Practical information:
Good to know before you go
Riding level:
Experienced riders only, comfortable at all paces (walk, trot, canter, gallop) and able to get out of trouble calmly and at the necessary speed. You should be balanced with an independent seat and fit enough to ride 4 – 7 hours per day.
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The riding
We ride in big game country, on open plains interspersed with bush. The short grass plains are ideal for riding (although you must look out for holes) and long canters are taken. We ride for 4 – 7 hours per day with 1 1⁄2 - 2 hours lunch stops, and on our longest moving day we stop for breakfast on route.
​Weight:
Riders weight limit: 95 Kg
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Age:
Minimum age is 14 years, only allowed if accompanied by an adult.
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Horses: Our horses are based at Deloraine House, and are trucked to each safari destination ahead of our guests. All our horses are thoroughbred and thoroughbred cross and have excellent stamina as a result. They are well schooled and some play polo and event. They are therefore responsive, tough and fit. You will be pleasantly surprised.
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Saddles: We ride in English General Purpose Wintec saddles and leather saddles. Some Australian stock saddles are available on request. Seat savers are available. We mainly use snaffle bridles.
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Guides: Simon & Daisy - professional and multilingual guides – see the Who is Who on the trail / Guides section) Paul will be the Tripleader on the August 2023 Safari.
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Comfort: a traditional VERY comfortable mobile canvas tented safari camp. (more info below).
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International Passport: Passports are required and must have validity for at least six months after traveling to Kenya. Those requiring a visa are now advised to have at least two blank pages available in their passport upon arrival.
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Visa: You will require a tourist visa for Kenya which must be obtained in advance at http://evisa.go.ke Contact the nearest Kenyan embassy or consulate for further information.
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Vaccinations & Medication: Currently you are required to have a Covid vaccination for entering Kenya. However, please ask your doctor for advice on what vaccinations and malaria medication are required before traveling. We do not recommend Larium. Consult your physician.
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Medical Kit: We have a medical kit for people and horses in the game drive cars at all times and an emergency medical kit in the guide’s saddle bags.
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Gateway: Fly in and out to NAIROBI - Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
Are you alone?
Do not worry, you can individually register/book and join a group with other riders. Most participants are people who register individually and may just like you, not know the other riders in your group. Since everyone has the same points of interest (horseback riding, nature, travel, culture) there is always a good atmosphere and understanding among the participants. Participants come from all corners of the world, so you can be part of a group with riders from the United Kingdom, Belgium, Spain, France, Sweden, Canada, USA, Australia, Colombia, and many others countries. Your friends are suddenly so much more international! :) A standard group consists of 5 to 12 riders. (guides excluded) In general, there are as many females as male participants.
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Non Riders
We often have non-riders join our safaris, when their spouse or friends are riders but they are not. We can cater very well for anyone who does not wish to ride and have an excellent team of guides and spotters who take them out by vehicle, meeting up with the rest of the group for meals, picnics and sundowners. All our guests enjoy game drives, night drives and walking, as well as riding, so the non-riders are still very much part of the group. Game drives are always available, even for the riders, if they prefer a break from the saddle every so often.
When you come on our Riding Safari you are contributing directly to the sustainable preservation and protection of Kenya's nature, wildlife, endangered species, landscape and culture, by way of conservation and camping fees and supporting our team of safari support staff. Our main goal is conservation and your safari supports the safeguarding of unique pieces of land, such as the Masai Mara ecosystem.
CONSERVATION
Accommodation:
Sleeping Arrangement is a Mobile Canvas Tented Camp.
Our traditional mobile tented safari camp includes a canvas mess tent for meals and spacious 9ft x 10ft canvas sleeping tents with camp beds, mattresses, sheets & blankets. There is a small veranda to the tent with two directors chairs and a table. There is a solar lamp in each tent, with hurricane lamps outside at night time. There is a short drop loo tent for every tent and hot safari bucket showers are always available in the shower tent. Towels, soap, shampoo, conditioner, drinking water and torches are provided. Hot water in a safari basin is bought to the tent first thing in the morning and after every ride. There is a hot water bottle put into the beds during dinner.
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Laundry:
Laundry will be washed by hand on non-moving days whilst you are on safari and dried in the sun. Ladies are asked to hand wash your own underwear for cultural reasons and we provide laundry powder for hand washing.
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Food & Drinks:
All our food is fresh and we provide English breakfasts, light lunches and 3-course dinners. We often have picnics and eat in the open air if the Weather is good. We carry ice cubes and are self sufficient for the whole safari. Bread is baked daily on open fires and our chefs are extremely good. All house wines, beers and spirits are included, except Champagne. Please let ask now if you have any dietary requirements or preferences ahead of time so that we can try to cater for you.
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Bush Picnics:
We eat out in the bush as much as possible. When riding between camps we will ride to a picnic lunch under a shady tree on the way. As long as the weather is good we always have breakfast and lunch outside, and bush dinner under the stars, listening to the sounds of hyenas and lions calling.
Seasons – Weather:
We do not operate during the two rainy seasons of April/May and November. We otherwise operate for every other month of the year and enjoy a wonderful climate with fantastic wildlife viewing year round. We ride at an average of 5500ft, which makes for warm days (up to 28°C and cool nights (down to 11° C) and very few mosquitoes. August/September/October are the best months for seeing the wildebeest and zebra migration from the Serengeti, but these animals can be seen in good numbers all year round.
