: Tented camp offer luxury accommodation, with wrought iron double or twin beds, fine linen, en suite bathrooms, a central dining tent and high standard of food and drinks. All of safaris are supported by a crew of grooms, chefs, waiters and general helpers to ensure maximum comfort for guests. Safari offers laundry service daily although women’s underwear is not done, but soap is available for hand washing.

Meals : The food on safari is extremely varied and made to a high standard. There is plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables are served with cooked breakfasts daily. Candlelit three course dinners are served on safari. 

:  Our main rains come in November each year with the short rains in April and May.  We do not operate riding safaris in these months.  June, July and August can be quite chilly and overcast.  By September and October the plains and hills have dried out and with it come the beautiful golden colors associated with Africa. In December and January the area is green with all the indigenous wild flowers out and drying out again in February and March before the short rains begin in April.  Temperatures vary between 33 degrees in the heat of the day and down to 15 degrees at night.

Special weather considerations:  Guests should always have a lightweight waterproof jacket – with weather patterns changing worldwide, it is a good thing to be prepared for showers.

Sunday: Nairobi - Chyulu Hills- Transfer to the Safarilink scheduled flight to the Chyulus departing at 0730hrs (or to a private charter if desired). The flight takes about 50 minutes and guests will be met on arrival by Patrick and Nicola, Ride Kenya’s guides and hosts, and transferred to the first camp site. After lunch in camp, guests have a chance to catch up on sleep before heading out for an afternoon ride. The horses will already be in the camp waiting for the guests upon arrival. Having received detailed information on each guest, Patrick and Nicola will have chosen a horse for everyone. This afternoon ride is designed to give guests a taste of the week ahead and to ensure a perfect match between horse and rider before the safari departs. Anyone who is not happily paired with a horse has a chance to change horses on the first day.

The first ride will usually end with a cold drink in a picturesque location, after which the guests will return to camp for a hot shower, drinks by the fire and a three course dinner.

Monday: Miti Moja- After a delicious breakfast at the camp, guests and their guides will set out on a five-six hour ride to a spectacular volcanic landscape known as Lenkiloriti, with a picnic lunch to break up the riding.  On the way, guests are likely to come across some of our exceptionally large bull elephants browsing in the forest before emerging onto the vast Mbirikani plains where they are likely to meet zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, oryx, gazelle, cheetah and even lion.

This ride skirts the now dormant lava flows that once spilled out from the volcanoes above.  It is within these lava flows that herds of buffalo and Kenya’s last population of wild black rhino reside. 

Guests will be met by a vehicle for lunch. Under the shade of a sprawling acacia tree, guests enjoy cool drinks and a picnic lunch before continuing with the ride.

After lunch, the ride will meander amongst the some of the youngest hills in Africa.  This magical landscape could be mistaken for another planet. The flat ground is dotted with massive golden volcanoes which have only been dormant for a few thousand years. In this area there is a chance to see klipspringer, baboon, coke’s hartebeest, rock hyrax and gerenuk. The ride usually ends at around 5pm back at the Miti Moja campsite. Guests often opt for a night game drive from this camp as there are often lion, leopard, and cheetah out on the prowl after dark.

Tuesday: Crater Camp- Tuesday’s ride leaves camp after breakfast and proceeds through the acacia forest up towards Chyulu East National Park.  En route, the ride will trek through seemingly endless stands of whistling thorn acacia as we begin our ascent into the Chyulu Hills. As we make our way, there are ample opportunities to canter, gallop and jump. 

Over the course of the day, the ride ascends about 2,000 feet above the plains with stunning views stretching for 90 miles on a clear day.  The ride arrives in camp for a late lunch.

The camp is nestled into a forest next to a large volcanic crater.  It is situated over looking the quintessential East African plains that lead up to Mt. Kilimanjaro. 

After lunch guests are invited to climb the volcanic crater in pursuit of the very rare verreaux’s eagle which nests in the nearly inaccessible rocky outcrops that line the rim of the crater.

As an alternative, guests can opt to explore the lava tubes that lie within walking distance of the camp. These jagged caves stretch for miles as they lead away from the crater and have been used by hunter gatherers for generations as shelter. Guests return to camp before sun-down for a shower, drinks and dinner.

Wednesday: Mist Forest camp - Today’s ride ascends another 2,000 feet higher into the Chyulu Hills.  A noticeable change in climate and temperature occurs as you reach over 7,000 feet above sea level.  The ride is dominated by incredible views of the vast wildernesses of Tsavo East National park to the east and Mount Kilimanjaro and Amboseli national park to the west.   Lunch will be had on the trail.  This day’s riding traverses steep slopes and valleys and the leading of our horses may be necessary at times.  During this ride, we will aim to arrive at our new camp for late afternoon tea.

Thursday: Mist Forest Camp - Thursday’s ride consists of further exploration of the hills.  Due to the altitude, the clouds often sit on the top of the Chyulu Hills.  This consistent moisture has given rise to miniature jungles that dot the summits of the hills.  Today’s ride focuses on the exploration of these mist forests. 

