Mlilwane… Eswatni Riding Holidays – exciting new, flexible holiday adventure packages that suit families, friends, couples and singles in either Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary or KaMsholo Bushveld Safaris (was Nisela Safaris).

The pace and adventure is easily stepped up to provide for experience riders too!

With the diversity of terrain, fabulous horses and guides, adventure and accommodation, the Eswatini Riding Holidays are a brilliant horsey holiday, a great introduction to trail riding and, for those who have not visited before, the friendly Kingdom of Eswatini. The beauty of this itinerary is the flexibility and that non-riding family and friends can be part of the holiday.

Accommodation & Location:

Ranging from 2 to 7 night itineraries, the Eswatini Riding Holidays combine fun rides with comfortable accommodation such as Mlilwane’s Rest Camp and KaMsholo’s Tinsele Camp – all en-suite, with electricity and plenty of wildlife milling around happily. Their 7-night trail in particular is fully accommodated but can also include 2 nights in EmaSomini Fly Camp in the northern reaches of Mlilwane.

Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary is Eswatini’s pioneer conservation area, with an intriguing 60-year history. Known as Eswatini’s Outdoor Lover’s Paradise, guests enjoy the freedom to walk, run and mountain bike along the roads and trails with or without a guide. All horse riding is guided.

KaMsholo Bushveld Safaris (previously known as Nisela Safaris) is the newest addition to the Big Game Parks stable, a small pristine lowveld reserve tucked under the impressive Lubombo Mountains. A 2-hour drive across Eswatini, gets one into a totally different biome, enhancing the remarkable diversity of this riding holiday.

Highlights:

Diversity and flexibility are the highlights of this holiday – great plains rides, climbing the infamous Nyonyane Mountain, small river crossings, spectacular views across the Malkerns, Ezulwini and Mantenga Valleys, changing habitats and then the impressive bushveld with giraffe against the Lubombo backdrop and fun ranch-style riding with the beautiful indigenous Nguni cattle at KaMsholo. Being largely camp-based, guests can opt for a different activity, a swim or a little more R&R and quiet time should they prefer.

Horses:

The Chubeka Trails horses have been carefully selected and bred for comfort and trained for easy, happy riding, providing the relative freedom to survey the country-side from the saddle. The majority of their string are home-bred Warmblood-Arab-Boerperd crosses, with Percheron, Clydesdale, Friesian, Appaloosa, Lusitano and thoroughbred crosses having been added for size and comfort. These horses easily surprise top international riders. Most are between 15hh and 15.3hh, with the smaller horses often being more agile in the mountains.

Packages start from only ZAR 6,920pp sharing

For a full price list (pp in ZAR) see below:

3-day KaMsholo Riding Holiday: 6,920 sharing, 7,375 single
3-day Mlilwane Riding Holiday: 7,285 sharing, 7,440 single
4-day Mlilwane Riding Holiday: 9,735 sharing, 10,415 single
5-night Mlilwane & KaMsholo Riding Holiday: 17,455 sharing, 18,590 single
7-night Mlilwane & KaMsholo Riding Holiday: 23,075 sharing, 24,665 single
7-night Mlilwane & KaMsholo Riding Holiday (Sleep out):
23,585 sharing, 25,300 single

Children Under 13 rates also available 

Working Holidays Programme 2023

Chubeka Trails are now offering a fantastic opportunity to visit the Kingdom of Eswatini and experience two different landscapes while working with horses surrounded by African wildlife and culture.

Available with 2 to 4 week arrangements, you will experience amazing diversity – from riding Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary’s easy plains and fun mountains to working the beautiful indigenous Nguni cattle in the warm lowveld of KaMsholo Bushveld Safaris 2-hours away.

Chubeka Trails is the trailing arm of Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, under the Big Game Parks organisation. Big Game Parks is Eswatini’s pioneer conservation and eco-tourism organisation, managing four parks in Eswatini, including Hlane Royal National Park, Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, Mkhaya Game Reserve and KaMsholo Bushveld Safaris.

Programme Outline:

• Daily horse exercise: endurance fitness and hill work, schooling flatwork, youngster ground work and training.
• General yard duties: feeding, grooming, tack cleaning & mucking.
• Basic horse health care and treatments.
• Basic maintenance of paddocks and trails.
• Mounted fence patrols.
• Nguni conservation and cattle mustering.
• Wildlife and community habituation with horses.

Working Holiday Experience begin at only ZAR 700pp per day.

For more information on this new and exciting working opportunity click here.

Contact Big Game Parks now to book!

Contact Big Game Parks for further information on availability & bookings for Eswatini Riding Holidays or Working Holidays by emailing reservations@biggameparks.org or calling +268 2528 3943

For further information on Chubeka Trails, including contacts for those who are interested in these tours or any other of their activities, click here.