The Cape Ride

Day 1 (L,D)

On arrival in Cape Town you will be met and transferred across the Cape Peninsula, over the breathtaking Chapman's Peak Drive to the gracious Lavenhof homestead, situated in the De Goede Hoop Estate, Noordhoek. After lunch you will be taken to a racing stables and from there you will ride some of the race horses along the magnificent, wide and empty Noodhoek beach, followed by a dinner at a restaurant with views over the South Atlantic.

Day 2 (B,L,D)

Depart Cape Town early in the morning for a scenic drive along the spectacular False Bay coastline and onto Kleinmond, where you will meet your new horse. Ride along the pristine beach between the ocean of the South Coast and the Kleinmond Lagoon Nature reserve. Here you can canter to your heart's content - along miles of deserted beach. During the course of the day you are likely to see a herd of wild horses, as well as flocks of flamingos and pelicans in the lagoon and sometimes fish eagles and seals. The support vehicle team will serve a picnic lunch. After the afternoon ride, a short drive takes you to the stables at Botrivier where you will stay for two nights in the Cape Dutch home of the owner of a nearby wine estate.

Day 3 (B,L,D)

Mounted on the horse that you rode the previous day follow an ancient ox wagon trail that winds itself up a historic pass to the Houw Hoek Inn. Continue riding through pristine mountain 'fynbos' (indigenous shrub land), up the Groenlandberge (Groenlandmountains). At an altitude of approximately 700-metres take a break to enjoy the view before riding on a different path back to the Houw Hoek Inn for a late lunch. In the afternoon ride through an old pass back to the stables before joining your hostess for dinner.

Day 4 (B,L,D)

After breakfast ride through the rolling hills of the Overberg wheat and wine-farming region for lunch at the wine farm. After lunch ride back to the stables completing your circular route for the day. Riders on the 4-day trail will return to Cape Town, riders on the 8-day trail will be driven eastwards, the latter part of which is on lonely dirt roads, past some big ostrich farms, to the remote 36000 hectare De Hoop Nature reserve. Here you will stay for the night in the Buchu Bush camp or in the 250 year old farmhouse of the reserve.

Day 5 (B,L,D)

Starting your ride from the old farmstead of the reserve, cross the De Hoop Vlei, riding among different species of antelope such as the bontebok, endemic to this area, springbuck, as well as the largest antelope of all, the eland, grazing in the lowland 'fynbos'. Cape mountain zebras, baboons, wild ostriches, as well as different water-birds to name but a few of the many different species in the reserve, can be seen at close range. Continue over huge bright white sand dunes (up to 85 metres in height), for which this national park is famous, down to a beach at the Indian Ocean. This particularly totally uninhabited coastal stretch has the highest concentration of whales anywhere in the world during the mating season from the end of May to the end of November. These can be viewed at close proximity from the high vantage point of the saddle! After some 8 kms of riding along the shore, meet up with the support team at the far end of the beach for a picnic lunch. Afterwards ride on different tracks back through the coastal 'fynbos' to the old farmstead, viewing game all the way. A short drive on a forlorn dirt road northwards takes you to a rest camp on the banks of the Breede River, where you will spend the night. To reach this camp you have to cross the river at Malgas on the only river-ferry in S.A. still pulled across by hand. This region situated adjacent to the most Southern point of Africa is favoured by storks during the European winter and large flocks can be viewed on the fields.

Day 6 (B,L,D)

After breakfast your host will take you out for the day's ride on his pure bred Boerperd horses. Ride for some 20 kilometers along a lonely stretch of riverbed which meanders through a deep valley - this is aloe country, visited by wild geese and potted by porcupine burrows. A picnic lunch is served by the riverside. In the afternoon finish the trail back at the camp and continue on by vehicle to the Aardvark Private Nature College, situated in the semi-desert of the Small Karoo, where you will stay in their brand new accommodation units. Take a sundowner ride followed by a dinner in the dining room.

Day 7 (B,L,D)

Your final ride takes you through undulating scrubland, dried up river beds and the unspoiled vegetation of this remote and quiet corner of the Cape Province. Return to the college for lunch before driving on to Sanbona, wildlife reserve. This 54000 hectare private reserve, home to the Big Five is situated in a remote region of the Small Karoo, at the foot of the Warmwaterberg. Your last night will be spent at the luxurious Tilney Manor lodge. Take an afternoon game drive followed by a sumptuous dinner.

Day 8 (B,L)

After a further game drive and a substantial lunch drive back to Cape Town.

Please note that between May and August the eight day itinerary excludes Sanbona but includes two days drag-hunting with the Cape Hunt & Polo Club.