Rohini who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Namibia - Kambaku Safari Lodge | Whilst I appreciate the cautiousness, they could have included more and faster canters. The last evening when I was solo with the guide we were able to have a long canter.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thank you for taking the time to provide detailed feedback on your stay at Kambaku. We discussed your comments to the ride operator, who confirmed that you joined the safari rides for competent riders and were given your own guide for the bush breakfast. Unfortunately Kambaku did not receive any feedback on site about the speed of your rides and so had the impression you were happy with the pace. We are sorry that this was not the case.]

Oisin who has been on 2 In The Saddle rides. Wonderful Riding in Namibia! | A wonderful riding experience! The riding guides, Hannah and Anna, were absolutely superb. They knew the best places to ride, were friendly and I always felt very safe. Also, it is exciting to canter on the Savannah! So many animals to see, a real experience. Riders were in two different groups each day, depending on ability. This means Kambaku is great for both experience riders and complete novices. I was personally in the group for the more experienced riders and we had plenty of trot and canter. The horses are very well cared for. I rode a young thoroughbred (Zavi) and a large warmblood (Simba). Superb horses. Knew their stuff and no problems whatsoever. The sundowners after a fun riding experience were so good! Also I would recommend the bush breakfast, which was out in the wild during a horse ride, but very civilized including white linen tablecloth! I found the whole area very relaxing, combined with exciting adventures on horseback! I would highly recommend Kambaku.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Thanks so much for your lovely feedback. We're delighted that you enjoyed your stay at Kambaku].

Jill who has been on 5 In The Saddle rides. Wonderful riding with wildlife | We had a fantastic ride leader in Anna - she knew the horses very well and where to find the wildlife. The terrain is sandy and allows for lots of long trots and long canters, but we also had plenty of time to view wildlife - spending time riding with a giraffe family was very special.

Evening rides end with a sundowner in the bush, after which the horses are untacked and released to make their own way home overnight.

Dorothy who has been on 11 In The Saddle rides. Kambaku safari lodge | A good mix of riding, game drives and bush walks. Very flexible, plan what you wish to do the night before. Wonderful team of people, nothing is too much trouble. Beautiful place, lovely horses to suit all abilities, great food.great food.

Basically, you can choose your pace, if you wish to go faster or slower, just say. The terrain is flat, with well marked trails, for canters, but if you are viewing game you go off into the bush. Watch those thorny trees! I found it quite dusty so a scarf or buff is helpful. Horses for all abilities, very well cared for. Ride guides are quick to spot game which could easily be missed and are keen to share their knowledge of the flora and fauna.

[Abbie from ITS replies: We are really glad that you enjoyed your stay at Kambaku. Many thanks for submitting your feedback].

Rachel who has been on 7 In The Saddle rides. Kambaku | Excellent

Hannah who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Beautiful riding retreat | The guides were so attentive, matching people to horses very carefully and always asking if we were happy with our pairings. They also did their best to keep groups to a manageable size, splitting according to ability. There are plenty of routes around the reserve allowing for sightings of various animals, heading deeper into the bush or cantering through more open plains.

[Abbie from ITS replies: We are so pleased to hear that you enjoyed your stay at Kambaku. Thank you for providing your feedback.]

Fiona who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Holiday of a lifetime! | The riding on this holiday was fantastic! The team at the lodge, led by the brilliant Viva, are dedicated to ensuring that you have a great holiday. They take care to match you with your horse and frequently check back in for feedback. The team also ensures that you are matched to the right group so you can ride at a pace you enjoy. The riding guides are knowledgeable & want you to have fun & get the most from the experience. All of the horses are loved & well cared for & the stables are immaculate!

Josie who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Kambaku Safari Lodge | The riding far exceeded my expectations. The horses are all clearly very well trained and it was clear that they knew their job. The pacing of the rides was perfect and I was very well-matched to my horse. The guides were very friendly and attentive throughout the rides, and always made sure the rides were interesting and different each morning / afternoon.

[Abbie from ITS replies: Many thanks for your feedback. We’re thrilled that you had such a great time at Kambaku].

Anne-Marie who has been on 31 In The Saddle rides. Nice relaxing break | I feel the effort was made to match us with horses that would suit us and the horses are clearly well cared for. I had the same horse throughout, when the initial order of horses didn’t quite work it was swapped around and one of the horses was changed. The groups are kept quite small, no more than four guests went out together at any time. The horses are very responsive to the guide’s hand signals and voice and you rarely have to give an aid to elicit a canter. Time was spent viewing the wildlife and made for some good photo opportunities.

Andrea (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Absolutely amazing! | The riding was very nice with well-trained horses and skilled guides. It was an amazing experience to see wildlife on horseback.

I really appreciate the flexibility in order to meet both mine and my daughter's needs. My daughter was super pleased with the holiday and really appreciated to go on rides with just her, her friend and a guide.

The sundowners and bush-breakfast was superb! I cannot recommend it enough.

[Abbie from In The Saddle replies: We are so pleased that you had such a good time at Kambaku. Thank you for taking the time to tell us all about it.]

Chris who has been on 9 In The Saddle rides. Wonderful chance to see African wildlife up close | Exceeded expectations. The guidance had said that riding would be tailored to our preferences. We had assumed that meant a compromise between our preferences and that of the other half dozen people we would be riding with. Not so. The Lodge took seriously that we were less troubled about long canters than we were about seeing and learning about the wildlife. Most days we rode with only a guide, and we were allotted the one who was also a game ranger. We had some amazing encounters with the game on the reserve.

Magdalena who has been on 3 In The Saddle rides. Wonderful lodge and people and horses of course! | Very well schooled and very fit horses. I wanted to take home especialy one.

Sue who has been on 6 In The Saddle rides. A wonderful experience at Kambuku, Namibia | The horses at Kambaku were lovely, calm, responsive and well behaved, and extremely well looked after. The staff seemed to have a knack of matching the right horse to rider. Most people, including myself, kept the same horse for every ride (8 rides over 6 days..)
I loved the fact that on stopping for sundowners (after most evening rides), the horses were untacked and allowed to make their own way home, sometimes quite a considerable distance.
However, I can't give full marks for the riding experience on a couple of counts:
The riding is on mainly sandy tracks through Acacia shrub. The ground is very flat, and terrain can all look a bit of the same after a while. But this did allow for some lovely long canters!
You have to like trotting! As a Western rider, there was too much trotting for my personal taste (and my back!)
I would have been a bit negative about the game viewing experience from horseback, had we not experienced a fabulous interaction with a number of giraffes!
Kabuku is a rare location in accommodating both Riders and Game Hunters. Whilst we had absolutely no problem with hunting (which is well managed, and kept completely separate), and the hunters staying were all lovely people, I think this did have an impact upon our game viewing experience. The Antelopes and Zebras appeared very wary and kept a good distance away from the horses. Only the Giraffes were curious, and we only got one good sighting of them in 8 rides.. That may be down to luck, as we did hear of guests being able to ride alongside Zebra the previous week. But when we saw Zebra, only once, and far away, they ran away still further.

Raffaella (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Perfect holiday good riding and relax | More different scenarios, but think the seasons time was not the best one to see the colors of Namibia