The Real Big 5 of Horseback Safaris
There are few things more spectacular than game viewing in the African bush… unless of course you’re doing it on horseback – then it’s basically unbeatable. Georgie Roberts visited Abelana Tented Safari Camp adjacent to the Kruger National Park to provide a review just to give us all #LifeEnvy!
Let’s be clear. I am not one for roughing it. I don’t understand going on holiday to be LESS comfortable than I am at home. I also don’t want to be riding horses that need educating – I do that for a living, so it sounds like the opposite of relaxing. This is seldom the reality of a fantasy riding holiday, as anyone who has galloped against their will down rocks on a Drakensburg pony can attest. Similarly, I am no longer content to eat baked beans out of a tin, and this is not because I am a massive snob (just a little bit of one), but because I did it enough on my youthful travels. The final holiday horror is ANOTHER trip to the bushveld; now put your pitchforks away. As beautiful as veld and trees are, I just always figured that if you have seen it once you have seen it all. Right? Challenge accepted, apparently.
And so I was offered a weekend at a tented horseback safari camp, and it sounded like the OPPOSITE of what I imagined a holiday would be. I am seldom wrong, as my exes will tell you, but I was utterly relieved to be completely re-educated on this fantastic getaway to Abelana Tented Safari Camp. 400km outside of Johannesburg near Gravelotte, in the east of Limpopo and just half an hour past Hoedspruit, lies a new big five game reserve with exceptional camps on 15 000 hectares of some of the most stunning scenery I have ever seen. The truth is that while there are numerous horseback safaris, there is also the REAL big five which lifts the cream from the skim milk, and this was my taste of it on this exceptional trip.
Big Five #1: I like being close to nature, but not natural, Thanks
Abelana succeeds in seamlessly blending an authentic bush experience with luxury at their Safari Camp, with every effort taken to ensure total comfort while exposing you to the sights and sounds of Africa on your doorstep. The “tents” [I use this term reluctantly because they are nicer than my house] are nestled in the trees at the foot of a short climb to a deck bar overlooking their massive watering hole, allowing guests to partake in their own quenching with artisanal gins and superb wines while reclined on stretchers, shaded by fig trees and umbrellas to appreciate the panoramic view for miles. Back to the rustic-meets-refined lodge there is no amenity forgotten in their sustainable set-up, with expert staff ready to show you to your quarters. Here you enter an oddly temperate climate, cozy in the winter chill and cool in the midday summer blaze, where you can channel your inner monarch as you recline on down to catch one hundred and fifty winks after being over-indulged with horses, food, drink and exceptional sightings. Admittedly my standards for bathrooms were imagined horrors, but the facilities were as fantastic as everything else with locally-produced products to wash away the dust of the drive and refresh you for a ride or a nap, beneath the birds and branches outside if you so wish. Care has been taken with every small detail, from spare lights and mosquito protections, to fine linen and private decks where you can appreciate the birding ambience and occasional wild visitor in total comfort, morning coffee in hand. Balm for the body and soul!
Big Five #2: They know all about elevenses…and second breakfast
Honestly, there is little in this world that a good sleep and an excellent meal can’t fix. Now that one element was removed, we were treated to meal after sumptuous meal by a team overseen by ex-Blues chef Alexandra Napier. Just as one course was done, another appeared before us like magic, wine savoured from apparently bottomless goblets as though from the gods themselves, and the jovial staff kept our campfires crackling as they regaled us with stories below the starry night skies. My only complaint was the comprehensive breakfast menu which left me envious of bovine’s multiple stomachs as I tried to nom every culinary delight. I never want to look back in regret and think “I should have eaten that,” but I need not have worried about missing out – while a month would not have been long enough to enjoy every item on the Abelana menu, they ensure you never go unsated. After every adventure there was a new snack, crisp cold fruits, iced teas, homemade pastries and a multitude of other things that makes you realise why their horses are so well conditioned – I am not just implying that they are excellently fed, but hinting that if they have to carry people around after their second breakfast [nod to the Hobbits] they must be pretty fit.
