Welcome to South Africa, globetrotters! Today you’ll fly into Johannesburg (or depending on flight times you may have arrived the day before and stayed at an airport hotel) and be met by a representative of our ride partners, who will transfer you to the beautiful lakeside safari lodges where you’ll spend the night. The drive takes around 2.5 to 3 hours and you’ll arrive in the afternoon. After a late lunch, you’ll meet the horses and mount up for your first South African safari – hooray! You’re in the Bushveld, a huge subtropical woodland ecosystem teeming with animals and blessed with firm yet sandy soil that is perfect for riding. The landscape ranges from forest to grassland to wetland.

Tonight you’ll have your first taste of the many delights of the Signature Safari Lodge. Wear your stretchy pants – dinner is going to be a three-course feast!

It’s time to bid a fond farewell to your new South African friends. After breakfast, you’ll pack your bags, say your goodbyes and be transferred back to Johannesburg for your onward travels.

After tucking into a continental breakfast, you’ll mount up for a morning ride to the banks of Sunset Lake, with its resident hippos, birds and the odd sly crocodile, before heading upstream to an adjoining reserve, where you’re likely to spot wildebeest and zebra. The riding is delightfully varied, from canters along sandy tracks to winding through rocky outcrops and dense forest. Returning to Camp Davidson for lunch and a dip in the pool, you’ll feel reinvigorated for the shorter afternoon ride through the nearby plains.

At night, there’s the option of a night sky safari with an astronomer, for a small additional cost.

This morning’s ride takes you past a brown hyena den, around the upper reaches of the Horizon Dam, across a wide, grassy valley and through a dense woodland home to shy species such as kudu, bushbuck and vervet monkeys. Emerging from the woods, the horses can stretch their legs along open sandy tracks, and even pop over a few jumps if you’re so inclined. You’ll also have the chance to swim bareback in Horizon Dam!

Climbing a mountain pass through boulders and rocky outcrops, you’ll reach Camp Davidson in time for lunch. Then you’ve got some free time to enjoy before remounting for a ride across the plains to catch the sunset alongside a herd of zebra.

Rising early, you’ll ride to the main lodge in time to change into something more comfortable for the three-and-a-half hour drive to Botswana. Departing at 9:30am, you’ll reach Botswana in time for a light lunch. After a short introductory ride on your new horse, the journey to Two Mashatus Camp begins. It’s highly likely that you’ll be graced by the presence of Africa’s largest herd of wild, free-roaming elephants on private land!

Your base for the next two nights, Two Mashatus Camp is named for the two big, beautiful mashatu trees that shade it. It consists of a pair of traditionally built Lala Palm rondavel huts for relaxing and dining, a pool, and large A-frame tents with ensuites set on teak platforms. A three-course dinner will be served in the cool of evening.

Waking up to birdsong in the surrounding canopy and tea or coffee delivered to your tent (heaven!), you’ll fuel up on breakfast and hit the saddle. This is a very different landscape with a truly wild atmosphere. The wide open, sprawling savannah is punctuated by giant Baobab trees and striking rocky outcrops boasting never-ending views across the plains. After lunch and a siesta at camp, you can opt for another ride, or a game drive to see lions and watch the sunset

You’re moving camp today, and it’s another full day’s ride through the wilderness to reach the extraordinary Tree Camp. Nestled four metres above the ground in the bough of a giant mashatu tree and two ancient leadwood trees, your childhood dreams of sleeping up in the arms of a tree will be completely fulfilled! Dinner will be served al fresco, overlooking the Majale River.

Your final ride is one to remember, with a glorious long canter through the savannah and an elephant sighting capping off this incredible safari. Arriving back at the Botswana stables mid-morning, there’s time for a quick shower and fond farewells before catching a charter flight back to Johannesburg for your onward travels.