We are very lucky at L’Amandier to have some fabulous neighbours, and La Roseraie is one of those. About a kilometre further down the road, this long-established hotel nestles in the valley secure in its beautiful and verdant gardens. But apart from the joy of taking coffee on the terrace, or lunch in the outside restaurant, they offer something a little different…renowned horse stables and the opportunity for treks of varying lengths.

I have no excuses for the length of time it has taken for me to finally take the horse by the reins, but I can say with certainty that I wish it hadn’t taken me so long! I have been missing a gem of an experience.

A friend and I saddled up this weekend and headed off with our guide for a spectacular couple of hours exploring the valleys of Ouirgane. My horse, aptly named ‘Atlas’, was cheeky, but very sure of foot. ..

…which was a good thing, as we meandered up and down small canyons with little room for error.

Winding our way through natural fissures of red-eart, we were treated to spectacular views of the Ouirgane mountains, the olive groves…

…and even L’Amandier Villas.

In fact, our route from La Roseraie took us along the north side of the L’Amandier plateau, around to Marigha, and skirted the boundary of the villa gardens…

…before clambering downwards again and finishing the trek along the salt-crusted base of the valley.

Perfect. What more could you ask? The horses were well-behaved and happy to tackle tricky paths and, inevitably, we were reluctant to head back to the stables and say goodbye.

However, the terrace at La Roseraie was silently calling us for an aperetif in the fading light, and that was something we certainly couldn’t refuse…

La Roseraie can organise horseriding treks for anything from an hour, up to an 2 day trek with an overnight stay in a local Berber village. If you would like to explore the Ouirgane area by horseback (which I totally recommend you do!), or find out more about the hotel, you can contact them on:

+212 (0)524 48 56 94/5/6 or check out the website at: www.laroseraiehotel.com

Jason Harper of Condé Nast Traveler also relates his horse trek experience (far more eloquently than me!):

www.laroseraiehotel.com/morocco-to-the-max-by-jason-harper-conde-nast-traveler

Related posts:

1. Trekking: Ouirgane to Kasbah Tamadot
2. La Barrage de Ouirgane – Yacoub el Mansour
3. We are delighted to introduce a guest blogger…Maria Bazan