Equestrian Destinations
As our small propeller plane flew over the Ngong Hills, Nairobi disappeared behind us. I immediately thought of scenes from Out of Africa, eager and excited to soon experience the Masai Mara in Kenya.
“An experience of a lifetime,” one is told to expect of the Mara. A safari that many only dream of going on and only the lucky few actually get to do. This was not just any safari, though — this was to be a week crossing the Masai Mara on horseback with my daughter by my side.
Arrival
The adventure began with Gordie Church, owner of Safaris Unlimited, greeting us as we landed on a remote dirt airstrip in Narok County, the northernmost section of the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem. Run by Gordie and his wife Felicia — the second generation of a family with over fifty years in the safari business — what they gave us was so much more than what we were expecting.
Life in Camp
Camp consisted of perfectly appointed tents and vanities, with all of the luxuries of a 5-star hotel. Days started with fresh Kenyan coffee and tea delivered to my tent. In the evenings, lavish dinners and night drives rounded out the day, before I would retire to find a hot water bottle under the duvet and my boots polished awaiting my next morning’s ride. My daughter and I would compare notes on the day over dinner, both of us equally undone by what we’d seen. Each night, I fell asleep to the sounds of Africa, which welcomed the most wonderful dreams of the day spent.
Everything about this trip came together seemlessly, and Gordie and Felicia give you the chance to spend time with the crew between rides. We felt part of the family rather than guests kept at arm’s length from the operation. With a staff of 20, including three Masai guides who guarded us with night-long fires to keep watch, we traversed over 200 km of the Mara, moving between three different campsites that to my astonishment would be set up and ready for us on arrival like magic. Their team delivered a fantastic dream-like vacation and window to the area, allowing guests to live in the Mara for a week and experience nature as it should be experienced.
Conservation and a light footprint aren’t an afterthought for Safaris Unlimited — they’re core to how the operation runs, down to the mobile camps that come and go with the horses, leaving only fire pit ashes as evidence we had been there.
On the Trail
Camping with some of the most dangerous wildlife in the world suddenly seems normal and acceptable instead of absurd and ridiculous. Rabbits were replaced by springhares, deer and fox seen by many equestrians out on a trail in the northern hemisphere were replaced with hippos and wildebeests as the common sightings. On horseback, the beauty and vast distance of the horizon became our daily view. Out here, you adopt a different respect for life; consumed by this exquisite ecosystem, I found myself moving through each day slower, more alert, more grateful. This experience was one like no other — surrounded by an endless landscape, riding side by side with Kenya’s abundant wildlife, my daughter just ahead of me on the trail.
Seeing the Mara from the animal’s perspective while on horseback was an extra gift most do not experience while on safari. Gordie didn’t ride with a rifle. He respected the environment and that we were visitors in a land that belonged to the animals. We were their guests, privileged to witness the circle of life. This was more than a safari — this was learning to release day-to-day learned behaviors and adapt, immediately and willingly, to a different way of seeing life.
This was more than a safari, this was learning to release day-to-day learned behaviors and immediately adapt to a different, yet welcomed, way of seeing life.
Throughout this unique equestrian safari, Gordie demonstrated that collaboration with your horse, trusting your instincts and that of your mount, was paramount. To be vulnerable and experience the African plains while riding an animal myself connected me to the wildlife surrounding us on a direct level. Seeing animals exist in their most optimal natural environment made me feel a happiness I didn’t know I had lost and left me full once again.
Under African Skies
Picnics and great conversation with fellow riders, fire pits, and dark star-filled nights connected us to a way of living I had forgotten to appreciate in our technology-filled and busy world. It is said that you can see farther in an African night’s sky than anywhere else in the world.
Daisy, one of Gordie and Felicia’s seasonal equestrian crew, said, “what I love about the Mara, and what always has me dying to return, is the sense of freedom one feels here in the vast open spaces and the wildness. Feeling free from life’s usual occupation, with a freedom to talk to someone properly and to learn who they are and what makes them. Every day is different, as is every animal you encounter. Everything looks at you differently and so you do the same.”
The Last Night
On our last night, I told Gordie I would miss so many aspects of being on safari that I experienced while being in Kenya. Gordie replied: “What you might miss the most is the quiet and serenity of the Mara.” He had knowledge that he knew I would soon discover: I would only be able to fully appreciate the magic of the Mara once I left. Watching my daughter fall asleep that final evening, still talking about the hippos, I knew this was the “experience of a lifetime” we’d been promised — and that we’d carry it home with us long after the plane touched back down in Nairobi.
If Kenya has you dreaming, explore more of our Africa riding destinations, read about the region’s wildlife in Exploring Kenya’s Wildlife on Horseback, or learn more about why conservation shapes every trip we recommend.
Plan Your Visit
Operator: Safaris Unlimited, founded 1971 — Gordie and Felicia Church, second generation, over fifty years guiding riding and wildlife safaris across East Africa.
Where: Masai Mara, Narok County, Kenya — part of the greater Mara-Serengeti ecosystem, roughly 5,000 sq. km at 5,000–6,500 ft altitude.
The ride: The classic Masai Mara Ride runs 8 nights in a mobile private canvas camp, alternating full riding days when camp moves with shorter days out-and-back to camp. Riders cover 20–30km a day, roughly 200km over the week, on horseback English-style. A shorter 6-night version is also available.
Who it’s for: Confident, intermediate-plus riders and above — you’ll need to be secure at all paces, capable on open and uneven ground, and able to gallop if the situation calls for it. Not suitable for novice or beginner riders.
Getting there: Fly into Nairobi, then transfer by light aircraft to a remote dirt airstrip in Narok County, where camp staff meet you on arrival.