Royal Cities Ride

Arrive in Casablanca and transfer by train or taxi to your hotel in Rabat (transfer at your expense) to meet the group at 8pm. If you have time to visit Rabat you can walk in the Medina, the garden of Oudiya, or the Hassan tower. Dinner and overnight at your hotel in Rabat.

Early breakfast in the hotel. Drive about 2 1/2 hours from Rabat to Meknes where you will have a chance to try out the horses, arrange saddle bags and coats etc., and make any changes necessary to horse and rider combinations this morning. The horses are Berber-Arabs, small but strong with good stamina.

Your first ride takes you to the foot of the Zerhoun mountain range. You will ride through many small villages with clay houses and olive trees, sunflowers and cornfields. Follow along the direction of a small river to the village of Sainte de Sidi Ali where you have wonderful views of Meknes and the surrounding area. There will be good opportunities for gallops before reaching the ancient Roman city of Volubilis. There you will find ancient temples, bath houses and a palace. Beautiful mosaics offer you a glimpse into the past. Your camp is near the ruins, beside a small river.

Today you ride to Moulay Idriss, across orchards of olive trees and up to the peak of Zegota. There will be magnificent views of the Rif Mountains and up to the sources of Nzala Des Ben Ammar. Few crops can grow in this rocky ground with only a few olive trees subsisting in the rare open space. The stark countryside is devoid of almost all life, with the well where our animals are watered being the only location for local peoples to meet and exchange rumors. You will sleep in tents nearby.

Ride across the white mountains of the Rif where you will see small villages tucked in the bottom of a valley, or small houses made of clay. Here agriculture is still done in the ancient way with bare hands and hard work. Many women can be seen working in the fields. After lunch on the trail you descend toward the Oued Mikkes. Follow a stream with many small, windy roads, and cross Arab villages to reach where you will spend the night near a stream. Here there are wonderful views of the Rif mountains.

Today you ride into ‘Dead Valley’, which derives its name from the salty river that is not suitable for drinking water, or water for the fields. Water for the local people must be brought from areas up to three hours away. White, beige and yellow are the only colors you will find in this sterile land. Ride through small Berber villages and sandy fields to Fez where the horses will be left at the gates of the city. Transfer by car to your hotel in the city. In the afternoon, visit Fez, the Medina, the old university, and the souk with its small shops. The whole Medina of Fez was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1981. Spend the night in Fez in a riad.

Leave the royal city of Fez and rejoin your horses. Ride through a different countryside that is varied and interesting, but very flat. You may find turtles diving into a nearby stream to avoid the horse’s hooves as you ride along. Lunch will be on a hilltop amongst fig trees. Further along you find a water source for animals and locals that is also a popular washing place. From here you can see the entire Fez region and the Atlas Mountains. In the afternoon you ride near the beginning of the Atlas Mountains, crossing creeks and stony hills to arrive at a large plain where you enjoy canters. Camp for the night will be on a hill with views to Fez. Here too is an old French farm that is now a government agricultural location.

Ride from hill to hill today, and occasionally through a small village. There will be opportunities for long gallops alongside fields of grapes and melons. You reach the stables through a quiet valley by noon. Say good-bye to your horses and travel by car to the Medina of Meknes for a short visit of the souks. Afterwards transfer to Rabat where you spend your final night.20kms.

Return to Casablanca by train for your flight home. It is suggested you do not book flights departing Casablanca prior to mid-afternoon.