My riding trip was just lovely: the crew was very attentive and helpful and the horses well tended, mine well mannered too, and the riding interesting and engaging even at the walk, since we had to pay attention because if the terrain was easy we would mostly be trotting or cantering.
The group was composed of four riders and two drivers, one drove the horse van and helped when we stopped for lunch, and the other drove the taxi which took me and Sirene to the starting point and helped with supplies.
The riding group was composed of our guide, Aruf, who doubled up as cook, Abdallah, Fauzzi, colleague and English speaking guide, and Sirene, Fauzzi's daughter.
About midday we would arrive in a set place and there once the horses were taken care of, Aruf would start fixing our lunch, cooking from scratch, fetching the wood, building the fire and so on. On the first day he cooked bread under the ashes, and just that was almost worth the trip.
The lunch break meant more work for Aruf, but it was a break for the horses and for the rest of us.
As I mentioned, riding was fun even at the walk because one had to be focused on the terrain. The only one who could do whatever, and even at the canter, was Sirene, who is such a great rider that she seemed to be part of the horse.
The itinerary was limited, I think because it was only three days and Sirene and I would spend the night in Douz, but Arouf tried to make it interesting. The first day we stopped at a watering place, while the second and the third stops were close to the road. The first stop was fun, there were other people, tourists and non, and camels, whose presence was resented by one of the horses. If the other two stops were not as charming but tactical, the first one allowed us to go farther into the desert and the second to return to Douz through the palmeries: it was beautiful.
