Fodor's Expert Review Offbeat Safaris

A truly wonderful and unique way to see game and experience Kenya close up is to go on a horse safari; you should do this only if you're an experienced rider—you want to be able to gallop if you meet a hungry predator—and if you're fit enough to ride four to six hours a day. On the Mara safari, you'll fly into one of the conservancies around the reserve and stay at small rustic but comfortable tented camps along the way, sometimes spending two or three nights at the same camp, depending on which route you choose. But even if you get a bit saddle-sore, riding alongside hundreds of thousands of plains game is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Your safari could end with a relaxing stay at Deloraine, the beautiful old colonial mansion owned by the Voorspuy family who operate Offbeat Safaris, which is on the western edge of the Great Rift Valley on the lower slopes of Mt. Londiani. Offbeat also has riding safaris in Amboseli National Park and Laikipia.