Luggage:
NB. Domestic flights have a weight allowance of maximum of 15 kilos including hand luggage. A soft bag is preferable to a hard case on safari.
Safety:
Kenya, just as most other third world countries, does not always have the best reputation for safety and crime. This is primarily and almost exclusively in large cities such as Nairobi. The Masai Mara is quiet and completely safe. Our ride/safari passes through a region where there is no need to worry at all!
Language:
English and Swahili are the official languages of Kenya and spoken by the guides. Your tripleader Paul speaks English, Portugues, Spanish, French, Dutch, Afrikaans and basic German.
travel gear... Packing List
(Strick 15kg luggage allowance on domestic flights including hand luggage)
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Valid international passport.
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Travel Insurance.
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Layers are recommended due to varying weather and temperatures
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Soft suitcase is preferable
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Long sleeved cotton shirt x 3
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Long sleeved shirt for evening x 2
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T-shirts x 2
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Lightweight trousers x 2
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Skirt/Trousers for evening x 1
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Shorts x 2
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Warm jersey / Fleece x 1
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Lightweight waterproof jacket
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Riding Hat, Chaps, riding trousers and footwear, riding gloves
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Comfortable Walking Shoes/ Trainers
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Rafting shoes/ flip-flops
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Sun hat / Baseball cap
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Swimming Costume
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Underwear/socks
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Holiday reading
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Binoculars
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Camera and charger
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Sunglasses
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Toiletries
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Sun block
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Mosquito Repellent Medication/Malaria Tablets
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Pen Knife and Head Torch Passport, Wallet, Cash for shopping/tips
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Emergency essentials in your hand luggage, especially medication.
Provided by us:
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All linen and towels
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Soap, Shampoo, Conditioner
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First Aid Kit
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Aluminium 1 litre water bottles for you to keep, which fits in your saddle bag
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Saddle bags
Riding Hat:
It is strongly recommended that you wear a hard-riding hat on safari. Offbeat Safaris do not provide hard hats or chaps. If you wish to wear a riding hat, please bring your own. If you choose not to wear a hard riding hat this is at your own risk. Please check your holiday/medical insurance covers you in an accident if you are not wearing a riding hat.
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Emergency Comms:
The safari guide carries a satellite phone and mobile phone at all times.
TRAVEL insurance MANDATORY:
We request you take a travel Insurance. Ask your local insurance company or travel agent about it. You will not be allowed to participate at the “Entre Orejas” riding holiday program without having a Personal Travel & Medical Insurance. Your insurance details will be requested on arrival.
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Trip Cancellation Insurance MANDATORY:
In order to protect yourself against unforeseen circumstances interfering with your “Entre Orejas” vacation, we demand that you purchase trip cancellation insurance. You can use any travel insurance company you are comfortable with.
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Release Agreement:
The “Entre Orejas” guests are required to sign a release agreement at the time of check-in. This is mandatory and guests cannot participate in the tour without signing the release agreement (all moneys paid are non-refundable). Please feel free to read the release agreement prior to your arrival: please download the form here. Parents or legal guardians of minor children are required to sign the release agreement on their children’s behalf. Please direct all questions to the office.
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Game Drives (day & night):
Whilst on safari we have a full fleet of custom designed 4x4 safari vehicles so that guests can also view game from vehicle, sometimes getting closer than we do from the horses and also allowing better photographic opportunities. We can also drive into the Masai Mara Reserve (where we can't take the horses)...whilst this is a busier area of the Mara that we normally avoid, it is where one can hopefully see the wildebeest cross the Mara River during the migration months.
With long established relationships with the various conservancies that we ride across, many allow us to game drive at night with a filtered spotlight to see the nocturnal species, including lion who we often find hunting.
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Walking: As well as riding and game drives, our guides all hold gun licenses and can take our guests out to stretch their legs and see the smaller details of the bush from foot.
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Cultural Experiences: Our guests love to spend a morning or afternoon visiting a local Masai village which gives a great insight into local African life here. It is also an opportunity for guests to purchase some authentic, hand made Masai gifts, such as beaded jewellery and carved ornaments.
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Communication: There is no wifi available on safari, however there is intermitente ‘Safaricom’ 3G signal across the Masai Mara. Nairobi hotels mostly have wifi and signal.
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Power: There are UK 3 point plug charging points in the lorry, which can be used when in camp. Otherwise there are USB charging points in the game drive vehicles. We recommend bringing a fully charged battery bank with you.
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Tips : If you wish to leave a tip at the end of your stay this is at your own discretion. Tips are accepted in any denomination and collected by the guide to be distributed among the staff. The recommended amount for safari staff is Ksh. 2,500 (kenyan shillings) per day from each guest (about $20). The bank here will only accept USD notes that are more recent than 2013. The gratuity for the guide and assistant guide is at your own discretion, and should be handed directly to them.
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​Rules: We are not so much into rules, but we reserve the right to refuse service to any individual who jeopardizes the health, safety and welfare of any of our guests, staff, family & community members, animals & livestock, or who refuses to follow the rules we have established for your safety and welfare during your visit with us.
We will do everything possible to follow the indicated itinerary, although spot changes can occur due to unforeseen circumstances. Rides are subject to change depending on weather, location and difficulty of terrain In the unlikely event that this happens on your trip, we ask you flexibility and understanding. This is a sporty and adventurous vacation!