STAGES OF THE TOUR

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Arrival at International Airport Blaise Diagne (AIBD) and vehicle transfer to La Ferme de Sarène – around 50 minutes.

♦ Day One commences with a warm-up ride in the area around the farm (2 hours in the saddle). After lunch, the trek begins, passing through Nianing acacia forest reserve and bush villages (3 hours in the saddle), to arrive at Le Thiossane camp in Mbodiene by late afternoon.

♦ Day Two promises you 6 hours in the saddle. After a breakfast overlooking the lagoon, the morning’s route is split between seaside and lagoon, perfect places to watch a wide variety of birds. As we leave Mbodiene lagoon, we carry on along a bush trail for a picnic lunch at the foot of a baobab tree. After a siesta, we pass through mangroves to reach Fadiouth, the island of shells. We tether the horses nearby to visit the island on foot, then after another 3 hours in the saddle, we finally arrive at the Baobab Lodge in Fadial.

♦ Day Three begins with a ride deep into the tanns and the mangroves via a “secret passage” between the trees. Depending on the tides, we might be able to wade through on horseback. We stop for a picnic lunch under a shady tree in the Palmarin Reserve. Next, in the afternoon, discovery of the Salines and arrival from the beach to the Palmarin Ecolodge where we will stay for two nights.

♦ Day Four starts as we head off down the beach towards Djifer Point. Our lunch is taken at Palmarin Ecolodge. In the afternoon, everyone can swim in the sea with or without their horses. Then we set off on a pirogue cruise through the bolongs.

♦ Day Five begins with long gallops on the beach before passing through the tanns and bush villages. After 4 hours in the saddle, we have lunch in the forest of Palmyra palms. After a well-earned siesta, we carry on to Simal Ecolodge, situated by a lagoon and surrounded by lush vegetation.

♦ Day Six is spent heading back up through the bush to La Ferme de Sarène. Long gallops across broad, open countryside lie ahead, slowing as we pass through villages en route, then stopping for a picnic at Ndofane village. Afterwards, we move into Balabougou forest reserve, arriving back at the farm before nightfall.

♦ Day Seven, the last day. After breakfast at the farm, we leave to visit the weekly market at Sandiara, where they sell horses, sheep, goats, zebus with magnificent horns, fruit and vegetables, shoes, fabrics, as well as gourds and precious incense. In the afternoon, you will be taken for a drive round Bandia Reserve, where you can encounter large African mammals round a bend in the trail, amid 3500 hectares of exotic landscapes. Your driver will double as a specialised guide. Later on, you will be transferred directly to the airport.