Born in the south of Jordan
Saddle on the Sand was created by Derar Hlalat and his father, Mahmoud Hlalat, horsemen of Wadi Musa, to share the land their family has ridden for generations. Together, they developed the concept, and they continue to plan every route, design every experience and oversee each journey from the first step to the last.
Their journeys through Petra, Wadi Musa, Wadi Rum and Wadi Araba are small, unhurried and shaped by deep respect for the land and the horses that carry us across it. Along the way, they collaborate with people who each bring their own expertise to the experience, so every ride feels less like a tour and more like being welcomed home.
Come ride with us.
Derar Hlalat
Co-founder of Saddle on the Sand
Derar was born to the land of Wadi Musa, where the rose-red cliffs of Petra meet the open desert. He can't remember a time before horses. His father rode these valleys before him, and his grandfathers before that. Horsemanship came to him the way the land's paths did: handed down, learned by heart, carried in the blood.
For more than fifteen years, Derar has guided riders through the land he calls home. He knows its trails by the turn of the light and the feel of the ground underfoot. He is also a professional endurance racer, so he understands better than most what a horse gives, and what it deserves in return.
Derar is grounded, warm and quietly charming. He rides with deep reverence for the desert and the horses that carry us through it. Riding beside him feels less like a tour and more like being welcomed into a story that has been unfolding here for generations.
His father rode these valleys before him, and his grandfathers before that.
Sara Sakinah
Guest Relations & Somatic Movement
Sara brings guests into the world of Saddle on the Sand. She is often the first voice travellers hear, connecting riders from near and far with journeys that suit them, and staying with them as they discover the south of Jordan.
A practitioner of yoga and somatic movement, Sara also offers sessions as part of selected experiences. They are gentle practices to ground the body after a day in the saddle, or to greet the desert at first light. For her, the stillness of the land is an invitation to slow down and arrive fully in the moment.
Why we ride
Ride the desert of southern Jordan the way it was meant to be seen: slowly, deeply, and on horseback.