REINS DOWN IN AFRICA

I’M staring down the muzzle of a 2,000 pound cape buffalo. It’s the size of a Hummer. (OK, maybe I’m misspeaking. But he’s at least as big as a Ford Explorer.)

He’s a “brigadier” – too old to mate, so chucked out of the herd. He’s a grumpy old man snoozing in a bush in the hot Kenyan afternoon, and now a troupe of seven horseback riders have just wandered into his den. In a split second, he charges.

It’s about now that I’m really glad of two things.

First, that I’m riding a retired racehorse. In a heartbeat, we’ve done a 180 and are heading at a pretty good click away from the problem.

Second, that my safari guide is Mark Laurence, a man born without fear. He steers his horse into the buffalo’s path and begins cracking a bullwhip over his head, yelling at the attacker loudly.

LOWDOWN

Info: The Masai Mara horseback ride safari is available through Cross Country International. Land-only cost is $5,675 per person, including all meals, drinks and taxes. (800) 828-8768; equestrianvacations.com

As the rest of us pull up at a safe distance, we turn to see him chasing the highly surprised buffalo across the plains. It’s a bit like being on vacation with Indiana Jones.

Safari on horseback isn’t your typical ride-around, tick the boxes. It’s an exciting and eco-friendly way of getting up close and personal with nature. I was signed up for a nine-day stint with Cross Country International. The total ride was 150 miles, passing through unspoiled areas of the Masai Mara in southern Kenya.

We are outside the National Park, which houses the tourist lodges and often congested safari drive routes, so the only people we meet en route are the nomadic Masai, herding their cattle. Not a Jeep in sight.

I soon discover there is nothing quite so special as galloping across a field in which antelope, impala and zebra are grazing. As we approach, they join in, cantering alongside us. As riders, we get a unique viewpoint, and mingle up close and personal with the monkeys, hyenas, and giraffe, who view us with mild disinterest.

Mark, who was born in Kenya in 1967 after his parents emigrated from Britain in the ’50s, is the perfect safari guide. Not only is he an expert horseman (he’s an ex-jockey), he’s also a savant of all things flora and fauna.

His right-hand man on safari is Kaapen, a Masai who, some 25 years ago, rescued Mark from death by hippo.

Between the two of them, they steer us to the wildlife hotspots – in all, I check off over fifty species in my safari journal, better than most Jeep safaris can manage.

One ride takes us to the banks of the Mara river. Mark’s wife meets us with cold beer and a picnic barbeque which we enjoy as we watch the hippos and crocs, thankfully some way below.

Our second camp is high up in the Bardamat Hills, with a spectacular view over the plains, a campsite negotiated by Mark with the Masai.

During May to September, we’d have a birdseye view of the mass migration from here, with wildebeest (“fools of the plains”) sprawling their way across crocodile infested rivers, on their journey from the Serengeti.

There’s a long, all-day ride to get the next camp, but we stop for lunch at the Njaknjiak gorge, where we untack the horses and let them graze while we cool off with a swim in the rock pool.

This safari is back to nature, but it’s not about roughing it. The tents are deluxe, and pitched for us in picturesque parts of the camp. Each night, the beds are turned down and we have a shower waiting, with buckets of hot water boiled over the campfire. After six to eight hours in the saddle each day, it’s very welcome.

At night, campfires with Masai watchmen are set up to keep away predators from the horses (and us, presumably).

Meanwhile, we gather in a mess tent complete with huge candle chandelier. Food is excellent, with salads, roasted meats and fish. Wine and conversation flowed.

Most of our party were traveling solo, and this is a perfect vacation if you are going it alone. We all quickly became buddies. And we all truly fell in love with Kenya.