Sidi Bou Said Trail - Tunisia

Watch the sunrise over the Sahara, enjoy a gourmet meal at a seaside resort and top off the evening with a midnight swim in the pool of a modern comfortable hotel. All that combined with a first class riding tour with long canters across the wide open beaches on beautiful Arabian and Berb horses is what describes this new trail. Visit interesting sites in and around Tunis - the Medina of Tunis and ancient Catharge. Enjoy the seaside village of Sidi Bou Said from where you catch a glimpse of the emerald sea with the mountain of Bou Kornine and the southern beaches of Tunis across the Bay. 

PR-SHTK
Included: Accommodations - 5 nights in ****hotel, 1 night in camping (optional), 1 night in Artist village with double rooms, breakfast and dinner (lunch included during overnight rides), 5 riding days with one day of sightseeing
8 days/ 7 nights $ 1,075     Single : +$125
-- based on € 750 / € 88
2008 Dates:
02/17-02/24    03/09-03/16    03/23-03/30
04/13-04/20    04/27-05/04    10/05-10/12
10/26-11/02    11/16-11/23    11/30-12/07
Meeting:   Hammamet 
Airport:     Tunis or Monastir
Transfer:   Incl. from Monastir or Tunis
                  on published dates.
Level:        Intermediate +
Tack:         English 
Horses:     Arab, Anglo Arab and Berb (mostly stallions, but easy to handle)
Pace:       Moderate, trots and fast canters
Note: Some days with long hours in the saddle. At the hotel there is also tennis, pool, sauna, and golf close by (shuttle no charge)
Min/Max Riders:  5-10

Also available:
 PR-SH8HD
Monastir Starride: One week at the resort with ocean view rooms -  with 18 hrs of riding 

Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival at the airport in Tunis and transfer to the hotel. If arriving early, you have the chance to take a refreshing dip in the hotel pool. The pool is located right at the ocean between two beaches.
Day 2: Introduction to your horse and short trial ride on the riding rink. In the afternoon we explore the area on horseback.
Day 3: Today we ride to the weekly market with a lot of color and folklore. Lunch is served in a traditional Berber village. Then we continue on to Hammam Jedidi where a typical North African barbecued specialty called "Mechoui" awaits us for dinner. We spend the night in a pine grove in comfortable tents that can be heated. We are only a short walk away from an Arabic steam bath (Hammam). 
Day 4: We are off to Zaghouan. Across rolling hills and fields that are either forested or used agriculturally we ride to a farm that was built during the French colonization. After an abundant lunch we leave our horses here and drive to the hotel at the Mediterranean. 
Day 5: Starting in Zaghouan we ride to Bouficha and the village Ken. The objective of this truly unique artisan village is to preserve Tunisian tradition and craft and to give a better understanding of its importance to the visitor. We spend the night here. Therefore we have lots of time to browse and get acquainted with the culture. The village boasts lots of interesting architecture and countless flowering creepers. Or simply relax at the pool or in the Arabic restaurant.
Day 6: Return ride to Hammamet. The beach invites us to a brisk and long canter. Overnight in hotel at the beach.
Day 7: Today you have three options. Either spend the day at the beach to soak in the rays or take a lesson in the morning and go for a ride in the afternoon (5 hrs. altogether). The third option is a tour of Tunis. Visit Medina, the former palace of the Bay of Tunis with its fabulous mosaics from Roman times and excavated treasures, which today houses the museum of Bardo, ruins and the palaces of Carthage and Sidi Bou Said, a coastal town out of the fairy tale Arabian nights.
Day 8: Departure after breakfast.

Accommodations
5 nights in a 4 star resort/hotel with air conditioning, full bathroom, radio, Satellite TV, and balcony.
1 night in tent camp and 1 night in double rooms in the Artist Village Ken (with swimming pool and restaurant)
The resort has 3 restaurants (one of them a barbecue next to the pool area), Morish Café de Diwan, Piano Bar Shézazade, Pool Bar, a large pool right above the ocean and an indoor pool, Sauna, Tennis Courts.  Golf is available close by – free shuttle service.

Meals
While staying at the hotel, breakfast and dinner are included. During the overnight rides all meals are provided.

Trip report from client:

May 10, 2001
I just returned from the trip to Tunisia and it was wonderful! I can't begin to rave enough about the trip, the horses, the countryside, the hotel...on and on and on!

We had a great time. The horses were so amazing and I was really pleased that they were very alive and feisty and not your usual "follow the leader" trail horses. We had great canters on the beach and through long fields. The geography was so diverse - wheat fields and orchards, mountains with pine forests, and desert similar to Arizona.