This is home to Equus Horse Safaris. Formed in 1989, we are the longest established specialist horse safari company in South Africa. We offer our guests an informative, private and unique bush experience on horseback where attention is paid not only to the mammals, but also to all aspects of the local ecology.

Equus Reserve falls within the UNESCO Waterberg Biosphere Reserve and encompasses four distinctly different habitats: afro-montane, bushveld, wetlands and grasslands. The sweeping grasslands of the main valleys offer fast riding while the ridges and mountain areas can be explored at a slower pace both on horseback and on foot. Riders will enjoy panoramic views across miles and miles of Africa.

It is a truly exhilarating experience to ride through the African bush as the pioneers did. Today, we are on the lookout for birds and game or just quietly following spoor. In a vehicle, you are remote from the excitement around you; on horseback your senses come alive. The combination of riding and game viewing makes for a unique and unforgettable experience.

Wendy Adams, co-owner of Equus with John Miller, pioneered horse safaris in South Africa and has many years of experience in combining all the elements that create a great riding holiday. Her high standard of horses, tack, guiding experience (she is a highly qualified field guide and British-trained riding instructor) and attention to detail create a unique and relaxing environment in which to enjoy great riding on well-schooled horses.

The horses are our top priority, but we also encourage guests to create their own experience, explore the reserve on foot or just relax in our beautiful camp. Hiking trails of up to 15 kms. (over nine miles) traverse the reserve and, if desired, a guide can accompany you on the longer trails which offer spectacular mountaintop views and refreshing dips in mountain streams. Unique scenic game flights in a light aircraft can be arranged.

Wildlife indigenous to the area occur on the reserve in limited numbers and we make every effort to observe the animals in their natural surroundings. We have not introduced any species and the land is not game-fenced; the animals are there because they want to be. Species occurring on the reserve include kudu, mountain reedbuck, klipspringer, bushbuck, duiker, common reedbuck, warthog, chacma baboon, leopard, caracal, black-backed jackal, brown hyena, aardvark, bat-eared fox, aardwolf, porcupine, scrub hare and mongoose.

Traversing rights on neighbouring reserves allow us to venture further for a full day with saddlebag picnics to see a wider variety of African wildlife including all the common plains game. For those guests who want to see the "big five", we can arrange game drives or overnight stays on neighbouring private game reserves.

Due to the diversity of habitats on Equus Reserve, birdlife is prolific. Eagle species include Black, Tawny, Martial, Black-breasted, African Hawk and Wahlbergs amongst others. Dams, streams and wetlands on the reserve attract a wide variety of water birds, including roosting blue crane during the summer months. The nearby Marakele National Park is home to the largest breeding colony of Cape Vulture in Africa and these may be seen soaring on thermals above the ridges on the reserve.

A stay of three or four nights is recommended if you are on an active itinerary in South Africa and wish to see as much as possible. If you are taking a quieter holiday, want to relax, are a keen birder or want to ride and walk daily, then we suggest a longer stay of up to a week. Guests may want to take advantage of Equus' proximity to two major big-five game-viewing destinations. Day trips to Marakele National Park can be arranged with a guide, picnic and refreshments. Alternatively, you can combine a few nights in a luxurious lodge at Welgevonden Private Game Reserve with a few days of riding at Equus to create a great one-week African holiday. For passionate riders, a combination of a horse safari at Equus with another specialist African horse safari enables you to see and experience diverse scenery and riding.

View the above packages:

Equus Reserve & Ekuthuleni Lodge Equus Reserve & Wait-A-Little Horse And Game Ranch

We care for this special place, enjoying it ourselves and sharing it with others who have the same interest and passion in the natural world, and of course, in horses. We endeavour to live lightly on the land. It is a wonderous natural environment that we seek to preserve and conserve in a way that maintains its incredible beauty, protects its natural patterns and inhabitants, and contributes to a return to its most natural state.