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Lois tells us about her travels (in June 2025) to the Maasai Mara in Kenya with Offbeat. An exciting journey filled with wildlife, horses, nature and dedicated people who are rightly proud of the perfect area where they live and work. 

The Maasai Mara in Kenya was the focal point for many wildlife documentaries that I watched growing up. Actually being there and experiencing it in real life was unbelievably inspiring, and as a lifelong horse lover, seeing it from horseback made it all the more special. This is somewhere you can fully disconnect from the world and just enjoy being there and viewing wildlife as it was intended to live.

GETTING THERE

My adventure began with a direct flight from London Heathrow to Nairobi, landing late in the evening the night before the safari started. Passport control and baggage checks at Nairobi airport took longer than expected, but eventually I was outside where the person meeting me had been waiting patiently. They understood there could be a wait and took me to my driver straight away.

It was a short 15 minute transfer to the Tamarind Tree Hotel. The hotel was perfect for a stopover — big comfortable rooms, plenty of amenities, and even a pool if you’re tempted. After a light breakfast the next morning (toast, coffee, mini-croissant), I was collected at 08:45 along with another guest who had also stayed the night here. We excitedly introduced ourselves and marvelled together over what the next week would entail for us.

From the hotel it was just a 5 minute drive to Nairobi Wilson Airport — essentially one small waiting room — where we joined the rest of the group and met Simon Kenyon, one of the owners of Offbeat Safaris and our safari guide. All the paperwork was taken care of while we gathered and before long we were boarded onto a small plane for our flight into the Mara.

The only luggage restriction was that all your combined luggage could only weigh up to 15kg. Surprisingly easy to do when you only need riding clothes and comfortable gear for a week in the bush. There is also a complimentary laundry service on the safari.

Our landing “airstrip” was little more than a gravel track, with safari vehicles waiting alongside. There was also a man on a scooter who ensured no wildlife would come near as a plane came into land! We met Daisy Soames (also an owner of Offbeat Safaris and our safari guide), Netty and Sitoti (our Maasai spotters who had the best eyes of anyone I’ve met) and loaded into two safari vehicles we set off to the Mara River Camp – our base for the first two nights.

Simon Kenyon, together with his wife Rosy, Daisy Soames and Jakob Von Plessen acquired Offbeat Riding Safaris from the Voorspuy family in 2023. Simon had first started  guiding with Tristan in 2007 and Daisy started in 2012 while Jakob had first come to help on the riding safaris in 1999.

LOCATION

The Maasai Mara is on the border with Tanzania. Only the very middle/border section is the official National Park, with the outer sections being privately owned and protected conservancies. This ride takes you over 6 of these conservancies right from one side of the Mara to the other. You cover around 200 km of changing terrain from long sweeping grasslands, river crossings, escarpment ascents, and of course those iconic wide open plains.

The safari can run in both directions. I rode the River to Lamun route, starting at Mara River Camp, and ending at Olare Lamun camp.

HORSES & RIDING

Offbeat Safaris have around 45 horses – mostly Thoroughbreds or Thoroughbred crosses, many with ex-racing or polo backgrounds. There are also a number of homebred horses, again with a mix of Thoroughbreds, but also sports horses, local breeds and warmbloods. They were athletic, forward-going, and confident, yet incredibly well-schooled and suited to the terrain.

When not on safari, the horses stay at their former home at Deloraine, near to Nakuru. They are cared for very professionally with each horse having its own groom who accompanies them when it is their turn on safari.

I rode Natron, named after Lake Natron in Tanzania. He was brave, sure-footed, and although he was one of the smaller horses he had a fantastic stride that wasn’t pony like at all. He was also a pleasure to be around in all ways, and knew to look out for Collins (his own groom) every time we returned from a ride.

The guides always rode with us and we were usually joined by volunteers and sometimes grooms. On the days where we moved camp we would also take the 2 or 3 spare horses who would run loose alongside us.

