Riding Safari
11 June 2025
The Riding
The Accommodation
Do you have any comments about the accommodation and food?
The tents were amazing - glamping plus and some - but we did have a problem with the water in that it never got particularly warm. It seemed that this varied from tent to tent and might have been a teething problem with the new build. We were extremely well fed and thoroughly enjoyed our meals throughout our stay.
[Abbie from ITS replies: Thank you for letting us know that the water temperature to your tent was variable - we are sorry that you were affected by this. The water in Camp is heating by solars, but Macatoo have confirmed that these issues have since been resolved by re-positioning the geysers.]
Before Your Holiday
Did you have all of the information you needed to:
How could we improve the quality of pre-holiday information that we send?
You've been amazing. So helpful throughout the booking process with plenty of pre- and post holiday care.
The only suggestion I have for an additional piece of information to go into the riding description would be something that manages expectations around size of horses. The local breeds of horses used for the safaris tend to be much smaller than those many of the riders will be used to back home.
How could we improve the way we handled your booking and payment?
Gosh nothing at all! You really have been wonderful to deal with. It's the first time I've booked with yourselves and I can't imagine using anyone else in the future.
Do you have any other feedback for us?
We booked Macatoo as it looked like non-riders would be equally well catered for and we were not disappointed. My husband - the non-rider - had the most amazing week of safari drives in the jeep, often benefiting from one-to-one guiding from Bonwge, who also had exceptional knowledge to share.
Whilst I missed out on the two leopard sightings that my husband had enjoyed, on our final evening, we both had the privilege of tracking three male lions; an extraordinary end to what had been the most phenomenal experience.
Elizabeth (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Extraordinary experience for riders and non-riders alike | The riding at Macatoo, under the brilliant guiding of Chief, was spectacular. His knowledge of the wildlife, and ability to read a herd as well as individual animals, meant we got close to so many different species and stayed safe. We also managed to run alongside some herds, including zebra, red lechwe and a mixed group of tsessebe, wildebeest and zebra. Other animals frequently seen on the rides included elephant, buffalo, kudo, impala, giraffe and hippo. We also got to see jackal, hyena, warthog and ostrich, plus many varied birds from hornbills to fish eagles.
The horses are incredibly fit and very forward going. I was paired with Neptune who I christened my pocket rocket, a small horse with plenty of power and gears whom I would happily have brought home if I could! However, the second horse I tried was very small and his gaits were too uncomfortable for me, so I did ask for a change. Mod and the team were so accommodating of riders' preferences and were happy to make changes.
[Abbie from ITS replies: Thank you for your super review. We are thrilled that you enjoyed your safari. We hope it will be the first of many riding holiday adventures with In The Saddle.
We're sorry to hear you found the horses on the small side, but appreciate your feedback. The horses at Macatoo range from 14hh to 17.2hh. Some are Boerperd and Warmblood types which ride quite big, whilst others are TB or Arab types which ride a bit narrower].