Atlas Mountains Ride
Riding tours in Morocco

The slopes of the Atlas Mountains are cool during summer months and therefore ideal for riding tours. The snow-capped mountains behind you make you forget that you're riding along the Sahara desert.
7 days of horseriding in the wild countryside of the Middle Atlas Mountains , land of cedar forests with wild monkeys and dersted plains that invite you to gallop towards the berber villages and tents and to race next to sheep and goats. In the evening you will have the opportunity to swim in the lakes and rivers or in the 40 springs of Oum Erbia. Nature reservation of Afnourir.

PG-MR10
Rates: All incl. from Fès, meals, 2 nights in hotel, 7 nights in tent camps, transfers, 7 riding days
10 Days/ 9 Nights $  1,345   Single: + $ 80
-- based on € 925 / € 55
2008 Dates: 
07/04-07/13   08/15-08/24
  availability & reservation

Meeting:    Fès
Airport:      Fès    
Transfer:    included from airport in Fes
- there are good train connections from Casablanca ~ 4.5 hrs
Level:         Strong Intermediate
Tack:          English trekking
Horses:      Arab and Berb 
Pace:          with trots and fast canters
Min/Max Riders:  4-10 
- Small group supplement is:
$225 (€ 150) if only 3 riders sign up
$395 (€ 275) if only 2 riders sign up

Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Fès. Transfer to the hotel. Dinner and overnight.
Day 2: In the morning you will visit the Medina of Fes. This old medina is very spectacular. you feel like in the middle age. After lunch in a little restaurant in the Medina a car will take you to Ifrane, a town that was built in 1929 by the French. This little town, with its pointy rooftops and flowery alleys is at a height of 1700m above the sea. Ifrane is very popular for his agreeable climate in the summer. The horses stand outside Ifran beside a lake - if there was enough rain during the winter. May be we still have time for a little raid and become friend to our horse. We will spend the night in tents.
Day 3:  The day will start at the plain of the lakes. These lakes find their origin in the cool cedar forests. We have to possibility to bathe or swim in the clear waters of it. In the forest are living many kinds of birds, the famous grey swoons of the atlas and a few wild boars, which you may see occasionally. In the afternoon, we will leave the cedar woods to enter a wood of oak trees. The day will end on a dry and rocky plain, where we will sleep in tents.
Day 4: We will reach the Tchachoukt mountains very soon and our route will lead us through a canyon up to a source. We will travel through many small valleys, between big cedar woods where the grass may grow a meter high. In the evening, we will reach Djbel Agbalou and it is here that we may see exceptionally big cedars that have a diameter of more than one meter. Only a few lucky trees have the chance to grow so old as sheep and goats eat most young trees. We will descend via narrow mountain paths and have a splendid overview of the clear blue sky and lakes of the big lake called Aglman Sidi Ali. We will sleep in tents.
Day 5:  In the morning, we will ride to the heart of the great grassy plains where we will have many opportunities for many gallops. This is the empire of the Nomads as there is not a single village in the vicinity. We will meet occasional lonely tents on our way as well as huge herds of sheep and goat and perhaps even a herd of camels. In the afternoon, the horses will take a break and we will have the chance to refresh ourselves at the feet of the mountain. Again we will make camp at the lake Aglamame Sidi Ali, with possibility to swim with our horses.
Don't miss this splendid opportunity! We will sleep in tents again.
Day 6:  Today we will leave the area of the lake. A nice and quite valley will take you to the volcanic plane of Bekrite. Rocks of petrified lava are everywhere and are the soil for many herbs. The ground is very slowing getting higher and higher up to 2000m.  The green grass growing between the black volcanic stone is very impressive. We will see many old craters and it is here that the nomads are still living in their clay houses, with their herds in the close vicinity. We will camp at the side of a river.
Day 7: In the valley that we will see today, the traditional ways of agriculture are replaced by immense cornfields. At the bottom of the valley, the road will go down again. Here, the country is very varied with many forests and pieces of land that are carved by heavy erosion. Red, yellow and brown mountain ranges can be seen at the horizon, beyond salt lakes. We will have pick nick at the side of the river Oum-Erbia. A little walk will take us to the 40 sources that are meeting here in beautiful scenery. In the afternoon, we will continue our path through a rocky country and we will make camp at the side of the lake Ouiouane.
Day 8:  In the morning we will ride through a cedar forest with a few oak trees here and there. A narrow path will take us to the village of Zaouat Ifran. This village is a true masterpiece. A small waterfall falls from 50m high. The walls here are covered with many interesting kinds of plants. in the caves behind the waterfall the Berbermonkey is living. It is possible to climb to the top on foot and enjoy the view from a small plateau. After the pick nick we will cross the mountains to arrive on a plan where there are many trees. We will follow a small trail and arrive at a high plateau where we will camp at the border of lake Afnourir. this is a Natural reservations; Many kinds of Birds are living beside this lonely lake.
Day 9:  We will return by riding through a cedar forest. Slowly, we will again see small villages, an indication of a return to civilization. The road will follow many small water flows with beautiful flowers from where we will arrive on a plane where the horses can enjoy many gallops.
In the afternoon, we will ride through the strange mountains of Mandar Ittou. These last gallops will take us back to the camp. After saying goodbye to our horses, who will stay there, the car will take us back to  the town of Fes, where we stay in the Hotel.
Day10: Departure