The rides ranged from short evening outings to full-day adventures  when moving camp with brunch and lunch stops along the way. The pace was varied — walking to enjoy the wildlife, but also plenty of fun trots and canters across the open plains. On the longest day we were out for around 10 hours, covering 50km, with unforgettable views and sightings.

Each horse is always tacked-up with a neck strap and guests are shown how to correctly ride with one if not used to them. Riders need to be fit, able to post to the trot for long periods, and take a two point position in canter.

GAME

It was impossibly difficult to keep a note of all the animals seen. The first game drive to camp was a constant scramble for a pen and asking Simon and Daisy to repeat the names of birds and other antelope we had not seen before. A list of animals seen (in some cases almost every day): lion, elephant, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, topi, grants gazelle, thompson’s gazelle, terrapin, tortoise, cheetah, serval, hippo, crocodile, buffalo, bush baby, eland, waterbuck, bush buck, warthog, sand grouse, fish eagle, vulture, lilac breasted roller, bateleur eagle, hyrax, and even a golden orb spider (the only spider I actually saw!). 

Although I was on safari in June the big migratory herds of zebra and wildebeest hadn’t yet arrived into the Maasai Mara.  They can arrive in early June, but it all depends on the rain and hence the amount of grass in the area. Nevertheless we saw an amazing amount of game every day.

Simon and Daisy were incredibly skilled at ensuring we rode in a way that would allow us to get very close to some of the animals. The size of fit fully grown male giraffe is staggering, and the lions would make the most confident yet calm eye contact as we watched.

ACCOMMODATION & FOOD

This was without doubt the most comfortable camping I’ve ever experienced.

We moved between four different camps during the week:

• Mara River Camp (2 nights) (set along the river bank, not much tree cover, but you can normally see the hippos in the river)
• Siria Escarpment Camp (1 night) (beautiful location looking out across the whole Mara ecosystem, a rewarding view after a big up hill climb to reach it)
• Olare Orok (2 nights) (dense growth, some tree cover, there is a hippo pool near by) 
• Olare Lamun (2 nights) (less dense tree cover, feels sheltered between a small river and a strong tree line)

The camp is completely mobile and we left no trace once we had moved on. The tents are 3x4m military-style canvas, with single or double camp bed, full bedding with blankets and even hot water bottles at night. Each tent has its own long-drop loo and every couple of tents share a bucket shower with hot water brought fresh each time.

Despite being in the bush, everything was very clean and cleverly organised. The camp team were so efficient and ensured we always arrived back to a tidy and perfect set up.

The food was a real highlight of the safari. Every meal was homemade in the camp kitchen. Breakfasts were generous (we even had ‘second’ breakfast on some days) — fruit, granola, porridge, eggs cooked to order, bacon, sausages, pancakes, and more. Lunches were usually fresh salads, breads, and a main dish like barbecued meat and veg-skewers, pizza, or cottage pie. Dinners were three courses: a hearty soup or vegetarian starter, a main dish with vegetables, and puddings that ranged from fruit crumbles to brownies, always served with fresh cream from Simon’s own cows.

Drinks were plentiful too — everything from water, juice, tea, and coffee, to wine, gin, beer, and whiskey by the campfire.

SUMMARY

What stood out for me most was the balance between adventure and care on this truly amazing Maasai Mara Offbeat Safari. The horses were exceptionally well looked after by their dedicated grooms, the guides were attentive and knowledgeable, and the camps ran like clockwork. There were also moments of pure exhilaration — galloping across open plains with giraffes on the horizon — and moments of stillness, like sipping tea while elephants browsed nearby.

It was the perfect mix of comfort, adventure, and authenticity and I cannot wait to return to Kenya for another “once in a lifetime” adventure. The Kenyan bush is now in my blood.

To book your place on this amazing safari, please contact me at lois@inthesaddle.com or phone +44 1299 272 997.