Are you looking for a more affordable safari?

Affording a horseback safari is not the easiest of tasks. Rates can skyrocket for a 7-night experience – not to mention the flight to the other side of the world. Fortunately, there are some options that, while not free, are at least a bit more affordable.

One of them is Wild Ride, and I have just spent four nights in this fantastic reserve.

Just a 1 hour and 45 minute drive from Johannesburg lies Bezhoek Private Game Reserve – 7,000 hectares of wilderness home to giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, warthogs, hyenas, a whole host of antelopes and, of course, Wild Ride's 34 horses.

Wild Ride is not a luxury safari, but that is not what it tries to be either. Lin & Kevin, who own Wild Ride, have created a warm and welcoming little oasis that quickly feels like a second home. And although the set-up is called a working holiday with horses, the "work" consists of about 1–2 hours a day – on some days. Most of the time is instead spent riding, socialising and simply enjoying this wonderful place.

After the horses have been fed and you have had breakfast, it is time to saddle up and head out for the day's ride. Long hours in the saddle, surrounded by wildlife and incredible views. The variation in the reserve is really something special – one moment you are riding across open savannah that feels like a mini-Serengeti, and the next you are surrounded by the characteristic red cliffs, suddenly getting the feeling of having ended up in cowboy-Arizona.

Bezhoek is not home to the Big Five, but trips of two or three nights are regularly organised to Kruger National Park – the flagship of South Africa's national parks. Here, the chances of seeing the big cats, as well as elephants, buffalo, rhinos and much more, are very good.

Read more about Wild Ride Horse Safaris here