Ethiopia has the largest horse population in Africa and one of the largest in the world. As such, there are many places to hire horses for riding. In Addis Abeba, horses can be hired at the Balderas Stables as well as at the Jan Meda Stables. The British, French, German, and Italian embassies also have stables. There are many trails in the mountains surrounding the capital to enjoy horseback riding on.
Outside the metropolis are a few destinations set up to accommodate guests with riding horses. The closest places are Adulala Resort in Debre Zeit and Wonchi, which is a mountainous crater lake between the towns of Ambo and Weliso, west of Addis Abeba.
Bishangari Lodge on the eastern shore of Lake Langano, offers some great riding, as well. While horses tend to be smaller in Ethiopia, those at Bishangari are of decent size. Trail conditions range from sunny lakeshores and open fields to old growth forests and riverine forests.
South of Lake Langano, just east of Arsi Negele is the community of Lepis. The stables here were set up with tourism training from the US and horse training from Europe. Plenty of forest and the foothills of the Bale Mountains are here to explore, complete with the beautiful Lepis Falls.
However, horseback riding in the afromontane and afro-alpine environments is a whole different ballgame. It is quite easy to do multiday rides here, camping at night. The Simien Mountains also offers horseback riding, but the horses tend to be smaller and not as well cared for.
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