Big Five #3: People make the place, staff make the experience
My personal space borders on “I want you here as soon as I need you, but don’t want to see you if I don’t,” so I understand that accommodating people is the worst. Service can make or break customer care, and Abelana has ensured that guest comfort and care is the foundation of their ethos throughout the lodge and surrounds. “Abelana” itself means “to share amongst each other”, and this eco-tourist partnership with the Mashishimale community embodies that through their various empowerment projects and staff programmes, and it shows. Much like happy horses make good partners, the same is evident in human capital. From their experienced equestrian guide and manager Tamlyn, to their super-efficient hosts and knowledgeable guides, down to the often-underestimated but essential touch of basic staff, we wanted for nothing and no request was too daunting… in fact, we barely has time to verbalise a request before it was done (I suspect telepathy). The right tone and cheer was sufficient to make us smile, but not so much that it pained our hangovers.
Big Five #4: A horse, a horse, my relaxation for a decent horse
I have had enough people try to offload a psychopathic sprinter fresh from Turffontein as a “hack” to treat all trail horses with deep suspicion, and I have known enough humans to be doubtful of horses’ care in every environment. Abelana has invested in the next cornerstone of pleasure by ensuring your butt will be resting in (thank god) decent tack, fitted well to a happy, schooled, experienced horse. As equestrians this is essential, as we expect an enjoyable ride from the moment we meet our weekend buddy! Going from halt to canter and back again with minimal effort, no break in conversation with my friends, and furthermore preferably at our own discretion, is something we all strive to do daily, but also what we expect on a holiday. Every one of the Abelana horses is specifically chosen for their job and function, catering to all riders. They are gradually and systematically trained by the guides, receive care and treatment best suited to Kyalami Kugel standards (but with better paddock space), all resulting in smart friendly employee-equines who excel at their career. This all transforms the experience of cantering through riverbeds amongst a herd of wildebeest, walking beneath the giant baobab with curious giraffe, and even dismounting for a bush-wee in a porcupine hole [apologies to everyone involved] without fear that my steed would abandon me to the resident leopards. Nay nay (neigh neigh?), I was quite attached to Diego when the time came to depart.
Big Five #5: Location, location, location
The Selati River winds through this incredible land, where massive rock formations and ancient trees guard their roots in this sacred African soil, and we can humbly partake in the true experience of what it means to be wild. This diverse and unusual scenery gives rise to a wide variety of both indigenous and curated wildlife, all monitored and tracked by their rangers to ensure your visit to Abelana is a thick book with many chapters of adventures, each different and thrilling. Every hill and turn on our trusty steeds brought more wildlife, and while I understand the thrill of the big five, we were more excited at the variety of all that we saw. From bird life to antelope, fauna to flora, whiskey to wine, Appaloosa to Warmblood, there is no desire unaccounted for! When our thighs (and tummies) were tired we elected for a dawn drive from Safari Camp to the exceptional River Lodge – which was then freshly opened to people seeking a more indulgent escape – and gained a more elevated perspective of everything this reserve and its people have to offer all tourists.
Except tourist is the wrong word. People say “Africa stole my heart”, and that is also wrong.
What Africa does is remind us that our hearts never left her. Like the great baobabs, the magic of Abelana whispers in our ear and reconnects us to our roots. It plants us. It invigorates us. It reminds us of the continent where it all began, unchanged except for the most careful and conscious of touches which allows us to explore and appreciate it in its finest.
You might arrive to Abelana a tourist, but when you leave you take a little, and you leave a little of yourself behind. Just as they share the land with us, they share the spirit and experience of it. And sometimes when we lose ourselves in the wilderness, it is there that we truly find ourselves.
Find yourself at Abelana Safari Camp – explore the landscapes from horseback, meet the Big Five of animals and of luxury, and find yourself refreshed. If they can meet my challenge – and exceed it – I promise you that your next dream holiday will exchange coconuts with canters, and beaches with bushveld. With international restrictions and to recover what the community lost through 2020, they have opened up their camps and rates to locals. Take advantage and salvage your 2020, rediscover your roots beneath the baobabs, and give Diego a carrot from me!
