Most of us rarely if ever spend time in proximity with wild animals, and the average African safari holiday preserves that distance. Get out of the vehicle and strike out on horseback in Kenya’s Maasai Mara, however, and you’ll become aware of every rustle in the savannah, said Sophy Roberts in the FT. You may feel “vulnerable”, or “high on adrenaline”, but you’ll definitely feel part of something larger than yourself. It’s a pursuit for “competent and confident” riders only – particularly during the wildebeest migration, when the game is so ubiquitous you need to be ready to “turn on a dime”. Of course it helps to have excellent guides – such as those with Offbeat Safaris.
Offbeat was founded in 1990 by ex-soldier Tristan Voorspuy and his wife Cindy, and is still going strong despite Tristan’s tragic death in 2017: he was shot by Pokot pastoralists during that year’s election-related violence in Kenya. The company leads small groups on week-long journeys through the conservancies that border the Maasai Mara National Reserve (in the reserve itself, riding is banned).
You cover up to 50km per day – which is testing; but the experience is “softened” by having people to tend the horses and set up camp each night. Accommodation is simple but comfortable, with decent camp beds, long-drop loos, and oil lanterns for light. Fires burn all night, to help keep predators away from the horses.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
You might spot the great tide of wildebeest arriving from the Serengeti as you climb the Oloololo Escarpment, or see a smaller migrating herd at the foot of the Loita Hills. But it scarcely matters if you miss them. In “the authentic pulse of the Mara ecosystem”, there are a hundred other thrills, from riding alongside a herd of giraffes (a curiously “mesmeric” experience) to sleeping in a forest “presided over” by lions – and, if necessary, galloping away from a charging elephant.
A seven-night trip costs from $8,970pp, excluding flights (rideworldwide.com).
-
Rob Jetten: the centrist millennial set to be the Netherlands’ next prime ministerIn the Spotlight Jetten will also be the country’s first gay leader
-
Codeword: November 4, 2025The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
JD Vance wades into choppy religious waters about wife UshaTHE EXPLAINER By emphasizing his hope that the Second Lady convert to Christianity, the Vice President of the United States is inviting controversy from across the religious spectrum
-
The dazzling coral gardens of Raja AmpatThe Week Recommends Region of Indonesia is home to perhaps the planet’s most photogenic archipelago
-
Salted caramel and chocolate tart recipeThe Week Recommends Delicious dessert can be made with any biscuits you fancy
-
6 trailside homes for hikersFeature Featuring a roof deck with skyline views in California and a home with access to private trails in Montana
-
Lazarus: Harlan Coben’s ‘embarrassingly compelling’ thrillerThe Week Recommends Bill Nighy and Sam Claflin play father-and-son psychiatrists in this ‘precision-engineered’ crime drama
-
The Rose Field: a ‘nail-biting’ end to The Book of Dust seriesThe Week Recommends Philip Pullman’s superb new novel brings the trilogy to a ‘fitting’ conclusion
-
Nigerian Modernism: an ‘entrancing, enlightening exhibition’The Week Recommends Tate Modern’s ‘revelatory’ show includes 250 works examining Nigerian art pre- and post independence
-
The Mastermind: Josh O’Connor stars in unconventional art heist movieThe Week Recommends Kelly Reichardt cements her status as the ‘queen of slow cinema’ with her latest film
-
Critics’ choice: Watering holes for gourmandsFeature An endless selection of Mexican spirits, a Dublin-inspired bar, and an upscale Baltimore pub
