A horse safari through an idyllic stretch of wild, dune-backed coastline in Mozambique

Riding on beaches, through the sea and to villages provided a thrilling taste of Mozambique for Rose Gamble
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Rose Gamble27 November 2017

We slide down a steep path engulfed in clouds of kicked-up ochre dust. Pushing through the last of the palm fronds, we emerge on to a stretch of white sand. The tide has come in, swallowing the beach — and our route home.

My little horse bounces happily forward, submerged up to his stomach. We wade through the waves, roughly tracing a shoreline hemmed in by tangled mangroves. Our boots fill up with warm saltwater. A dhow glides past, its occupants waving. I find myself laughing in pure, childlike delight.

Pat and Mandy Retzlaff, owners of Mozambique Horse Safari, offer riding on an idyllic stretch of wild, dune-backed Mozambican coastline about 400 miles north of Maputo, the capital. The huge beaches gleam white in the hot sun. The water is rich in marine life, with manta rays, whale sharks and pods of dolphins.

Paradise it may be but Mandy and Pat are not here by choice. The Retzlaffs owned a farm in Zimbabwe until, in 2002, they were evicted as part of Robert Mugabe’s land-redistribution programme. They bolted, taking with them their horses and a few possessions.

The Retzlaffs soon found themselves collecting dozens of horses from their evicted neighbours — they became known as “the horse people”. In 2003, they arrived in the border town of Chimoio in Mozambique with 104 horses before settling near the coastal town of Vilanculos. Soon they began to offer riding tours on the beach — they now have 37 horses and offer day rides or a five to eight-day safari package.

Guests are housed in lodges. We stay at the self-catering Vila de Sonhos, where I have the run of a beautiful thatched chalet with a balcony looking out onto the Indian Ocean.

The day begins in the Retzlaffs’ neat, sandy stable yard. Pat pairs me up with my pretty white mount, called Viper. “He’s an Arabian — they do what they want,” Pat tells me as he adjusts my stirrups. I’m not sure what to make of this so I join the others in trepidation.

Twenty minutes later, all fears are forgotten. Viper, although energetic and with a serious turn of speed, is beautifully behaved. We ride fanned out in an arc across the beach before scrambling up a cliff path and into the bush. We weave between acacia trees and wild oranges. We pass through villages where the children rush after us, the horses still enough of a novelty to induce squeals of excitement.

Mandy hires a chef for the week, so for supper we feast on enormous crayfish, tilapia and bowls of fresh salad. Although the safari package offers the same selection of rides — exploring the fishing villages; negotiating the sliding slopes of a phalanx of sand dunes; a visit to the honeymoon isle of Benguerra — the week is arranged to suit guests.

Taking a break from riding, we explore the derelict husk of a hotel on Paradise Island. In the Fifties and Sixties, it was the haunt of glamorous Rhodesians. Local legend states Bob Dylan composed his 1976 hit, Mozambique, there.

On our last morning we rise with the dawn and ride into the sea. My horse plunges in up to her neck and heads for the horizon. Later Mandy takes me to see the foundations of a building — it’s to be a café behind the stables. This is the Retzlaffs’ first foray into material assets. With no chance of a pension, and no home to return to, they need to think about the future. Until then, though, they have their wonderful horses.

Details: Mozambique

A four-day, five-night safari costs £2,123 including rides, lodging and meals. South African Airways flies from Heathrow to Vilanculos via Johannesburg from £942 return. Sonhos Lodge sleeps eight, approx £300 a night.

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