After returning for lunch in camp guests can either sit back and enjoy the views, or head into the forests in pursuit of the buffalo, leopard, syke’s monkey and giant forest hog that reside within

Friday: Kopjes - This morning we will descend out of the hills and ride to the Kopjes.  The Kopjes are huge granite outcrops in the middle of the savannah plains. This is about a 5 hour ride so we will begin early and get there for a late lunch. The day’s terrain will be mostly the classic, quintessential, short grass plains dotted with thorn trees. This country allows you plenty of opportunity for long canters amongst the zebra and wildebeest.  After a ride, walk or game drive in the afternoon, we will climb up on top of the kopjes for a magnificent sunset which will include a 360 degree panoramic view, dominated by Mount Kilimanjaro

Saturday:  Airstrip - After breakfast, guests will leave on the Safarilink schedule departing at 0830hrs (or Private Charter) to Nairobi.  They can enjoy a day in Nairobi, visiting museums, shopping or enjoying local animal sanctuaries (or get a dayroom at a hotel) before leaving on an evening flight to their International destination

* All itineraries are subject to change on account of weather and the movements of game.

Day 1: Arrival: Depart Wilson Airport at 0815 for a 60 minute schedule flight from Nairobi to Amboseli National Park.  Guests will be met by their guides Patrick Stanton and Nicola Young at the airstrip. Upon leaving the strip, guests will enjoy a game drive through the park as they make their way to Tall Tree Camp. As we pass through the park, there is a great chance to see elephant, buffalo, hyena, hippo, lion, cheetah, zebra, wildebeest and much more.
The first camp is located within meters of the Kenya-Tanzania border and it boasts fantastic views of Kilimanjaro to the south and the vast Amboseli lake-bed to the north.Following lunch at Tall Tree, there will be a two to three hour horse ride around the pockets of forest which surround us. There is a lot of wildlife around this campsite and we will be sure to have many fantastic sightings. After the ride we will arrive back at camp for sunset.

Full-day ride to Kopjes. After breakfast in camp, we will set off for a four hour horse ride to a stunning granite rock formation on the distant horizon. Upon arrival, we will have a picnic under the shade of a huge overhanging bolder and enjoy the views of Amboseli, Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Meru and Namanga.

After lunch, we will ride back to Tall Tree Camp. We expect the ride home to take two-three hours. The riding today will cover about 20 miles during which we will ride through the Acacia woodlands at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro where sleeping lion, and browsing elephant abound.

Dawn ride and afternoon game drive Today we will get up at dawn and set off very early on the horses, to enjoy some cool riding and great game viewing. This morning we might ride for about three-four hours. The ride will explore an area north of our camp where we are likely to encounter bands of nomadic Maasai herdsmen.After a breakfast in the bush, we will return to camp for a lazy lunch and chance to rest.  We will then head out for an afternoon game drive, during which we are likely to encounter a wide variety of wildlife. With Kilimanjaro as the backdrop and Amboseli’s world famous wildlife in the foreground, guests should be prepared for the ultimate in photographic opportunities.  After the drive, we will arrive back into camp in the evening, for a delicious three course dinner, in preparation for the long ride we will face the following day.

Ride through Amboseli to Patrick’s Camp. Today we will enter Amboseli National Park on horseback. We will do about 30 miles and we will traverse the secluded and game dense Enkongo Narok swamp. We expect to ride with large numbers of elephant, buffalo and plains game and perhaps even predators as we navigate our way through and around the swamps.

At one stage, we will be crossing a vast dry lake bed so there will be plenty of chances for galloping and even jumping some of the trees that have been pushed over by elephant. After 6-7 hours riding, we will camp on Olgulului Ranch, in an oasis of tall trees set in the midst of vast open country, with deep red soil and endless views.

Ride from Olgulului Ranch, to Mbirikani. Longeriti Camp. This day’s ride is to Mbirikani Ranch where we will find Longeriti Camp. This ride will be about 25-30 miles and we will take a packed lunch with us. We will set off early, and aim for the north end of the Chyulu Hills. We are crossing huge areas of Acacia scrubland, so hope to see eland, kudu, oryx, gerenuk, hartebeest, giraffe and even cheetah. In the evening, we can all enjoy a sunset game drive or walk.

Day 6: Day Trip to Mist Forest This morning we will give our horses some rest, and set off in the car for the top of the Chyulu Hills. A noticeable change in climate and temperature occurs as we reach over 7,000 feet above sea level.  The journey is dominated by incredible views of the vast wilderness of Tsavo East National Park to the east and Mount Kilimanjaro and Amboseli National Park to the west. We are heading for the mist forest, which is a wonderful and vast montane forest that we can walk through while we track the buffalo, giant forest hog, leopard and Sykes’ monkeys that reside within. We will enjoy a picnic lunch outside the forest, with amazing views of our entire journey so far. After lunch, we will drive back to Longeriti camp for an afternoon horse ride, a walk or a game drive.Tonight we will enjoy the last safari night at Longeriti Camp and we can end the day with a night game drive in search of the leopard and black rhino that emerge from the dense bush after dark.

One last breakfast in the bush and guests will depart camp to meet their plane at the Ol Donyo Wuas airstrip. Scheduled flight departs at 0830 otherwise guests can take a private charter anytime they wish