It's time to sleep, eat breakfast and head to the airport.
Back home.
The last stop on your Moroccan adventure - Aint Ben Haddou movie settlement -
a place frequently visited by film crews. Rarely have such settlements been preserved as here. It is not known when it was built, but it was definitely here in the 16th century. So you will recognize many scenes from the movies, you will walk through the narrow streets and you will be able to admire the exceptionally picturesque landscape.
Overnight in a traditional kashba with dinner.
The last stretch to Zagora is ahead of us. We drive only half a day - until lunch, but intensively. We gallop a lot, also through the narrow streets of villages, we trot, we cross the river until we come back to the stable. In the afternoon we have a local hammam, shopping in Zagora, beer at the hotel by the pool, etc. We eat dinner together with the whole team in the stable, but the night after all the hardships of the expedition is already in the hotel.
We have to go back, so we leave the sandy Sahara slowly and head back towards the mountains. If we hit the time when it has recently rained, we will see how the desert can turn green. We still eat lunch in the dunes, but slowly the landscape turns into a more steppe one. Small dunes will still accompany us at the campsite, but acacias and flat spaces prevail. We camp at the foot of the mountains.
It's a day of great sands and dunes. We will walk on horseback in the desert, and on harder ground we will run at a gallop. We still camp in the dunes, but in our standard tents.
passport - valid for at least 3 months
sleeping bag - warm, with a comfort temperature for 5 degrees
sun cream (with SPF not lower than 50)
sunglasses (necessary!)
flashlight
hand disinfectant wipes
water bottle (optional)
headgear (hat, cap, scarf)
cash: euros or dollars
clothes for horses: loose shirts, protecting against wind and sun, riding socks, sneakers or jodhpur boots
We have a hamada ahead of us, but we will slowly leave the stony desert and approach the sands. After lunch, the ground turns to a beaten track, we pass some Nomad dwellings and oases to reach the lake - a temporary reservoir that often dries up. Perhaps we will find only traces of water, tracks of birds and gazelles - this is a place often visited by all animals. We spend the night camping under a large dune in large Berber tents. Beds and a shower with hot water are waiting for us :)
Crossing the dunes, some gallops to warm up. We are approaching the mountains to cross to the other side. We enter with horses in hand along a narrow path. After climbing to the top, a hamada unfolds in front of us with a view of another range of mountains. And so we march through the mountains. At the end of the day we arrive at the camp located in an oasis with a river winding among palm trees, a large river bed paved with flat stone.
time in the saddle: approx. 4.5 h (3.5 h + 1 h); distance approx. 22 km
After breakfast we get on the horses. A long day ahead of us - we are marching along the Bani mountain range - the longest in Morocco. We pass farms growing watermelons, almonds and lucerne, clumps of steppe grasses, small dunes. The steppe landscape surrounds us. It is also a day to get to know the horses, there will be a lot of walk, a little trot and the first gallops. The camp is located among small dunes.
time in the saddle: approx. 6 h (3+3), distance approx. 36 km
We begin our adventure by heading south towards the Atlas Mountains, away from the main cities and towards blacker Morocco. Tischka is ahead of us - a white pass at an altitude of over 2000 m, winding roads, a lot of changes in height, 180 degrees turns, until finally a fairy-tale landscape of limestone mountains and corridors hollowed out in them, valleys with blooming almonds, palm trees and clay houses appears below . Our goal is Zagora, where we run our stable in the winter season.
Hotel accommodation with dinner.
You land in Marrakech, one of the most popular cities in Morocco. Colorful carpets, mountains of spices, the smell of leather, endless stalls, spicy coffee, sweet nougat, snake charmers... narrow streets, oriental food, spilling fruits, millions of olives... this is Jmaa El Fnaa square. This is where you will start your adventure with Morocco today. At the end, rest in the riad, with a Moroccan dinner - all in a traditional, local style.
day 4
day 3
day 2
day 8
day 7
day 6
day 5
day 1
GROUP: 12 persons
LEVEL: for experienced riders
PRICE: 950 euro
included: accommodation, meals, horses, transfers
ADDITIONAL COSTS:
flight, lunches on the way to Zagora and way back, insurance, tickest for sightseeing in Marrakech
DATES: 17-27/11/2023
09-19/02/2024
day 10
day 9
We are looking for a pass to get to the other side of the mountains. Lunch under the tamarisks, near the Nomad settlements. When women see tourists, they often sell what they have at home. It is worth supporting the local population by purchasing a scarf or symbolic toys made by children. After lunch, we will cross the mountains on foot - the reward will be a beautiful view from the top and a big gallop to the camp with the setting sun in the background.
day 11