Riders will be advised to meet in Intercontinental Hotel across from airport in comfortable Premier Lounge where they can refreshen themselves. Transfers are scheduled for 10 or 11AM on the first day from Intercontinental to Dinaka, the trip normally taking a bit over two hours. Private transfers are also available if necessary.
On fifth day after short ride and brunch there will be a vehicle transfer from Dinaka to Botswana beginning normally at 11AM and arriving in Botswana by 3PM in time for afternoon ride.
On last day after ride and brunch you will depart Botwana by vehicle at 11:30 AM and arrive at Johannesburg Airport by 5PM. Private transfers can be supplied at additional costs.
Rates for transfers $360 US/180 GBP/260 E.

South African portion of trip is comfortable lodges in or near Dinaka Wilderness where your ride. Rooms will have two beds, and ensuite accommodations. Delicious meals and drinks are part of the package . Built originally as a family home, and still owned by the family, Jembisa has a wonderful atmosphere of relaxation and comfort. Staying here one does truly feel 'at home in the bush'. The lodge is built from local stone and thatch in harmony with its surroundings. It is a beautifully designed lodge with large, spacious rooms decorated with natural materials in an Afro-colonial style.
In Botswana we take you out to bush camps for your riding in comfortable tents, bucket showers in the camp and all meals. Most drinks in Botswana portion are not included and you keep score and pay by the honor system. See itinerary for differences between mobile and based camps in Botswana.

Malaria pills are required for Botswana portion of trip as the Tuli Bloch is not malaria free. Please consult us for full report on health conditions and preventive procedures.

11.00 am. Guests are met at the Johannesburg Intercontinental Hotel, (see appendix A) 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, a stunning stone and thatch safari lodge set high above a large hippo dam, offering a sweeping view of the surrounding plains.   Guests will arrive in time to relax and explore the beautiful surroundings and to meet with their guides and fellow safari group.  A late lunch will be served to revive the weary travellers.  Late afternoon, guests will have their first opportunity to acquaint themselves with their selected horse, to take in the wonderful open spaces around them, and to go in search of game in the soft afternoon light. This ride will give guests their first taste of the stunning variety of game on Dinaka.  The day will finish with sundowner drinks and a sumptuous three course evening meal.

We will take you on a ride to visit the ‘Small Serengeti Plains’ where you will be able to look and interpret the behavior of various plains game species. Your guides will have a surprise of bush “games” up their sleeve.  On the Dinaka plains riders will encounter the dense game populations this beautiful reserve is renowned for. Sightings of up to 15 rhino, together with 11 other species in your view, are not uncommon.  The open plains provide great opportunities for fast riding.  Riders are also able to experience that dream canter alongside herds of antelope as they gallop and pronk across the open savannah.  Back at the lodge guests can sunbathe above the hippo dam and watch these family orientated creatures interact and play in the heat of the day.   This afternoon the you may be able to go on a little cross country jumping or ride amongst beautiful big trees

Mountain exploration.  After an early breakfast we will set out on a hunt for some of the reserves more elusive mountain species - leopard, mountain zebra, mountain reedbuck, baboons, African rock python, rock dassies, klipspringers and cape vultures.  This ride follows a valley that leads deep into the Waterberg escarpment.  The path follows a crystal clear stream and passes several picturesque dams along the way.  The bush is dense and full of birdcalls. A picnic lunch will be enjoyed at one of the dams along the way, returning to the lodge in the early afternoon in time for a cooling swim and siesta.  The afternoon is a gentle pre-sunset ride to one of the larger dams hosting some of the many hippos on the reserve.

A ride to another area of the reserve, where Dinaka runs its highly successful breeding programme for highly valued species, which include white blesbuck, sable antelope and bontebok.  En route the ride crosses a particularly fertile plain where riders can experience the exhilaration and thrill of cantering amongst herds of game, with many different species galloping together across the plains. 

The afternoon proves a welcome break to both horse and rider.  A Dinaka guide will escort you on an informative game drive, where you will visit another area inhabited by the buffalo and some unusual red wildebeest.  The guide, who is responsible for the feeding and monitoring of the rhino on the reserve, will accompany the guests for a very special opportunity to approach and observe some of the rhino on foot.  The last night is the final ‘braai’ evening where guests relax around the fire, enjoy the African night sky and toast their experiences whilst a feast is served.

In the morning there is a last chance to find any species not yet found and one last gallop along these endless sandy lanes. After a hearty brunch, and sad goodbyes, guests are transferred to their next destination - on the other side of the Botswana border!  You will depart the lodge at approximately 10.30 to Limpopo Valley Horse Safaris – a transfer of approximately 3.5 hours. Upon arrival at the stunning camp afternoon tea will be served and guests will have a chance to settle in and relax. The afternoon will also bring a introductory ride to familiarize riders with their horses.   The ride goes to the Confluence camp, where the Majale and the Limpopo meet.  The ride follows the course of the Limpopo, which has the majestic Mashatu trees all along its course.    Upon arrival at the camp, you will be met by the luxury of a well-deserved sundowner overlooking the river and a hot shower under the stars.  Our well renowned bush cook serves dinner before retiring to your very comfortable beds set up in the comfort of your tent.  Let the night bush sounds serenade you to sleep….

(please also see alternative static camp itinerary in Appendix B)
After an early rise and a light breakfast you will head out to explore the Limpopo Valley, including a natural marshland called ”Nels Vlei”, the Majale island witch is guaranteed to keep you on your toes, as this is where the Majale Island pride of lions hang out. Possibly you will pass by Kanda Corner where the giraffes sometimes are browsing on the mopane bush, as well as the aptly named Elephants Valley! The morning ride is 6-7 hours as you explore the area teeming with general game, while heading in a northerly direction. Lunch will be enjoyed at Jwala Camp under the shade of the Ana tree, as the horses graze around you.  In the afternoon you will be taken on walk into the hills of Jwala to explore up close the beauty of the area, your guide will enlighten you to the wonder of the following tracks and signs of the bush.   On return to camp sundowners await you around the campfire and dinner is served under the Ana tree. Enjoy the peace and quiet interrupted only by the occasional sounds of lions, hyenas and jackals.

Today is another early start as you will be again in the saddle for up to 6-7 hours; a good breakfast will fortify you for this day! The route goes in a westerly direction and takes you to the most outlying part of Mashatu, the Kgotla Camp amidst the most amazing sandstone formations and with some amazing baobabs trees.  You will be following mostly old elephant trails, made over great periods of time, truly the land of the giants!! This ride brings the opportunity of jumping some of the fallen logs, pushed over by elephants. Lunch will await you under a splendid Mashatu tree, and then after a lunchtime siesta you head out to the Mmmagua ruins to experience how ancient communities in the area used to live. You will also meet the Baobab where Cecil John Rhodes engraved his initials while he was in the area. It is a fascinating insight into the area and its history. Back at the camp, dinner is served under the stars, and tonight you also get to sleep out under the stars as you are inside a “boma”. An unbeatable experience!