Transfer Option:

Day 1 Arrival at Ouarzazate and transfer by bus to Erfoud. Here, we hold a short briefing about the trip, and then it is off to enjoy dinner and our first night in a hotel.

Day 2 We meet and greet our horses before starting off on our trip. After some riding, we have a picnic lunch in a fort. Our ride ends when we arrive at the first bivouac, reached by crossing the palm plantation of Erfoud and the green landscapes of oases.

Day 3 We set out to spend the day on horseback. This is the last day of palm trees before we reach the desert. We spend the night in a camp.

Day 4 We ride all morning as we first approach and then explore the desert. Here, it is quite likely that we see pink flamingos! We stop for the day to camp among the dunes, all the while enjoying a magnificent sunset.

Day 5 We ride the horses through the desert to spend the night at camp among the gigantic dunes. We enjoy a Mechoui dinner, complete with a campfire and musicians.

Day 6 Today is a relaxed day. We have a choice of visiting the dunes by foot, dromedary or horse. Tonight we return to the hotel for one night and retire after enjoying a dinner of couscous.

Day 7 Today we return to Ourzazate by bus. We stop to enjoy lunch at the Todraa Gorge. We arrive at Ourzazate around 4:00 pm, where we enjoy the relaxing end-of-the-ride massages. Tonight we have a farewell gathering and an enjoyable evening at the hotel.

Day 8 Today is a day for shopping or other activities of interest. After some free time, we take you to the airport for your flight home.

           Subject to change

Women:  Please show your host country the respect for their culture.  Please do not wear any see through blouses, tank tops, shorts or similar clothing.

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.

Lodgings will be 3 nights in 4* equivalent hotels or riads and 4 nights in deluxe tent camps.

We have selected hotels with the usual criteria in mind: cleanliness, hospitality, comfort! But also we  tryi to share some treasure troves - outstanding architecture, incredible welcoming hospitality or exceptional restaurant and cuisine Not all these places sport stars, but everyone is impressed and wonders how we found these places. ……It's a secret …

During the trip, there is the bivouac, where everything is ... like in a hotel.
The rooms/tents are typical berber tents, roomy, high, with 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 on your bed, because we have hot water showers. There are restrooms too, fully equipped. Every day we have two water tanks brought to the bivouac !

Thanks to the generator, you can charge your cell phone, your camera or 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 to bring an outlet adapter.
You can even make a telephone call in the middle of the desert !

There are always some surprises (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

Hotel  -

Meals at the hotel include a special welcome evening and an animated goodbye evening.

During the Ride -

Continental breakfast and traditional Moroccan breakfasts - Breakfasts are super buffets with everything you want : French style and Moroccan pastries, eggs, cheese, fresh fruit juices, coffee, tea,…

Lunches are picnics (salads, BBQ) or in typical restaurants or huge barbecues.

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.

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

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 | Walk | Trot | Canter | Gallop |
Level:		(2.5 to 4 out of 5)    Intermediate
Age:		Min 18
Riders:		Min 6 riders	Max 12 riders

Cavalry and Saddle
The horses are Arab-berbs specialized for this type of excursion. They are particularly well maintained, accustomed to working together, patient and reliable. These horses are selected on the spot by your French guide. The saddles are English or excursion saddles.

The Equestrian Level
You should feel comfortable at all gaits and have some experience of long rides. We spend between 4 and 5 hours on horseback every day. During a typical day we mostly walk, there is some trot, sometimes we walk beside our horses and 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. We are not in a competition but on vacation !

The Horses
The Barb-Arab 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: 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.