A Look Back at 2023: The Best Safari Season on Record
After an incredibly special Christmas spent in the bush with the whole family, we have arrived home full of optimism and hope for the year ahead. Looking back at the past year, it provides the perfect backdrop for what we hope will be an amazing 2024, as the 2023 season has truly been outstanding on so many fronts, with many wonderful memories made.
Our very best on record in more than 50 years, the 2023 safari season has really been an exceptional one – with a fantastic combination of horse-riding safaris in Kenya and other wildlife safaris throughout East Africa. This year was particularly special as we were given a unique opportunity to ride in the Wilderness Area of the Mara Triangle with the wildebeest migration.
The Great Wildebeest Migration
It was a privilege to be granted permission to ride in the Wilderness Area of the Mara Triangle and we were awed by the magnitude of the migration – almost two million wildebeest migrate approximately 300 miles every year in an age-old route in their search for fresh grazing and water. Along with zebra and gazelle, this epic journey takes the wildebeest across the Masai Mara plains in Kenya, all the way south into Tanzania’s Serengeti and the edge of the Ngorongoro Crater, before circling up and around in a clockwise direction. Hungry predators including lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, wild dog and crocodiles ensure only the strongest survive, in this natural spectacle also known as ‘the greatest show on Earth.’
On top of this, we were lucky to experience almost daily encounters with lion while in the saddle – which was almost unheard of ten years ago. There were also some very exciting river crossings of the Mara on horseback – where we were very careful to avoid any grumpy bull hippos(!); and, as always, there were the exhilarating and joyous canters across the big open plains which always feed the soul.
Looking Ahead to 2024
With Felicia managing our ever flourishing and athletic stable of safari horses, we have really seen our equine partners excel this past year. And, having invested heavily in even more horses, horse trucks, camping trucks and guest game viewing vehicles, we are incredibly excited about what the new year holds.
Looking ahead to 2024, we have also planned something completely new and exciting: a riding safari across Namibia. This particular trip offers a whole new take on our classic safaris, with a very different backdrop to the East African plains. Felicia and I will traverse what would other otherwise be inaccessible deserts, riding across open plains, and through ancient volcanic craters to the famed Skeleton Coast.
We are thrilled that many of our safari rides are already fully booked for the coming year, however, there are still some spaces available, so please do get in touch if you are keen to experience the wonders that Kenya, and the continent as a whole, have to offer. The details for all our upcoming rides can be found here, and if you have any questions, you can email us at: info@safarisunlimited.com.