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Last Update: 16 Dec 2010

Riding Holidays | Morocco

Morocco is a very popular tourist destination in North Africa with a rich culture and ancient civilisation. It is easy to get to from Europe with numerous flights into Marrakech, Casablanca and the capital city Rabat, plus ferry crossings into Tangier. Many visitors focus just on the city sites, but to take time to travel out into the desert or mountains gives travellers a truly unforgettable experience of Morocco’s amazing landscape, culture and fabulous cuisine.

Much of the country is mountainous with the High Atlas Mountain range in the centre and the Rif Mountains in the north. These areas are home to many rural Berber villages where horses are still very important to every day life. The Atlas Mountains act as a dividing line between the greener, agricultural northern region and the Sahara Desert in the south.

Horse riding holidays in Morocco are located mainly in the western and middle Atlas Mountains and in the Saghro and Sirwa massifs, which lie between the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara Desert and there are a number of professional horse riding establishments. Barb and Arab horses are normally used for the trail rides. Being accustomed to the desert environment these horses have great stamina and are surefooted and agile in the rocky terrain. Most of the horses will be mares and as gelding of horses is not normal in the Arab world, stallions can be common too. This makes the riding suited to intermediate or experienced riders only, used to strong forward going spirited horses.
 
For visitors travelling to Morocco in October a must see is the traditional horse festival in Tissa in the north of the country. This annual festival lasts ten days and is a magnet for horse owners and breeders from all over Morocco. Here visitors will see many colourful exhibitions and riding displays showing of the horses’ dexterity and paces.