Ant's Lodges - South Africa

Ant's Nest

5 star rating   7 December 2022

Chris who has been on 11 In The Saddle rides. A wonderful riding safari | We liked all the horses we rode but thought the ones at Nest were particularly good - forward going and responsive but always obeyed the guides' signals when cantering. Our favourites were Pumbaa and Leo. We also thought Nest had more guides so the rides were more varied as a consequence. We especially enjoyed our rides with Sehkiri, Kiara, Hannah and Ali. We liked Moses at Hill - he is an excellent guide and took us on many different routes around the reserve which made the rides very interesting and varied. Ginger was also good but we only had the 2 guides while at Hill.
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: Thank you very much for your feedback and we are so pleased that you enjoyed your return to Ant's Lodges.]


The Riding

How well were you matched with the right horse for your ability?
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How would you rate the variety of riding, pace or terrain?
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How would you rate the overall standard of the horses, tack and stables?
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The Accommodation

How would you rate your room(s) for comfort and facilities?
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How would you rate the standard of the food?
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Do you have any comments about the accommodation and food?

The food was excellent at both Hill and Nest. We both found the type and amount of food at Nest a bit too overwhelming - by the time we reached Hill we were happy to agree with the other 2 guests there that we'd prefer "children's portions"! We also thought the food at Nest, cooked by the chef Kobi, was more imaginative and delicious and not so hearty.


Before Your Holiday

Did you have all of the information you needed to:

Plan and prepare for your holiday?
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Feel comfortable about your transfers and what to expect?
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Do you have any other feedback for us?

Overall we were extremely happy with all aspects of our holiday but we just make the following points which might be considered by Ants:
The provision of perhaps a couple of electric mountain bicycles would have made the cycling option more attractive. We have them and can recommend them for sandy, rocky terrain. They are very expensive though.
It would have been nice to do a few early morning rides with say a bush breakfast at the end, or just breakfast after an early morning ride. We did one bush lunch/barbecue at Hill but a couple more would have been appreciated. We tended to skip breakfast anyway as lunch, afternoon tea and the dinners were more than enough for us.
[Becky from In The Saddle replies: Thank you very much and we will certainly pass these suggestions onto the lodges.]