Goosebump moments with the Big 5 in South Africa

The South African sun burns on my body. For minutes I gallop through the sparse bush of the reserve, sometimes accompanied by giraffes, zebras or wildebeests. We slow down the pace. The guide of our horse safari has picked up a scent. Are we about to meet lions, elephants or cheetahs? Quiet as mice and full of tension we ride on the red sand. Thorns scratch my skin and get caught in my arms. We stop and my breath catches in my throat.

Coming almost within reach of elephants, lions, cheetahs or rhinos on horseback - an indescribable feeling. On a horse safari in South Africa, that is exactly what is possible. It is both the most natural and the most dangerous way to encounter the Big Five and other wild animals. I'll now tell you how such a safari works and what you can experience!

Day 1: Arrival and the first ride into the bush

I board the shuttle at Johannesburg Airport bound for Hoedspruit. My destination: Wait A Little Farm in the Karongwe Private Reserve. A good 5-hour drive lies ahead of me. Green fields, poor villages with only a few simple houses and gigantic views into the valley pass by. My anticipation for the horse safari is boundless. I am so excited that I cannot suppress a permanent smile on my lips.

I am jolted out of my reverie when the shuttle suddenly stops and I am the first to disembark alone. Only a few minutes later, Claire, who looks after the horses, collects me at the entrance to the reserve and drives me to the facility. On the short 10-minute drive, a curious giraffe already shows itself and puts a big grin on my face. This is the way to go!

When I arrive at the reserve, Susie, the manager, welcomes me warmly. I am given a drink and a sandwich, and soon the other group members arrive. Then I move into my tent, which is built on stilts and has a huge tree growing through it. I am blown away: an open bathroom, a free-standing tub with a view of the greenery and a shower under the open sky!

The feeling of freedom in harmony with nature on a horse safari

After the subsequent safety training, the first ride is already on the agenda. Full of anticipation, I swing myself into the saddle and after a few metres the first gallop through the bush follows. It's an amazing feeling of freedom and harmony with nature - I can hardly believe my luck!

I have never seen wild animals in the wild before and it is unbelievable to experience how relaxed the elephants react to the horses and the giraffes even turn to us with curiosity. All the horses remain totally calm and I immediately feel completely safe.

Around half past six we reach a place where the volunteers, who work in the reserve for 3 months, are waiting with a sundowner and snacks. I decide on gin and tonic, a typical drink in South Africa, which will also become a ritual in the coming days. From here, we watch the sun disappear behind the Drakensberg together with the horses and then ride home happily.

For our first dinner we are served a local speciality, springbok, which tastes really, really good. As I then lie in my bed, I only really realise that I am now completely in the wasteland that is the African bush. Nothing but crickets, frogs and a rustle here and there can be heard.

Day 2: Giraffes, rhinos and a thirsty elephant family

As I do every morning from now on, I am woken up at 5:30 am with a cheerful "Good morning" by a staff member and find my desired drink (mango orange juice) in a basket in front of my tent. As it gets quite chilly in the bush at night, I gladly slip into my long riding clothes. At 6am I have a snack for breakfast and at half past six I am back in the saddle - this time with Castello, a super pretty young black horse.

We ride to the river bed, which is only filled with fine sand due to the long period of drought. Suddenly Rusty stops, looks down at the ground and looks around. He has spotted traces of a leopard. And there he is, a long way off, but I can make him out. An incredibly beautiful animal! Unfortunately, leopards are very shy animals, so you have to be really lucky, like me, to come across one.

We continue on our horse safari through the bush, where I am confronted for the first time with the mean thorns of the bushes. Ratchet and I have several scratches on my arm and a thorn in my finger. As compensation, however, I find myself just a few metres away from rhinos. Since they are still young, they walk right up to us, to a frightening three metres, and eye us with interest. I have goose bumps again, but not from fear, but overwhelming that I can experience something like this!

A herd of elephants up close & a delicious lunch

The elephant herd is still close to us and we have another chance to watch them at close quarters as they tear branches from the trees, trample bushes or lie down comfortably. Suddenly a giant appears behind us, ears wagging, who doesn't like the fact that we are in his way. Now the horses get a bit nervous too, but Rusty has the situation under control and the elephant decides to go another way. The guide always has a pistol with him in case of an absolute emergency, as well as a so-called bull whip that cracks loudly to ward off the animal in case of danger.

Back home, we first have a cool drink of water, as it is already quite warm with 33 degrees in the shade. At 11 am it's time for lunch/brunch: oven-warm bread, cheese, salad with flowers and various other delicacies are served.

Afterwards, everyone has time to themselves until half past three. I lie down by the pool with my legs up, as they have become quite heavy by now. At half past three we all come together for coffee and fresh cake, before another great horse is waiting for me at 4 o'clock.

