Riding with giraffes and chasing zebra in Botswana

Taking an exhilarating ride among zebra in the Okavango Delta

The opulent Macatoo camp, where the bush may be outside but inside, you'll get a good sleep

A herd of elephants are likely to come crashing through the waterways at any time

After spending most of the morning mistaking gigantic termite mounds for giraffes, I'd almost given up on finding my 'African bush eyes'.

Then one of the mounds began to move. As our guide gestured for us to canter closer, the protruding anthill morphed into a young giraffe, which launched into an awkward lope ahead of us.

Six adults emerged from the bush to join its gangling flight and, for a magical mile or two, horses and giraffes ran as one across the vast floodplain.

The British-run African Horseback Safaris has more than 40 horses with which its guests can explore its half a million acre slice of the Delta.

For the first long ride of my five-night stay, I was allocated Mufasa, a lively dun-coloured crossbreed who immediately claimed the prime spot behind the lead horse, ridden by our Botswanan guide Sekongo.

Although he'd briefed us on how to behave around the potentially dangerous animals we would encounter, it was only when I watched Sekongo load his gun and secure it on his saddle that the realities of riding in a true wilderness dawned on me.

The brisk trot out of Macatoo camp was just what I needed to settle my nerves. My holiday companion, Lizzie, was riding behind me and our little group was completed by Scorpion, the back-up guide.

---

Orignal From: Riding with giraffes and chasing zebra in Botswana