Waterberg Lodge Stay

This fantastic horseback safari experience in the unspoiled Waterberg region is ideal not just for the avid rider, but also for their non-riding travel companions, families and guests wishing to learn to ride. Flexibility is key here, with tailor-made luxury programmes offering activities for all.

Best period

Year-round

Price

From €360 per night (activities included)

Ideal length

2 - 10 nights

Interested?

Get in touch

Highlights

Encounter abundant wildlife, such as the white rhino, on horseback from very close.
Stay in elegant luxury accommodation with breath-taking views on the unspoiled Waterberg region.
Have a tailor-made horseback safari experience - each day is tailored to suit you.
Enjoy a unique flexibility, with the option to bring non-riders and children, but also to include other activities in your itinerary.

Quick facts

At a glance

This brilliant ride is set at two family-run luxury bush lodges located on their own private game reserve in the wild and unspoiled Waterberg region in the north of South Africa. This part of the country is known for an incredible diversity of terrain and scenery as well as wildlife, including many of the rarer species not easily observed elsewhere. Your hosts’ ancestors were one of the earliest pioneers in the area, settling here in 1886.

The lodges are widely known for their unparalleled horseback safari experience and unique flexibility. As a guest, each day is tailored to suit you. There is no fixed programme, the hosts pride themselves on their flexibility to accommodate everyone's needs and wishes. They can cater for any riding ability, both the experienced rider as the first-rime beginner, and also welcome non-riders and children of all ages. There is a range of activities available to suit any kind of guest, including bush walks, game drives, mountain biking and horse riding of course. The choice is yours!

The lodges have a herd of over 90 horses, who live a blissful life on the private game reserve amongst the wildlife. With the horses seen as a normal part of daily life, horse riding safari guests can get closer to wildlife than probably anywhere else in Africa. Guests can wake up when they want, ride when they want and for as long as they want. There will be no more than 6 guests on any one ride and each ride is accompanied by two guides as safety is of paramount importance. Riders of different abilities will not be mixed unless they choose to do so. Reliable ponies are available for children.

More information

The owners strive to create your home away from home. The two spacious and luxurious safari lodges are owner designed and built. Using local stone and thatch, they blend into the surroundings beautifully, setting the scene to give guests the most memorable bushveld views. Both lodges have room types of different sizes and standards available. Delicious cuisine with a blend of local and international recipes, glorious sundowner locations, beautiful gardens, various chill-out lounge spots and a heated swimming pool all make the relaxed and comfortable African atmosphere complete.

Both lodges can either be booked exclusively, to one group at a time (like a family), or you can book just one room, making it a favourite destination for multi-generational family bookings, solo riders, couples or friends travelling together. The staff is exceptionally hospitable and will go above and beyond to exceed your expectations to ensure your stay is a memorable and a life-changing safari experience.

What do others say?

From our very first meeting with Outside the Corral, we felt confident with Laure-Anne. She enthusiastically shared details about the various rides, assessed our expectations and skill level. Shortly after, we received a well-thought-out proposal with several appealing destinations. Choosing proved challenging for us, as all options looked fantastic—sorry for the delay, Laure-Anne :-). Ultimately, we settled on the "Castles of the Gredos" ride in Spain—a tranquil and beautiful journey on delightful horses. Despite some days with long hours in the saddle, we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It's a form of slow travel, allowing us to set aside the "must-do" list for a week and savor moments on horseback in the stunning natural surroundings. Leading up to the departure, Laure-Anne remained highly engaged, and we truly felt well-informed—perhaps the most informed among our travel group. Thank you, Laure-Anne!
Laure-Anne from Outside the Corral paid attention to my holiday wishes from the very first moment. She took care of a proper preparation and literally took me on a journey to my holiday destination. During the entire stay in Spain, the horses and guests were well taken care of. We rode in a beautiful area with a diversity of scenery, from flat countryside, valleys to steep cliffs. We spent six to seven hours in the saddle per day and during the breaks we enjoyed delicious tapas and traditional local dishes. Lunches were lavish picnics, each day in a unique spot, in the middle of nature. Living so close to nature feels very exclusive. The experience of a Michelin restaurant can hardly compete with this. ;-) The composition of the group was amazingly good. Our group consisted of ladies, various age groups, and we interacted in a casual way. The holiday exceeded my expectations. It was truly fantastic and can highly recommend it!
Brigitte Verhoeven
I recently had the most extraordinary riding holiday that surpassed all expectations. The journey from Petra to Wadi Rum offered breathtaking scenery, providing an unparalleled sense of freedom in the expansive desert landscapes. I'm incredibly glad that I came across an article about Outside the Corral in Feeling, followed Laure-Anne's wonderful Instagram page, scheduled a virtual coffee, and eventually booked this ride, which, in my opinion, ranks among the best in the world! Laure-Anne added a special touch to the experience; she was incredibly responsive, enthusiastically helped me with all my questions, and even provided several locations where I could get fit for the ride. Her guidance truly made the entire experience even more magical. Now, I'm left wondering whether to book one or two riding vacations with her next time!
Julie Van der Heyden
My trip was really lovely! I was a little bit nervous as I have only travelled alone in the UK (I'm English myself so it was exactly the same as travelling around Belgium). But everything went smoothly, from the flight to picking up my car (I rented a car through Hertz, definitely recommended!). At check-in, everything went really perfectly too, I got a beautiful (and big!) room overlooking the garden. The staff were super friendly and helpful, making my solo trip feel a little less alone! The food is also mouth-watering, I still dream of the lamb dumplings.... The stables are the cleanest I have ever seen, the horses are treated with so much love and it shows. The riding lessons themselves always took place in the indoor arena, due to bad weather. I learnt so much during the lessons, for which my huge thanks to the instructor. This will definitely not be my last time to book with you, and who knows, maybe back to Poland. I would also like to thank you for the great care from start to finish!
Shelby Hulmes

Ready to discover the horse riding holiday of your dreams?