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South Africa

South Africa is truly one of the most special horseback riding holidays I have ever done. Here you live for a few weeks on a horse farm in the middle of a nature reserve. Your days consist of horse riding, spotting zebras and giraffes, game drives by jeep and cooking with the other volunteers in the evening. It feels a bit like you are actually living there instead of being on holiday, which makes this trip so special. Important to know: this trip is for participants aged between 18 and 40 and you will stay at least 2 weeks on the horse farm.

Tijdens deze reis verblijf je op een paardenbedrijf, waar je deels meedraait als vrijwilliger. Dat betekent dat je af en toe helpt met kleine klusjes — denk aan even checken of de paarden ’s avonds genoeg water hebben — maar verder ben je vooral veel aan het rijden en leuke dingen aan het doen.
Je woont samen met andere vrijwilligers and theelt een kamer met eigen badkamer met één iemand. Er is ook een gezamenlijke keuken en woonkamer waar iedereen samenkomt. Ontbijt en avondeten regel je zelf, maar de lunch wordt elke dag voor je gekookt en je kamer wordt schoongemaakt.

Je krijgt spring- en polework lessen en gaat regelmatig op buitenrit. En dat is hier extra bijzonder: je rijdt in een reservaat waar je onderweg gewoon zebra’s en giraffes kunt tegenkomen. Geen zorgen trouwens — er leven hier geen gevaarlijke dieren.

Naast de lessen en geplande ritten kun je vaak nog extra rijden. De paarden moeten namelijk elke dag beweging krijgen, dus samen met de andere vrijwilligers spreek je af wie welk paard rijdt. Je kunt bijvoorbeeld in de bak rijden, longeren of samen op buitenrit (alleen gaan mag niet).
En alsof dat nog niet genoeg is, ga je bijna elke dag op game drive met een jeep om wilde dieren te spotten — dit keer wél de big five. Dit zit gewoon bij de prijs inbegrepen. Op zondag kun je optioneel extra dingen doen, zoals een bezoek aan het Krugerpark, een olifantenopvang of mooie natuurtochten. Je krijgt daar een overzicht van met prijzen en kiest zelf waar je zin in hebt.

Liever even niks doen? Dat kan natuurlijk ook. Chill bij het zwembad of ga overdag naar het stadje vlakbij voor wat boodschappen, winkels of een koffietentje. De accommodatie ligt in een beveiligd reservaat, dus het is er veilig en je kunt overdag gewoon in en uit.

Je blijft minimaal 2 weken, maar je kunt het uitbreiden tot wel 3 maanden. Hoe langer je blijft, hoe voordeliger het wordt per week. Zo betaal je voor 2 weken £1.975 (ongeveer €2.270), en voor 3 maanden £9.870 (ongeveer €11.350).

DAY 1
DAY 2
DAY 3
DAY 4
DAY 5
DAY 6
DAY 7
DAY 8

Sunday

Sunday is the travel and arrival day. You fly to Hoedspruit Airport, where you are picked up and taken to your accommodation. This is usually a quiet day to arrive, check out your room, meet the other volunteers and get used to life on the horse farm.

Monday

The group will be divided into two groups so that everyone has plenty of riding time and can join the game drive. In the morning, one group goes on game drive while the other has a polework lesson. Later, the groups switch. In between, you help a little in the stable, there is theory, lunch and free time to relax. In the afternoon, one group goes on an outdoor ride and the other group again on a game drive. In the evening, you can optionally join the night check to make sure all the horses are okay.

Tuesday

On Tuesday, you will go on an outdoor ride with the whole group. Then you will help with the outreach, helping dogs in the area with food and medicine. After lunch and some free time you will help with the horses in the afternoon. Also this evening, you can join the optional night check again.

Wednesday

Wednesday looks a bit like Monday. The groups are again divided between game drives and jumping lessons. In between, you help in the stable, there is theory, lunch and free time. In the afternoon, one group goes on an outdoor ride and the other group again on a game drive. In the evening, there is another optional night check.

Thursday

Thursday you help with the horses in the morning and then it's Thursday Funday: fun activities with the horses, often games, riding without a saddle or other fun things. After lunch you can go to the tourism centre or the town to do some shopping, look around or have a coffee. Later, you'll help with the horses for a bit and in the evening there's another optional night check.

Friday

On Friday, you will start by helping in the stable and then go on an outdoor ride with the whole group. In the afternoon there is time for stable work, theory, lunch, free time or possibly a visit to the town. Later in the afternoon, the whole group will go on game drive together. In the evening, there is another optional night check.

Saturday

Saturday is usually excursion day. What you will do depends on that weekend, e.g. a market, event or other activity. In the evening, the whole group often goes out for dinner in a restaurant. This evening, too, there is an optional night check.

Sunday

Sunday is a day of rest. This is also the day when new people arrive and others leave. You can spend this day relaxing by the pool, reading a book or going on an optional excursion, such as a day trip to Kruger National Park. In the evening, there is another optional night check.

Accommodation

Accommodation consists of double rooms shared with another volunteer, each with their own bed. You have your own shower and toilet in the room and large windows with a view outside. And by view I mean real view - it is quite normal for animals to walk by. Once we even had zebras in the garden. You would be wise to close your windows when you leave though, as the monkeys have been known to come and "clean up" your room. There is a common living room and kitchen where you get together a lot with the other volunteers and there is a swimming pool where you can relax after riding. The accommodation is right next to the horses' paddocks, so you can walk straight from your room to the stables.

Available dates

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South Africa

The guides on the South African safari trail whisper about the "Memory Pools," hidden watering holes that are said to hold onto the sounds of everything that has ever drunk from them. They say the water doesn't just quench your thirst; it shares its secrets.

During a long ride through the bushveld, Susja's horse, a sturdy Boerperd named Kalahari, suddenly veered from the path, pulling her toward a cluster of ancient Marula trees. Tucked behind them was a small, perfectly still pool, so clear it looked like a piece of the sky had fallen to earth. Trusting her horse, she dismounted and let him drink.

As Kalahari's muzzle touched the surface, the water didn't just ripple; it seemed to hum. When Susja squeezed and cupped her hands to drink, the world went silent, but her mind filled with sound. It wasn't a sound that reached her ears, but one that bloomed directly in her thoughts. She heard the thunder of a thousand wildebeest hooves from a migration long past, the low rumble of a lion's content sigh from the night before, and faintest of all, the rhythmic beat of ancient drums from a people who had danced on that very spot centuries ago.

Kalahari lifted his head, his ears twitching, listening to the same silent symphony. For a moment, they weren't just a rider and a horse in the present; they were visitors to all of the moments that had ever made that piece of Africa what it was, a land that remembers everything.

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Overview

14 days / 14 riding days
85
Riding level:
Beginner
Accommodation, a kitchen full of ingredients for self-catering, unlimited tea, coffee and water, horseback riding (lessons and outside rides), game drives in the Big 5 reserve, washing your clothes, wifi and transfers to and from Hoedspruit airport.
Flight to Hoedspruit, extra drinks outside tea/coffee, outings and activities you book yourself, such as the Kruger Park, the Big Swing or other excursions, and eating out.
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From €1975
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