WHERE TO GO IN AUGUST
The iconic floods have arrived to the Okavango Delta and with them come huge amounts of wildlife and splashy canters.
August is the time to head to Africa. The Great Migration has bought millions of wildebeest and zebra to the Masai Mara in Kenya. Namibia is the perfect temperature for fast riding in the now-cooled desert.
In Kyrgyzstan it’s high summer. The weather is excellent and the snow has fully melted. Now is the time to undertake our most epic adventure - the 18 Day Great Silk Road Trek, or, if you don’t have the time, join our exclusive, Black Saddle hosted, Celestial Mountains 11 day ride.
It’s hot in Europe and many stables have shut their doors to rest the horses but you can still ride at Castle Leslie in Ireland (if you get in quick, they’re usually fully booked a year in advance).
It’s winter in South America, Patagonia is frozen over but you might enjoy a stay up in the north of Argentina where the temperatures range between 9 and 19 degrees Celcius.
MACATOO | OKAVANGO DELTA | BOTSWANA
7 Nights | US$6,580 | Max 7 Riders | Luxury Tented Fixed Camp
August is the best time to visit the Delta. The iconic floods have arrived from Angola. The rain in January there takes six months to reach the Delta. The delta is alive and electric, teeming with loads of animals in all directions. The water levels are high and you can enjoy Mokoro boat safaris - you may even be picked up from the airport in one. The dry months are the best time to visit the Okavango Delta for big game viewing due to the concentration of animals around the Okavango flood waters and the thin vegetation allowing good visibility.
Botswana is one of if not the best place in the world to see a wide array of wildlife. There is no better way to savour the Okavango Delta and experience its unparalleled wildlife population than on horseback.
Accommodation is in a lovely luxury tented camps with real flushing loos and wonderful hot showers. The ideal wildlife safari for someone who isn’t keen on camping. This is an excellent honeymoon destination. Non-riders very welcome.
Join our Black Saddle group from 24 - 31 August 2024
Arrive any time for a minimum of three nights
DRY SEASON: £940 per person per night sharing, £6,580 for 7 nights
Discounts on the charter flight transfers for long stays (7 nights is 50% off and get free transfers when staying 10 nights).
CELESTIAL MOUNTAINS | KYRGYZSTAN
10 Nights | €1,899 | Max 8 riders | Black Saddle Exclusive
Kyrgyzstan is known as ‘Switzerland of the East’. Blue alpine lakes, snowy mountain peaks and not a fence in sight. You’ll ride in two mountain ranges, see thousands of free roaming horses, scale mountain passes, stay in yurts, and explore soviet Bishkek on this tour that we have designed to see the very best of country.
Explore the old silk road, following the route along the Chui valley and visiting Kyrgyzstan’s Burana Tower - a relic from an long disappeared empire made rich with silk road trade.
August is the hottest part of year. The days are long and hot but nights can still be cool so remember to bring lots of layers. We will light the fireplaces in the yurts to keep them cosy for you.
08 - 18 August 2024 | Black Saddle Exclusive + Hosted Ride (fully booked)
Ride in June or July or put your name on the 2025 waitlist by filling in a Rider Form.
THE GREAT SILK ROAD TREK| KYRGYZSTAN
17 Nights | From €2,699 | Max 10 Riders | Off grid expedition
Conditions are finally right for our greatest expedition. For 17 days you will ride across the Ala Too mountain range, peaking at Song Kul Lake, an alpine jewel in the middle of the country lying at 3,000 meters. This is an adventure for the fit and the brave. You will ride up to eight hours a day, walking often to save your horse on the downhill. You’ll scramble over mountain passes at 3,600 meters. You are supported by a truck and a cook, so your luggage travels ahead of you, but be prepared for changes in route, all weather and all terrain.
You’ll visit the eagle hunters on our exclusive Black Saddle version and we’ve also upgraded the accommodation for more privacy and access to bathrooms where possible. This is a true expedition though, almost totally off grid, with most nights in tents wild camping.
A true, lie affirming adventure.
07 - 24 August 2024 Black Saddle Exclusive
WILD SICILY| ITALY
7 Nights | From €1,900 | Max 10 Riders | Mountain riding to the crater of Mount Etna
An epic trail, which crosses the greenest and wildest part of Sicily, setting off from the northern Madonie Mountains in the territory of Cefalù and crossing the wooded Nebrodi Mountains to arrive at Mount Etna, one of the world's most active volcanoes.
Join Black Saddle founder Emma Barron as we trial this well established ride for the first time.
To join fill in a rider form here and we will send you all the info.
24 - 31 August 2024
NAMIBIA
9 - 10 Nights | From £5,800 | Max 12 Riders | Mobile Speed Safari
Is this the best safari in the world for fast riding? Andrew Gillies is the horseman in Southern Africa and has perfected the art of the safari. With one of the highest rebook rates of any safari worldwide this should be on everyone’s bucketlist. The horses are athletic and a joy to ride, the going is fast and varied, the scenery changes moment to moment.
August is an excellent time to visit. The Namib ‘winter’ has arrived making the temperatures cool enough for comfortable sleeping. You’re very unlikely to get rain. Perfect riding conditions.
Gallop across the Namib Desert on a fast horse, kicking up dust behind you, sleep under the stars, indulge in incredible food (often featuring local game) cooked up by the two chefs and immerse yourself in an old school adventure style progressive ride that dramatically finishes at the Skeleton Coast. Thrilling, life affirming riding and one of our all time favourites.
