Transfer Option:

Day 1 Meeting in Ouarzazate at 1pm. After lunch we drive by minibus to Skoura (20 miles) where we check into a typical Kasbah. The historic fort from the 13^th century was exquisitely renovated. Dinner and overnight.

Day 2 After breakfast we meet our horses and off we go riding in the direction of the Atlas Mountains. We stop for lunch at an oasis that provides some well deserved shade for both horse and rider. The evening camp is situated at a creek at the edge of a mountain village. Relax and enjoy one of the many culinary highlights of your trip tonight.

Day 3 Today we cross several mountain villages and get to know more about the day-to-day life of these original people. We ride further along the Atlas range until we reach a high plateau where we stop for lunch and enjoy a superb view over the whole countryside. The afternoon will bring several more mountain villages before reaching camp in the early evening.

Day 4 First we will follow a dried out river bed before reaching the villages of the Ikandoules tribes. Lunch is on a nice plateau. The afternoon is a nice ride along the plateau before reaching camp for the night.

Day 5 We leave the plateau and descend into a wonderful valley, where we stop for lunch. Here we can gaze towards the snow capped peaks of the impressive Atlas Mountains. We then ride through impressive canyons and along lonely villages until we reach the immense Mogun Valley. We have to cross a river before reaching the camp for the night.

Day 6 Riding through a wonderful valley we again climb the mountains for a last magnificent view around lunch time. After lunch we say goodbye to the horses and drive back to Ouarzazate (1 hr), where we overnight in a riad – an especially beautiful and luxurious but still very typical Moroccan hotel. Relax and enjoy!

Day 7 A day to rest, relax and sight see Ouarzazate and the impressive “Kasr de Tourirt” – once the residence of the Pascha of Marrakesh. Dinner and overnight.

Day 8 Departure after breakfast.

The local climate ranges from pleasant to hot (between 15 °C/59 °F and 35 °C/95 °F, according to the period). On the other hand, in winter, the nights can be a little bit cool! (Close to 5 °C/41 °F)!

• Travel documents and Voucher
• Flight tickets
• Passport
• Visa (check with your consulate)
   

• Comfortable riding pants (2)
• Riding boots (not rubber)
• Long sleeved cotton shirts
• Riding helmet (recommended for all trips)
• Light riding gloves
• Hat (with chin strap) for sun protection

• Jacket or sweater for cool evenings
• Cotton blouses/shirts
• Jeans
• Shorts
• Underwear and socks
• Pyjama
• Jogging suit
• Tennis shoes
• Swimsuit

ADDITIONAL THINGS TO BRING

• Personal Toiletries
• Insect protection
• Personal medications
• Sore cream (for an emergency)
• Camera and extra batteries
• Belt pack
• High protection sun glasses with strap
• Sun tan lotion  lip balm
• Canteen or water bottle

• Women:  please do not wear any see through blouses, tank tops, shorts or similar clothing. Please respect the conservative nature of the country.

Luggage
The crew will take care of your luggage and transfer it from place to place in the support vehicle.
It is best to bring soft luggage and not hard suitcases. Not too many pieces will avoid problems as well.

3 nights in hotels or riads and 4 nights in special deluxe camps!

We have selected all hotels with the usual criteria in mind: cleanliness, hospitality, comfort! But we also try to share some treasure troves - outstanding architecture, incredible welcome or exceptional restaurants. Not all these places sport a "star" but everyone is  always impressed and wonders how we found these places. But shhhh…it's a secret … !

During the trip, there is the bivouac, where everything is centered ... like in a hotel!

The room tents are typical berber tents, roomy, high ceilings, real beds (with a base, a mattress, sheets, pillows, blankets). There are rugs on the floor and night tables with lamps. If needed, there is heating in winter (in the desert the temperature can drop to 5°C / 40°F, down from 25°C / 80°F during the day).

Every evening you'll find your towel, soap and shampoo ready on your bed, and  we have hot water showers! There are restrooms too, fully equipped. Every day we have two water tanks brought to the bivouac!

Thanks to our generator, you can charge your cell phone, your camera, camcorder batteries or your laptop! You may even use a blow dryer... just remember, the power here is 220V / 50 Hz and you may want/need to bring an outlet adapter.

