Costa Rica Horseback Riding Vacation Package 8 Days

Day 1

You have a choice on this day: if arriving early in Costa Rica you can go directly to Monteverde (3-4 hour trip), which means you would have time for optional activities depending on arrival time. Or if arriving late, you can stay the night near the airport (the hotel is included in the package) and be picked up early in morning.

Day 1 includes: 1 night's accommodation in hotel near airport or hotel in Monteverde and airport pick up.

Day 2

if you stayed the night near the airport our driver will pick you up from your hotel. You can relax and enjoy the changing scenery as we make our ascent up to Monteverde. You will have view of the Golf of Nicoya and the beautiful cloud forests. You will have time to have lunch before the afternoon horse tour.

If you arrived the night before in Monteverde and did not stay near the airport you will have the whole morning free and we can help you set up activities such as canopy tours, guided hikes in the cloud forest etc)

For the first night in Monteverde we use either Rustic Lodge or its sister hotel Monteverde Villa Lodge. Both are situated 5 minutes walking distances from the small commercial center of Santa Elena (with its many restaurants, shops and banks), the hotels offer the kind of personal care and attention you can only receive at small, locally owned facilities.

In the afternoon of day 2 you will do your first horse tour (3-4 hours).

1.30pm You will be picked up by Marvin or a taxi and taken to our rustic Costa Rican stables and introduced  to the horses. The afternoon ride is about 3-4 hours and your guide will lead you down quiet back roads and locally used trails giving you a sense of rural Costa Rican life. You'll pass coffee, banana and sugar plantations and you may even spot a sloth or a toucan. Before (or after the ride) we will pass by Marvin and Janet's house to see some of the young horses in training or a demonstration of Marvin's famous horse Gladiator!

Included on day 2 is:

Night at Hotel  and breakfast only

Day 3

9.30am Today will be a full day excursion to magical Eden Falls. This is a full day's ride and quite a lot hiking in the forest so participants should have a reasonable amount of fitness.

Ride for about two and a half hours from the outskirts of town, and across the continental divide, taking quiet country roads through the typical farmland bordering the cloud forests.

On the way you will pass farms and there are impressive views of the surrounding volcanoes and you can spot sloths, butterflies, innumerable birds and maybe even the elusive quetzal.

First you will ride for about two and a half hours from the outskirts of town taking quiet country roads through the typical farm land bordering the cloud forests. You will go aross the continental divide, and have impressive views of the surrounding volcanoes.

On the ride you may be lucky and spot sloths, butterflies, innumerable birds and maybe even the elusive quetzal. We will eventually leave the road and ride across country to the edge of the cloud forest leading to the Falls. Your horses will get to take a break under a shady tree while you hike down to thespectacular Eden Falls. The trails is fairly steep and narrow so a reasonable level of fitness is required for this 1.5 hour trek. But you can wallk slowly and enjoy the mainly primary cloud forest, to reach the 30m waterfall. You will have plenty of time stop to take photos of the beautiful surroundings.

At Eden Falls you can take a well earned break and cool off in the pool below. Here we will enjoy a peaceful picnic lunch before hiking another hour or so to get back to the horses. Again we can hike slowly and at the top you can take a break and take in the priceless view.

We will continue riding on the route back for another two and a half hours before arriving at the cute cabins called Cabinas Belcruz. Your luggage will be waiting for you here. 

At around 6.00pm you'll be served a homemade dinner and then time to relax in you private cabin. The cabins are very comfortable, the owners (Randal and Leti) are very charming and the area so peaceful with pretty views of the mountainsl. At the restaurant the owners have a balcony at the back where they keep feeders to attract hummingbird and it is a great place in the evening to see the early evening wildlife.

Day 4

AM 9.00am Enjoy an all day excursion, well away from the tourist areas. The route will be on little used dirt roads and through some farms, crossing small streams and valleys. The views are beautiful and you will plenty of time to take some stunning photos.

You will have time to cool off in the pools at the river and enjoy a picnic lunch. The river is frequently visited by monkeys and tropical birds. The tour is all day and you'll be back in you hotel (Cabinas Belcruz) about 3.00pm-4.00pm. About 5-6 hours riding.

In the evening the family will prepare another delicious meal for you.

Photos of Monteverde Cloud Forest if you decide to go to the park on your free morning.

