Horseback Safaris in Uganda: Riding Lake Mburo Plains Game

Riding among zebra and eland at Lake Mburo, and hill rides in the Nile valley around Jinja.

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Horseback safaris in Uganda happen at Lake Mburo National Park, the only park where riding is permitted, because no elephant have lived there for decades. Rides run from an hour at walking pace to a four hour climb onto the ridge, matched to your ability rather than to a fixed programme. Zebra, impala and topi read a horse as another grazer and let riders far closer than a vehicle.

A Guide to Horseback Safaris in Uganda

Researched and written in house. No operator contributed to this guide or paid to appear in it.

Horseback Safari in Uganda: Where It Happens

A horseback safari in Uganda means Lake Mburo National Park, and in practice it means one stable. Rides go out from the eastern side of the park across acacia woodland and open valley, lasting from an hour to most of a day, and they take you among plains game at ground level without an engine.

The activity is arranged through the lodge that holds the riding concession, usually as part of a stay, and any Ugandan tour operator building a Lake Mburo stop into your itinerary can set it up.

It is a small and slightly odd corner of Ugandan tourism. It is also the only way in the country to get close to wild game on something other than your own feet or a vehicle.

Why Lake Mburo Is the Only Horseback Safari Park

One fact explains it. Lake Mburo has had no resident elephant for decades, which removes the animal that makes riding, walking and cycling in a national park genuinely dangerous. Everything the park allows that other parks do not comes back to that.

The park is also small, roughly 370 square kilometres, with gentle terrain and no dangerous topography. Buffalo are present and are the animal a riding guide watches. Leopard and hyena live here too and are almost never a problem to a horse in daylight.

The riding concession inside the park boundary is held by Mihingo Lodge, which has run a stable on the eastern side since the late two thousands and obtained permission to ride inside the park about a year after starting outside it. As far as the published record goes, it remains the only operation taking guests on horseback into a Ugandan national park. Our Lake Mburo guide covers the park itself.

What a Horseback Safari Ride Covers

Rides are built around ability rather than a fixed programme, and the stable matches the horse and the route to the rider.

The shapes a ride usually takes, from shortest to longest.

Short ride, one to two hours. Walking pace on gentle ground near the stable, suitable for a complete beginner and for children on the smaller ponies. Enough to see zebra and impala at close range.

Half day ride. Longer loops into the park with time among the game, and stretches where a competent rider can trot and canter. The usual choice for anyone who rides at home.

The Warukiri ridge ride, four to five hours. The stable's signature outing, climbing to high ground with long views over the lakes and the valley. Fitness in the saddle matters more than technical skill, and it is a long time to be riding if you are out of practice.

Overnight rides. Rides out to a fly camp with a night under canvas have been part of the offer. Confirm at enquiry whether they are currently running, since this is the element most likely to change season to season.

Morning and late afternoon are the riding windows, for the same reason they are the driving windows. The middle of the day is hot for horse and rider alike.

Riding Closer: How Game Reacts on a Horseback Safari

This is the reason to do it rather than take another game drive.

Why a horse gets closer than a vehicle

Plains game read a horse as another large herbivore rather than as a threat, so animals that would move off from a vehicle at a hundred metres will often carry on grazing at thirty. There is no engine noise and no diesel smell. Zebra in particular tolerate horses well, and riders regularly find themselves inside a mixed herd of zebra, impala and topi that is simply not bothered. Warthog, duiker, bushbuck, waterbuck and eland turn up on most rides. Buffalo are treated with respect and given distance by the guide. It is a quieter and much more ordinary way of being among animals, and people who ride at home tend to rate it above the game drives on the same trip.

What you give up is range and the ability to follow a sighting. A horse goes where the guide judges it safe to go, at a pace the group can manage, and predators are not sought out.

Riding Ability, Weight Limits and Who These Safaris Suit

Beginners are catered for and are kept to walking pace on quiet horses. Experienced riders get the faster ground and the longer routes. Nobody is put on something they cannot handle, which is the sensible way to run a stable in a park with buffalo in it.

The practical limits

The stable publishes a maximum rider weight of 100 kilograms, and notes that most of its horses cannot carry more than about 85. That is the constraint that most often rules someone out, so check it before building a trip around riding. Long trousers and closed shoes with a small heel are needed; helmets are provided. Children ride on the smaller ponies with a guide walking alongside. Anyone with a back or knee problem should say so, because four hours in a saddle on uneven ground is harder than it sounds.

The Horses and the Stable Behind the Safari

The stable keeps a mixed string, including thoroughbreds, Ethiopian horses, Kenyan imports and animals bred on site, which is what allows it to match mounts across a wide range of riding ability. Around fourteen horses have been in work in recent seasons.

The mix matters more than it sounds. A single type of horse would suit either nervous beginners or confident riders and not both, and most riding operations in East Africa lean one way. Having ponies for children and a strong thoroughbred for a heavier competent rider is what lets a family go out together.

Horseback Safaris Beyond the Park Boundary

Rides also run on the community land and ranchland immediately outside the park, which is where the stable started before the concession was granted. That ground carries plenty of game, since animals move freely across an unfenced boundary, and it is where beginners are often taken first.

Elsewhere in Uganda you will find horse riding at a few stables around Kampala, Entebbe and Jinja, which is recreational riding rather than a wildlife activity. If you see a Ugandan itinerary offering horseback riding in Queen Elizabeth or Murchison, query it, because those parks hold elephant and do not permit it.

Fitting a Horseback Safari into a Uganda Trip

Lake Mburo sits on the main road between Kampala and the southwest, which makes it the easy stop on the way to or from Bwindi. Most itineraries give it one night, and one night gives you one ride.

Two nights is the difference between a short ride squeezed into an afternoon and a proper half day in the saddle plus a game drive or a walk. If riding is the reason you are going, ask for two. Our guide to trip length covers where that night comes from.

Pick an itinerary that includes Lake Mburo from our game drive page, or write directly to any company on our list of Ugandan tour operators, and ask them to arrange riding with the stable for a named day. A walking safari in the same park is the obvious pairing.

Frequently Asked Questions About Horseback Safaris in Uganda

What does a horseback safari cost? There is no published national tariff line for horse riding the way there is for game drives and guided walks, because the activity is run under a private concession rather than by the park authority. The stable quotes directly and rates vary by ride length. Park entry still applies at around USD 40 per person per twenty four hours at Lake Mburo. Ask the operator building your itinerary to get a current figure in writing rather than working from a number found online.

Do I need to be able to ride? No. Short rides at walking pace are run for complete beginners and for children, with the horse matched to the rider. You do need to be honest about your ability, because the guide chooses the route from what you tell them.

Is riding among wild animals safe? Within the way it is run, yes. The park holds no elephant, guides keep distance from buffalo, and rides avoid the times and places where risk rises. Horses are also considerably better than people at noticing something in the grass first.

Is there a weight limit? Yes, and it is the thing that most often stops people riding. The published maximum is 100 kilograms, with most of the string limited to around 85. Check before you plan a trip around it.

Can children ride? Yes, on smaller ponies with a guide on foot alongside. It is one of the few wildlife activities in Uganda with no minimum age of fifteen attached, unlike gorilla and chimpanzee permits.

Can I ride in any other Ugandan park? No. Lake Mburo is the only national park where riding is permitted, and the reason is the absence of elephant. Stables near Kampala, Entebbe and Jinja offer riding outside protected areas.

Write to any of the independent Ugandan tour operators on this site with your dates, your riding experience and your weight, and ask them to arrange a ride at Lake Mburo as part of the itinerary. We take no booking and charge you nothing.