You can even make telephones calls in the middle of the desert!

There are always some surprises for you (two or three) : musicians, dancers, snake charmers, and even an incredible bard... but we shouldn't disclose too much if we want them to be surprises!

Meals
All meals at the hotel, including a special welcome evening and an animated goodbye evening.
During the ride: Continental breakfast and traditional Moroccan breakfasts, picnic lunches (salads, BBQ) or in typical restaurants, dinners are cooked by our chef and his assistants in camp.

Meals are important, therefore it has to be just perfect! The chefs have been carefully selected and the evening meals at the bivouac are literally gastronomic. For lunches we have huge barbecues and for breakfast, a superb buffet !

Here are some menus, just to give you an idea :

Breakfasts are super buffets with everything you want : French style and Moroccan pastries, eggs, cheese, fresh fruit juices, coffee, tea...

Lunch :
* Continental salads
* marinated meat kebab, vegetables
* Pastries, fruit, tea, coffee
* Moroccan salads : Zaalouk, Carrots à l’orange, yams,…
* Tajines de Kefta, vegetables
* Pastries, Beghrir, fruit, tea, coffee

Dinner :
* Harira
* Lamb Tajine with prunes Harira
* Oranges with cinnamon, fruit, tea, coffee
* Cheese Briouats
* M’Qalli chicken with lemon and olives, sautéed potatoes
* Semolina desert, fruit, tea, coffee
* Potato and carrot salad
* Chicken Pastilla
* Almond Briouats, fruit, tea, coffee

Tack:		English
Horses:		Arab and Berber
Pace:		Moderate with trots and canters 4-5 riding hrs | Trot | Canter |
Level:		(3 to 3 out of 5)    Intermediate
Age:		Min 18
Riders:		Min 6 riders	Max 12 riders

The Equestrian Level
You should feel comfortable at all gaits and have some experience of long rides. We spend at least between 4 and 5 hours on horseback every day. During a typical day we mostly walk, there will be some trotting and sometimes we  even walk beside our horses for particular parts of the trail. When the conditions are right - we go for a fast canter! There are two guides on horseback so that we can split into smaller groups in order to allow for different paces for any riding level variations or preferences. We are not in a competition but on vacation!

The Horses
The horses are Arab-Barbs specialized for this type of excursion and climate. They are particularly well maintained, accustomed to working together, patient and reliable. These horses are specially selected by your French guide, Corinne. The horses are absolutely fabulous. They have been schooled and are kept by a french Saumur instructor living in Morocco. These horses only do trips and are used to working every day. Some of them are perfect for less experienced riders and others for higher level riders.

Tack
You have a choice of trail or English saddles, all being very comfortable. They come with saddle bags. We use bridles with Spanish bits. All the tack is in excellent condition, perfectly maintained.

On a full trip there will be a crew of 15 people (less on smaller rides):
* Your guide, Corinne, rides along with you
* The GP doctor
* One Moroccan guide, Salah or Ahmed
* The logistics chief, Hamid or Saidi
* The vehicles chief, Mabrouk
* The chef and his assistants (2 or 3)
* The service personnel (2 to 3)
* The chief groom Hassan, and the stablemen (2 to 3)
* The personnel for the setup of the bivouacs
* The drivers
The vehicles :
* The doctor's 4WD
* The truck for 14 horses, is waiting at every campsite and keeps the spare horses
* The water tank trucks
* A passenger van is available at every campsite, just in case it is needed
* The trucks for the camping gear and the luggage
All the personnel has walkie-talkies.

Safety is a proactive matter in horse selection, choice of tack and personnel. Our horses have been carefully selected, they are perfectly calm and schooled for trail tours. Our partners are trail professionals with extensive local experience.

Last but not least, the passenger van follows the group all the time, although out of sight, it's always, just like the doctor's 4WD and the horse truck, less than 15 min away. Should anything happen, a person or even the whole group can be safely taken care of.

Passports
Passport valid for at least six months from date of entry required by all nationals referred to in the chart.
Passport Note
Visitors should ensure that their passports are stamped when they enter the country.

Visas
Not required by all nationals referred to in the chart above for stays of up to three months.
Visa Note
(a) Visa extensions are possible upon request at the nearest police station. (b) Nationals not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements.