Horses, Dunes & Nomads
19 October 2025
The Riding
The Accommodation
Do you have any comments about the accommodation and food?
The food was very good and the hospitality/welcome we received at each riad was lovely. I think I've drunk enough green tea to sink a battleship!!
A few of the nights it was extremely hot and quite airless - as there was no draught/wind - but I guess, that's the Sahara for you!
Before Your Holiday
Did you have all of the information you needed to:
How could we improve the quality of pre-holiday information that we send?
Whilst the wallet looks lovely, I do wonder if it is necessary as it feels rather wasteful.
As mentioned earlier, it might be an idea to mention that if the weather is unseasonably hot, the pace will be slower (although we still had several good canters every day).
How could we improve the way we handled your booking and payment?
Can't think of anything - other than, there is nowhere to change money at Ouarzazate Airport and as we arrived on a Sunday, the banks were shut.
Do you have any other feedback for us?
Rashid, our guide was excellent. He took great care in the first few days in particular to make sure everyone was happy with their mount and arranged for a couple of riders to change horses (not with each other) for both of their benefit. He took care with both horses and riders and made sure everyone was happy at every change of pace. He was kind, considerate and knowledgeable with a good sense of humour.
Despite being a Muslim country, I never felt uncomfortable being a single woman and was treated well by everyone we met.
You might like to be aware that RyanAir have stopped direct flights to Ouarzazate which may impact UK guests choice of ride.
Cosy (this is their first In The Saddle holiday) Fantastic | Overall, I loved it and had a fantastic week.
It took me about a day and a half to get the hang of my horse - he was very different to the one I have been riding (for the last 17 years!) - but was great. He took care of me - particularly at speed - and he liked to be in the front!
There was quite a lot more walking that I'd expected from the ride description but the pace was understandable (& Rashid did explain) - given the heat. I wonder if it would be an idea to mention this in the ride description.
The terrain was much more varied than I'd expected and I loved it.
Riding in a group of 6 stallions added an extra dimension as we couldn't get too close to each other. It was good to have been warned to keep a good distance.