MOROCCO – (New Ride)

The Great South – October 1-14, 2006

Steeped in history with a richly diverse culture, Morocco offers an amazing variety of spectacular landscapes: beaches, snow-capped mountains, arid plateaus, green valleys, fertile agricultural plains, canyons, lakes, forests, palm and olive groves, oasis and harsh rugged deserts gradually developing into sand dunes of majestic proportions. A land of colorful contrasts, it is an ideal country to discover on horseback!

The theme of this exclusive ride is “ Kasbahs, deserts, mountains and Marrakech” over a period of two weeks. Expect some fun surprises en route!

The first half, in the extreme Southeast, starts with the beautiful valley of Ziz and the small town of Erfoud from which we ride towards the magical Erg Chebbi (breathtaking sand dunes), giving us a taste of the great Sahara Desert …. During the course of five days we will camp in the pure traditional Berber style - with added creature comforts of the late 20th century!

The second half takes us into the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains. Starting from the Lake Lallah Takerkoust where we re-connect with our horses, over another 4 days we will experience varied landscapes of great beauty and contrasts: impressive mountains, canyons, plateaus, forests of eucalyptus trees, pink laurels…. On this section we will camp in elegantly appointed Caidal tents!.

After saying goodbye to our horses, a short drive will bring us to Marrakech where we will spend the next couple of days (3 nights) exploring this fascinating city, staying in a Riad of infinite charm and comfort within the walls of the Medina.

To avoid lengthy and dusty drives, a charter flight is planned to link the two separate parts of this ride.

Horses: Barb-Arabs stallions. Incredibly fit, sure-footed and perfectly well mannered, these horses have been trained by their owner a French ex-pat riding instructor from Saumur. They are used to working together and are a pleasure to ride.

Tack: Choice of English Wintec or trekking saddles, all with saddle-bags

Pace: Moderate with sustained canters whenever terrain allows

Weight limit: 195 lbs / 85kg

Experience: Necessary to have a reasonable amount of previous riding experience over varied terrain and to control a horse in any given circumstance. No beginners.

Hours of riding:
4 to 5 hours in the saddle per day

COST:
$5,700 per person (twin accommodation) based on 10 clients

Air charter Errachidia/Marrakech: $500 per person (subjet to fuel increase)

Includes
Accommodation in charming Kasbah hotels, exclusive Berber and Caidal mobile tented camps, a deluxe Riad in Marrakech, all meals, all drinks with meals and open bar while camping, horses and related equipment, all vehicle transfers, guides and a medical sports doctor on hand during the ride.

Excludes
International travel and medical insurance (mandatory), gratuities for camp staff and guides and items of a personal nature (phone calls, laundry, drinks at hotel bars…).

For further information about this ride please call
Christine at (1) 212-421 0671, or email christine@adventuresonhorseback

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