heritage Site, the unique Okavango Delta is a horse rider’s Eden: as the floodwaters spread down into the Kalahari sands, the herds and birdlife follow, and horseback is the perfect place from which to observe them. This Delta Ride is unlike any other. Rather than a permanent riding camp, a lightweight mobile camp is transported by a flotilla of mekoros (traditional dugout canoes) poled by members of the local community, who live on the fringes of the Delta and know it intimately. The riding and the horses are unsurpassed, the wildlife is astonishing and the food (cooked over a log fire) is fabulous. Our camp is extremely comfortable in lightweight tents with standing room, fully made up stretcher beds, bucket showers and short drop loos.

In the heart of Botswana, lies the captivating Makgadikgadi, the largest network of salt pans in the world. Burnished copper and gold grasslands, shimmering white expanses of salt and savannah are the essence of this part of the Kalahari Desert. Space and more space leading to endless horizons full of wildlife. Vast herds of zebra and wildebeest pass through the area followed by lion and cheetah, reaching their peak numbers in the early part of the year. Rare desert-adapted species such as the elusive brown hyena and aardwolf make regular appearances with the habituated meerkat colonies being a perennial highlight. Elephant are often encountered, and springbok and kudu are regular visitors.