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Last month Dija set off on her second In The Saddle riding adventure, to explore life along the banks of the River Nile and get an insight into rural life along the way. Her destination? The landlocked country of Uganda, in East Africa.

Featuring top-quality horses and fabulous overnight stops, the Nile Explorer Ride takes you through rainforest, tea plantations, small villages, and along the banks of the Nile.

Here, in her own words, ITS client Dija tells us about her memorable time in Uganda.

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The Ride of a Lifetime

And just like that, the riding part of this trip is over. It’s been fabulous — the rides have been so varied, and the horses are fit and a joy to ride.

We’ve ridden through towns and villages, tea, coffee and sugar plantations, a peninsula of Lake Victoria, and the Mabira Forest where we saw the rare grey-cheeked mangabey monkey in three different places. We’ve galloped through villages with children cheering us on, been chased by cows, and seen the huge variety of fruit and veg that grow in this fertile soil — avocado, pineapple, bananas, passion-fruit, corn, pumpkins and more. We’ve watched people making clay bricks for their homes, ridden along the banks of the Nile and been swimming with the horses.

We’ve got Ugandan spray tans from the dusty gallops, which tinged us all a deep shade of red. I hope it stays in the cracks and crevices of my boots and hat for a little while longer, so I can keep a little of this beautiful country with me.

The food at picnic lunches, set up for when we arrived, was always heavenly. The guides and grooms, all Ugandan, treated us with such care and kindness.

Horses Are My Happy Place

Horses are my happy place — beautiful souls who give you their all. I’ve never quite figured out why they do it, but I love them for it.

Hunters Gold, the horse I was allocated, is a special boy who has more than his fair share of horsey magic. I loved tearing around the Ugandan countryside on this superstar. I would trust this little horse with my life; I’m going to miss him so much.

My Mum was given Comfort who was wonderful, a real gentleman and really took care of her.

As for Nat, TJ and Laura — the world needs more people like them. We really didn’t want to say goodbye, but hopefully it’s just until next time.

Special Memories

Uganda is a very, very special place to ride. And if you want a treat, you should book the Nile Explorer.

And if you don’t ride, I’d still recommend you visit Uganda. I could sit and watch the White Nile forever. It’s not a place to bring a book — it’s too distracting. But it’s so very peaceful. And real.

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Thank you Dija for a wonderful insight into your time in Uganda.

If Dija’s Uganda adventure has caught your imagination, please do get in touch with our team to start planning your own trip.

Further information on the Nile Explorer can be found online here or if you’d like to chat with one of our agents, please call +44 1299 272997 or email rides@inthesaddle.com