Learn to ride a horse in the Wadi Rum, Jordan

At a time of your choosing, you will arrive in Wadi Rum. You may see the first fantastic sunset over the desert from the desert camp where you are staying. You will already get to know the Bedouins. A guide from the horse tour will come by to welcome you. A traditional Jordanian dinner will make your taste buds feast. The Bedouin desert camp where you will stay has "tents" with private bathrooms. Before the journey with your horse in the desert, you can take a refreshing shower and you will sleep on real beds.

The morning you are free to see some of the Wadi Rum, take a walk, or explore the desert with a jeep safari or prepare yourself wonderfully quietly for your new adventure, learning to ride a horse. The lunch, tasty dishes that are eaten with bread is ready in the desert camp. Afterwards someone takes you to the horses.

Meeting the horses

First you meet the horses, you see how they are, which ones have been selected for you. You can already approach the horses so that you can get to know each other. In this way you can already work on your bond for the coming period. The horse will be just as curious about you as you are about the horse. Then there are some formalities such as fitting a helmet that you wear while riding. And the introduction to learning to ride. What you should and should not do. A lot of things already go well automatically based on feeling. It is also very important that you stay close to your own feeling and what comes in from your horse. The less you are distracted, the more you connect with your horse. The horse feels that and accepts you as you are. You already learn something about the technique, what you can do with your posture, with your hands and your legs, so that you are already somewhat prepared when you sit on your horse and start riding together. It is always a nice feeling to sit on your horse and feel how the horse welcomes you.

Start your first horse ride

Today you will ride for about an hour in the desert, walking pace to get used to sitting on a horse. In the meantime try out some things you have learned and feel how the horse reacts to that. The most important thing is that you have fun together. You don't have to be able to do everything right away. After about an hour there is the place where the camp is made for the night. The horses are used to the desert rides and to sleeping in new places. The preparations for dinner start. Your luggage and everything else that is needed for camping in nature, the food and the feed for the horses is loaded on the jeep. There is a wood fire in the making to warm you up and to use for cooking although there is also gas. Dusk falls and the freshly prepared meal of the Bedouins from the Jordanian kitchen is served to you once it is dark. After dinner the mattresses are prepared for the night. Once you lie down you can see the stars, maybe the Milky Way and the moon. Your horse is nearby, has also eaten well and is ready for the night.

Today is all about horse riding, a few hours in the morning and a few hours after lunch. On average 4-6 hours per day. Can you imagine how nice it is when you go along with the movements of the horse, moving together, becoming one with your horse. This also makes it easier to ask something of your horse every now and then. To give an aid to go left or right, to stop. To follow the path of the jeeps or to walk in the sand where there is no path. The horses love to go a bit faster every now and then. The horse guide will always indicate when it will go a bit faster and whether you are ready for it. It will certainly be small pieces of trot in the beginning, until you are completely familiar with this gait. After a few hours there is lunch that is freshly prepared and you eat with bread. The mattresses are ready to laze around on or you are involved in unsaddling and feeding the horses, or in preparing lunch or your book or a short walk. It is a break to eat and relax. You have already achieved a lot on your horse and you can be proud of that. When you get back on your horse after lunch, you will feel much more confident than the first time. You and your horse form a team together. You will also see much more of the environment and enjoy the surroundings. It is up to the guide and your progress to determine whether it will go a bit faster today in a short gallop or whether this will be saved for tomorrow. Tonight you will sleep in nature again with the horses nearby. Once again a traditional Jordanian meal will be on the "table". You have arrived at a new place again, there is much to explore, you now know the evening ritual and are more used to the rhythm of the desert.

While you are still in bed, opening your eyes to welcome the sun for another beautiful day, you see your horse looking at you. You feel much more confident to get back on your horse after breakfast and loading everything back onto the jeep. Your horse radiates calmness as they are already looking forward to moving on. Moreover, at the end of the journey they return to the rest of the herd. Ask everything you want to learn or improve. By taking this trip you will learn much faster than in an hour at the riding school. The horses love to be kept busy, while they can really enjoy where they are. If you experience some stiffness in your muscles before getting on, know that if you start walking calmly and move with your horse, you will soon be able to use your muscles normally again. Just as you always work new muscles during sports. Once again a delicious lunch in the desert, it is always a surprise what will be on the "table" today. The horses feel that they are really getting closer to home now, which encourages them to speed up their pace a bit when they get the chance. This is another great learning moment to keep your horse relaxed. Until you arrive at the desert camp or at home with the horses. You have achieved a fantastic performance and can be proud of yourself, you have learned to ride an Arabian horse! When you get on a horse again, you know that you have mastered the basics of riding a horse outside and inside. If you want to further develop your skills in the beautiful sport of horse riding, you can continue to develop this at a suitable riding school once you are home.

Overnight Bedouin desert camp

You arrive back at the same desert camp where you started. Here you can sleep in a bed again, refresh yourself with running water. Enjoy another delicious dinner in the camp.

You are ready to move on after breakfast. Your rental car may be at the camp or the taxi driver will pick you up at the agreed time. Have fun and enjoy your further journey.