Daily Diary: From Singita Grumeti Horseback Safari

The rumble of hooves across the Serengeti isn’t always the result of millions of animals moving across the plains during the annual migration; often it is our guests enjoying an outride from the stables at The Singita Equestrian Centre. The horseback safari at Singita Grumeti is an unrivalled adventure that combines long rides exploring remote areas of more than 350,000 acres of exclusive use concession with wonderfully relaxing afternoons. In this series of diary entries, Equestrian Manager Alison Mundy documents a few days taking guests on a journey of exploration to some of the Reserve’s most remote and romantic sites.

DAY ONE
We headed out from Singita Sasakwa Lodge across the wide open plains that were teeming with wildlife after the early rains. Cantering with thousand of wildebeest and zebra was one of the highlights of today’s ride; the thrill of being at one with the herds is almost indescribable. Animals racing all around you, the thundering of thousands of hooves, the barking of the zebras and the “gnuuing” of the wildebeest rang in our ears.

Twenty minutes from camp we heard the ominous growl of an approaching thunder storm as the big, black clouds rolled in over the Serengeti. The clouds burst a short time later and the brief but torrential downpour left us all drenched but thankfully much cooler. A light rain continued though the afternoon and pre-dinner drinks were much enjoyed sitting around the camp fire under umbrellas while retelling the day’s adventures.

DAY TWO
What a start to the day! The morning was heralded with a spectacular sunrise behind Bangwezi Hill while we had our breakfast, but it was soon interrupted by the spotting of what appeared to be some cheetah playing on the edge of the camp. Upon closer inspection we saw that it was a mother with her three cubs in the process of stalking a male reedbuck. After that bit of excitement we headed off on the horses to see what other adventures we could find.

Not long after leaving camp we came across a journey of approximately 20 giraffes, some eland and a small herd of zebra. With the wide open plains stretching out all around us we started to canter alongside the giraffe. They were very obliging and started to run alongside the horses for about 500m – what a magical memory to take away of these gentle giants running in slow motion meters away from your horse! Other game spotting throughout the day included a close encounter with a hyena and a herd of over a hundred elephants.

DAY THREE
After exploring the Lion Rocks yesterday, we headed off towards Monchuli Hill this morning, mingling with more herds of zebra and giraffe along the way. The terrain today was more varied with open plains leading into areas that looked like large manicured parks dotted with with marula and apple leaf trees, following into acacia woodland and then onto more open plains.

Some mountaineering was required to cross a saddle between two hills while being watched by a troop of baboons. Manyara and Koroya had a couple of races on the open plains to see who was the fastest with Manyara surprising us all with a real burst of speed to beat Koroya by a length! Returning to camp we came across a large herd of curious buffalo who entertained us for some time, coming closer to the horses and then running away. Another delicious lunch accompanied by some hilarious stories and much laughter took up a couple of hours, followed by an afternoon wildlife walk.

Combine Singita Explore for a truly immersive bush adventure with a stay at Singita Sasakwa Lodge or Singita Faru Faru Lodge for the ultimate Serengeti horseback experience. Non-riders in a party are welcome and will be offered game drives plus all the facilities of the lodges. Equestrian safaris are available from 01 June – 31 October. Get in touch with our Reservations team to find out more.