Experience zebras, elephants & giraffes up close on a horse safari

We ride off, gallop through the bush, watch a herd of zebras and come back to the elephants. At some point Rusty says we'll pull off and ride to the dam. The elephants will follow us. And so we do. We wait at the water's edge and one elephant after the other, including babies, steps out of the bush and so they run in a line to the water to drink and refresh themselves. For me, one of the most exciting and memorable moments of the whole riding safari!

After the obligatory sundowner we are lucky enough to ride home with a giraffe, some of which are only 2 metres away from us. At dinner, Gerti and Philipp, the German owners and founders of Wait a Little, sit at the huge table and tell us exciting stories about their life in South Africa.

Day 3: Sore muscles and hippos close up

There is no need for an alarm clock this morning, as the monkeys start frolicking on the tent roof and the veranda at 5 am. Around half past five, all the dogs start barking loudly. I peel myself out of the tent and see that a cheetah is the reason! After a few minutes he is intimidated by the dogs and leaves. A big wild cat in the immediate vicinity of the houses, tents and horses - almost everyday life in South Africa!

My body clearly shows on this day that 6 - 7 hours of riding a day do not leave no trace on it. I have severe muscle soreness all over. But it doesn't help, I'm in the saddle at 6:30 on the dot. On this ride we gallop a lot, through a herd of wildebeest, past impalas, kudus and giraffes and meet buffalo for the first time - the fourth animal of the Big Five after elephants, leopard and rhino.

A short break from riding: today we go by jeep into the reserve.

After another delicious brunch and a nap on the lounger in the shade, we take a break from riding and go into the reserve by jeep in the classic way. I have to say, this break from riding is really good for you, but once you have done a safari on horseback, you will find such a car rather unnatural and disturbing. The disadvantage is, of course, that you always have to stay in the car, except for cheetahs, and are not allowed to drive into the bush. On the other hand, some animals like the zebras are almost more used to cars than to horses, at least in this reserve.

This time we enjoy our sundowner at the dam, where a hippo family shows itself from its best side and Papa Hippo often opens his mouth wide. This is, by the way, a threatening gesture, as we have invaded his territory, but with the necessary distance it is not dangerous. Next to it lies an apparently bored crocodile, and we watch the sun set.

After we arrive home, a violent thunderstorm breaks out, with incredibly loud thunder, lightning and hail. But my tent remains completely dry, and especially in such regions of the world rain is really more than welcome!

Day 4 of our horse safari in South Africa: hunting lions

Today we look for the lions' tracks. There are only three in the reserve (two females, one male), so the chance of seeing one is not that great. So we ride through the bush and Rusty's tension is clearly noticeable. We have to concentrate on never leaving a gap to the front horse and riding butt to nose. You just never know how a lion will react. Every centimetre of open space could provoke an attack!

After an hour of tenseness, suddenly the time has come. To our left, only five metres away at the most, lies this incredible animal with its beautiful mane, as if painted next to one of its lionesses. Already at the first eye contact my hair stands up and my breath is taken away! We watch them for a while and then head back to camp.

In the afternoon we accompany a cheetah on its foray through the reserve before we head for the outdoor camp where we spend the night. Arriving at this idyllic spot, we tie the horses in a circle around the campfire, sit down by the fire with a gin and tonic and then eat the delicious grilled lamb with vegetables and potato salad. Nothing is missing and the atmosphere is unique!

Day 5: Fantastic sunrise and a hungry cheetah

I hardly sleep a wink, but still want to climb up to the lookout point at 5am for sunrise. And I am rewarded, the view over the reserve is breathtaking! Afterwards we have tea and grilled toast from the campfire and swing back into the saddles.

On the way home we encounter two bright green chameleons, a water scorpion and the highlight of the day, a cheetah lying relaxed under a tree with its prey, a young antelope. Sad to see that he will soon kill and devour it, but that is unfortunately the law of nature. For our last evening, we have another special local dish, Eland Filet. A delight!

Day 6 of the horse safari in South Africa: melancholy paired with feelings of happiness

The last ride has arrived and I am already feeling melancholy. Rusty shows his best side as a guide and leads us once more to the buffalos, rhinos and lions, who are busy mating. One last brunch and we have to pack our things and leave.

Everyone gathers around and bids us such fond farewells that it is with a heavy heart that I board the shuttle. Such an exciting, adventurous and wonderful time has passed and so I shed not just one tear on the way back to Johannesburg.

A horse safari in South Africa is an absolute highlight!

Even though such a horse safari is not an inexpensive pleasure, during this week you don't spend another cent, you gain experiences that you won't forget for the rest of your life, you can completely switch off and enjoy life in nature and with the horses. You can also go on a horse safari in many other countries such as North America, South America or Europe. But you have to be above the level of a beginner.

During this exciting week, I developed a very special relationship with the reserve and its inhabitants - both humans and animals - and would love to fly back right away. I'm sure you wouldn't feel any different, would you? Or have you ever been on a horse safari? Feel free to leave a comment here on our travel blog, we'd love to hear from you!

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