14 - 24 August 2024 - Namib Desert (fully booked)
24 July - 3 August 2024 - Elephant Damara (fully booked)
30 July - 9 August 2025 - Elephant Damara
20 - 30 August 2025 - Namib Desert
OFFBEAT | MASAI MARA | KENYA
7 Nights | US$9,870 | Max 12 Riders | Mobile Canvas Wildlife Safari
The Great Migration is here! Large herds of wildebeest and zebra arrive from Tanzania in pursuit of the best grass. The wildlife sightings are excellent all year around in the Mara and being on the equator you’re likely to have great temperate weather almost all year too.
One of the original riding safaris and very highly regarded in the industry. We know you’ll have the time of your life with world-class guiding and more close calls with wildlife than you can crack a stock whip at. Offbeat is known for adventurous riding, there will be many fast and free gallops across the Mara, you’ll get very close to lions on horseback, and if you come across a tree pushed over by an itchy elephant, you’re free to pop your horse over it. Many of the horses are evented before they become safari horse so are exceptionally well schooled and capable.
A bucket list safari for sure!
10 - 17 August 2024
17 - 24 August 2024 (fully booked)
09 - 16 August 2025
16 - 22 August 2025
KILIMANJARO ELEPHANT SAFARI| ARUSHA | TANZANIA
7 Nights | US$6,550 | Max 10 Riders | Mobile Canvas Safari + one night at a lodge
Gallop with herds of zebra and giraffe with Mount Kilimanjaro as a backdrop. August is high season for this incredible wildlife safari. The riding is sporty and guide Jo is a force. She will get you close to game and will be the last woman standing at (or on) the dinner table sharing drinks and swapping stories.
As a newer safari this is excellent value and significantly more affordable than a Masai Mara safari just over the border in Kenya. No compromise on experience or service though, you’re wow’d every day by the stunning national park, your amazing camp and the incredible wildlife.
Jo also owns a polo club so keen polo players come early and play a few chukkas before heading off to see the wildlife. There’s also incredible kite-surfing and turquoise beaches on the island of Zanzibar to escape to after your ride. Tanzania is a real adrenaline junkies paradise.
10 - 17 August 2024
22 - 29 August 2024
13 - 20 August 2025
23 - 30 August 2025
CASTLE LESLIE | IRELAND
3 or 5 Nights | From €1,200 | Cross Country or Hacking Holidays
Incredibly popular Castle Leslie is usually fully booked out in August a year in advance. The hotel is stunningly beautiful, you’re accommodated in a stone mansion with the stable just next door. The Irish horses live up to the reputation being sporty and forward with a few school masters in the mix. The riding is adapted to all levels with the bravest riders popping over the 300 jumps on the 1000 acre estate, the pleasure riders enjoying gorgeous hacks at great pace and you can even learn to ride here.
Something for everyone - even your non-riding companion is welcome. There’s plenty for them to do, just ask us!
Arrive any time for a minimum of three nights.
August 2024 fully booked, August 2025 bookings now open
ANTS SAFARIS| SOUTH AFRICA
From 3 Nights | From £350 per person per night | Lodge based wildlife safaris
Only a 3 hour drive from Johannesburg, you’ll find twin properties, Ants Hill and Ants Nest. Situated on a private game reserve in the spectacular, malaria-free Waterberg region of South Africa, created by Ant Barber, who built the properties and still calls the Nest home. This is one of the best places to see rhino from horseback. Add three nights here onto the end of your safari in Botswana to guarantee another Big Five sighting.
The Waterberg Biosphere in August usually receives almost no rainfall, averaging around 2.5 mm for the month. Temperatures range from 10°C to 25°C.
Ants is the perfect base to learn to ride, they will take you from whoa to canter.
Experienced riders will have fun galloping up and down the reserve dirt roads and relaxing with a G&T at one of the many viewpoints for sundowners.
The cottages are excellent for honeymooners with private locations, heated pools and romantic outlooks.
Arrive any time for a minimum of three nights. Choose between entire villas at glamorous Ants Hill or lovely rooms or suites ranging from cute to grand at Ants Nest.
August 2024 has good availability at both Ants Hill and Ants Nest. Ask us which is right for you.
August 2025 bookings now open
ESTANCIA DON JOAQUIN| ARGENTINA
From 4 days | From $210 per person per night | Hotel based stay
August is winter in Argentina but up north in Esquina it doesn’t feel like it. The days are still warm and the riding excellent. Visit equestrian shop Arandu in Buenos Aires on your way up north and you’ll pick up incredibly stylish, well made gaucho riding kit to make you feel like you’re the real deal. A wetland, with flamingoes, capybara and loads of birds to view, there is a wildlife safari feeling here though most people come for the great weather, gaucho culture and splashy canters. It’s not just Botswana that has amazing fast riding through wetlands
Angie, Diego and Josefina - your hosts - are so welcoming. Don Joaquin is very social, warm and has a cosy feeling. The rooms are excellent, recently refurbished to a high standard, meals are authentically argentine and meat heavy (though vegetarians you are welcome too).
This is a great place to learn to ride, they’ll have you cantering on day one. The saddles are deeply cushioned so you have great stickability. Don Joaquin is excellent for riders of all levels and you will be taken out with riders of a similar ability.
Arrive any time for a minimum of four days. Getting there is quirky, you take a luxury, lie flat overnight bus from Buenos Aires. It’s a bit of an adventure, like travelling business class on a plane.
WILD HORSES PHOTO TOUR| BOSNIA
3 Nights | Cost TBC | Hotel based stay
We are developing a brand new tour - and it doesn’t involve riding. Visit the wild horses of Livno, spending two day photographing them and half a day exploring the town of Livno by quad bike.
Our accommodation will be in a newly developed mountain eco lodge.
No riding experience necessary.
Arrive to and depart from Split, Croatia.
You can express your interest here. We will email you once the details are finalised.
August not right for you? Explore the full year
Catch our exclusive Icelandic Highlands in July or join George Scott or Kukutana in Spain in September.
