Our Desert and Mountain Oasis Ride is in the southern interior of Tunisia, the smallest of the five North African countries.
Ride across wild wind blown desert landscapes to welcoming oasis towns whi...
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Our Desert and Mountain Oasis Ride is in the southern interior of Tunisia, the smallest of the five North African countries.
Ride across wild wind blown desert landscapes to welcoming oasis towns which appear on the horizon. These include the mountain oasis towns of Chebika, Tamerza and Mides and the great desert oasis towns of Tozeur and Nefta.
In this arid desert, people can only live close to the oases where underground water supplies allow cultivation, the most notable being the famous date palms of Nefta and Tozeur.
The horses are Barb Arabians ranging in height from 14.2hh to 15.2hh and a mixture of mares and geldings. They are fit and as lean and lithe as race-horses. You will be impressed at their overall fitness and stamina for both the sand and mountaineous terrain and can only marvel at the ability of the Arabian horse to withstand the daytime heat of the desert and the extreme cold of the night.
The pace varies according to the terrain. You walk where the terrain is soft sand, stony or full of marmot holes. Each day there are opportunities for fast canters and gallops over flat salt pans or dried up river beds and this is a ride for experienced confident riders.
The riding moves on each day following a route between the oasis and at night you are transferred to good quality hotels in Tozeur and Tamerza and have one night in a private Berber style camp. In the very comfortable desert camp each Berber tent has a proper bed with bedding. There are also toilets and hot showers.
The riding itinerary fills the day and there is little time for other activities. However this area is famous for its spa treatments and the hotel in Tozeur has an fantastic spa so you may wish to have a massage after a day in the saddle. You may also wish to experience a Hammam (traditional steam room).
Breakfast and dinner are taken at your hotels and the buffets offer a selection of Tunisian and European style dishes. At lunch time and at dinner on the two nights in camp, you have the opportunity to taste the best of Tunisian cuisine prepared by the camp staff and enjoy delicious sweet dates and oranges.