top of page
Search

Ghana — The Next Frontier for Horse Travel in Africa

Ghana — The Next Frontier for Horse Travel in Africa

By Marie, Founder of Horse Riding XP Ghana


If you have been searching for the next great horse travel destination in Africa — you have probably looked at Morocco. Maybe South Africa. Kenya. Ethiopia. Countries with established equestrian tourism industries, well mapped trails, and a growing international reputation for horse travel.

Ghana has not been on that list.

Until now.

What most people do not know about Ghana

Ghana is one of the most stable, accessible, and welcoming countries on the African continent. It has a thriving tourism industry, a growing expat community, and landscapes that range from coastal beaches to tropical forest to wide open river terrain.

What it has not had — until very recently — is horse travel.

Not because the conditions are not right. The terrain along the Volta river in the south east of the country is some of the most breathtaking riding landscape I have ever seen. Kilometre long stretches of red river sand. Palm groves. Wide open trails along one of West Africa’s most beautiful rivers. The kind of landscape that stops you mid-ride and makes you forget where you were going.

The trails have simply never been mapped. The infrastructure has never been built. Nobody has done it yet.

That is exactly what makes Ghana the next frontier.


The state of horse travel in Africa

Horse travel and equestrian tourism in Africa is growing. Morocco has built a thriving industry around horse trekking through the Atlas mountains and along its Atlantic coast. South Africa offers everything from wine country trail rides to bush safaris on horseback. Kenya has long been a destination for horse riding in the shadow of Kilimanjaro.

But West Africa has been largely left out of this conversation.

The region has horses. It has terrain. It has landscapes that would make any rider stop and stare. What it has lacked is the infrastructure, the welfare standards, and the people willing to build something from the ground up in an environment where very little exists to support them.

Horse Riding XP Ghana has spent years trying to change that — starting in Accra, expanding to the beach, and now moving into the Volta Region for what we believe is the first serious horse travel operation in West Africa.


Why the Volta Region

Sogakope sits on the Volta river in the heart of the Volta Region — about two hours from Accra. It is quiet, largely untouched, and staggeringly beautiful.

When I first walked the trails along the river I immediately knew this was a place that needed to be ridden. The sand is deep and red. The river is wide and calm. The palm trees line the banks for kilometres. On a horse at a canter this terrain is something most riders will never experience anywhere else in the world.

We are currently in the process of mapping those trails — the first time it has ever been done in the area. This summer our horses will be based in Sogakope for two months as we explore the terrain, establish the best routes, and build the foundation of what we believe will become one of the most exciting equestrian travel destinations in Africa.


Why now

Horse travel is expensive. A week of trail riding in Morocco, Portugal, or Costa Rica can cost anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000. A month in a premium equestrian destination can run to $10,000 or more. The barriers to entry for international horse travel are high — and they keep a lot of riders who would love the experience from ever having it.

Ghana changes that equation. The cost of living is lower. The terrain is extraordinary. And right now, at this moment, the experience is genuinely pioneer — raw, real, and unlike anything currently available on the continent.

We are not building a polished resort experience. We are building something honest. A place where riders come, live with the horses, explore terrain that nobody has ridden before, and be part of something that matters.

The people who come to Ghana for horse travel in the next few years will be the ones who discovered it first. That is always the best time to arrive somewhere.


What ethical horse travel looks like

One thing that has always concerned me about equestrian tourism — in Ghana and globally — is the gap between the experience sold and the reality lived by the horses providing it.

At Horse Riding XP Ghana the horses come first. Always. Our horses are well fed, well trained, and genuinely cared for. We do not push them past what they are ready for. We do not use them as props for tourist experiences. We build real relationships with them and we expect the people who ride them to do the same.

Horse travel done properly is not just good for the rider. It is good for the horse. When horses are exercised thoughtfully on varied terrain, given proper nutrition and rest, and handled by people who understand them — they thrive. That is what we are building in the Volta Region.

Ethical equestrian travel is not a niche. It is the future of the industry. And Ghana — because it is starting from scratch — has the opportunity to build it right from the beginning.



Come and be part of it

This summer we have one rider spot available for a month long pioneer trail riding experience in Sogakope. You ride every day. You help us map the trails. You live on the Volta river with the horses outside your door.

$1,200 for one month. Accommodation included.

This is not a price that will exist again after this summer. We are offering it because this is an absolute first — and the person who comes will be part of building something historic.

If Ghana is not yet on your horse travel list — it should be.

📩 +233 26 988 2134


Does this feel right?​​


 
 
 

Comments

bottom of page