Sahara trekking
sahara douz festival
The
december Festival of the Sahara in Douz is a four-day ceremonial and
traditional event, which draws visitors and press from all
over the world. The vast festival site, surrounded by white stands,
is situated on the margin of the desert, just outside Douz.
All participants in the festival are lined up all four days, when traditional parades, shows, greyhound races and camel fights ( a short battle limited to one bite so as not to hurt the animal )take place. Ther are also marathons, horse races, a national military dress parade with dromedaries, concerts and Bedouin weddings.
Each day, from 14.30h, 4 days long, there is a different program with recurring elements like horse racing, the so called Zjaffa.
There
is also a special Souk with both artistic-modern and
authentic-traditional handcraft.
In the town centre there are poetry readings, sports and games, children’s theatre, magic, music, and of course the traditional Souk on Thursday, with a horse- and dromedary fair, a dates fair and art and photography exhibitions.
Basically this festival represents the authentic way of life of the Bedouins, how they lived, dressed, worked and survived in the Sahara.
Other North African countries also participate in this colourful festival. Visiting the festival is free, but a place on the stands requires a ticket, available through the Tourist Office. Abderrahim can help you to buy these tickets, or he could take you with him among the participants, where you can take photographs close up, take a ride on horseback or dromedary in full regalia, and, if you ‘d like to, dress up in traditional costume yourself.
A
spectacular element is the dromedary marathon, for which the
chameliers try to qualify. The marathon is a 42km trail, straight
across the Sahara, a real ‘marathon session’ for inexperienced
chameliers. In
2007, a French woman who lives in Douz joined the marathon, also a
group of French people represents their country.
This year 2010 the 43rd Sahara Douz Festival will be held from the 26 th until the 29th of December.
TREKKING & SAHARA Douz FESTIVAL
For the 3rd time Abderrahim will organise a Circuit Festival, 5 days horseriding in the Sahara and 1 day Sahara Douz Festival.
Try to find your flight the 25th of December 2010 until the 1st of January 2011.
Saturday the 25th of December until saturday the 1st of January 2011 flight from Brussels from 445 euro, from Paris 454 euro, from Amsterdam 375 euro.