Day 5

AM Today is a long day riding, from Monteverde to Solania, passing though Campos de Oro (an area famous for its coffee plantations). The route is steep in places and we will rest the horses frequently, plenty of photos opportunities of the coffee plants! You can't fail to enjoy horse riding into the heart of the mountains and the countryside, passing other riders known as campesinos (local people of the rural communities) who often rely on horses for mobility. In Campos de Oro we will stop to have lunch in a typical Costa Rican family house, a real chance to taste home cooking. Here we will rest the horses before continuing down to Solania. The ride today will be 6+ hours in total.

In Solania (real cowboy country!) we will spend two nights on a working farm in some lovely villas. They are located in beautiful gardens and have a pool and a jacuzzi. The large villas have kitchens, cable tv, a/c, sitting room and a veranda It is a good opportunity to experience staying on a working ranch and you are free to in inspect the cattle and other animals. Solania is much hotter than Monteverde being at a lower elevation but you'll have a chance to cool off in the swimming pool before taking a hike in the area, go bird watching or just relaxing on the veranda.

Day 6

Today you can have a chance to sleep in and we will set off about 10.00am for a day's ride around the cowboy country of Solania, visiting a local waterfall and local ranches. Lots of monkeys and other wildlife can be spotted on this day.

Day 7

8.00am Ride from Solania to El Dos (4-5 hours) where we sadly say good-bye to our horses. We will ride early in the morning through small villages until we reach the village of El Dos where we take a vehicle to our boat waiting on the shores of the famous Arenal Lake at the foot of the famous Arenal Volcano. The 30 minute boat trip is lovely with stunning views of the surrounding countryside. At Arenal Dam a car will be waiting to take us you to your hotel. 

Tonight you will be staying at Arenal Oasis Ecolodge.

Owned and managed by a local Arenal family, the hotel has a unique rustic charm, comfortable rooms and friendly customer service. The lodge is predominantly an ecological farm and is conveniently located just 10 minutes from the La Fortuna town center as well as close to the famous hot springs and other activities  in the area.

The Ecolodge is popular with visitors who seek a friendly vacation without the busy frills of some of the bigger eco resorts. This is an authentic back to nature property that tries to stick to its goals of conservation and sustainability. The Ecolodge has its own trails and offers birding and frog tours. The lodge provides a wonderful breakfast in a covered outdoor dining room surrounded by bird feeders, so you can eat whilst watching the beautiful tropical birds that are attracted to this oasis in Arenal.

At 6.00pm transport will pick you up and take you one of the world famous Arenal Hot Springs at the foot of Arenal Volcano. Arenal Volcano (1,633 meters) is a picture-perfect cone. It is one the world's most active volcanoes although it has been very quiet of late but it still emits gases and rumbles!

A perfect place to view the volcano is from Baldi Hot Springs.

At the hot springs you can soak any aches away from the last few days of riding. This is a place where you can really relax and pamper yourself. Baldi has a series of freeform, landscaped pools with a range of temperatures, set amid glorious tropical gardens. It's a place where you can sit in a warm pool, sipping the cocktail of your choice. Evening buffet meal is included.

Day 8

This morning you will be free to do optional activities such as canyoneering. cycling, exploring the volcano or do a half-day whitewater rafting.

At around 1.30pm we will end the tour with shuttle transport to San Jose or we can arrange transport to some of the main beaches in Costa Rica.

Read bottom of page for trip details...

BEACH OPTION AVAILABLE. $395pp (double occupancy). 2 people minimum. Transfer to San Jose included.

See more details of beach extension.

Tour Details

For more details and booking please go to https://www.horsetrekmonteverde.com/costa-rica-horseback-riding-vacation/

Cost: $1595 per person with 4 or more people

Cost: $1695 per person for 2 or 3 people

(Single supplement $250)

Minimum: 2 people (Double occupancy) MIn 2 - Max 6-8 people.

Max weight: 200lbs, Riding Western Style

NOTE THE FOLLOWING DATES ARE FLEXIBLE!!! jUST LET US KNOW WHEN YOU WANT TO RIDE.

Year 2019
10 Feb, 17 Feb, 24 Feb,  3 March, 10 March, 17 March, 24 March, 31 March, 07 April, 14 April, 21 April, 28 April, 05 May, 07 July, 14 July,  21 July, 28 July, 04 August, 11 August.

We can be flexible with the dates.

Included on Trip: 6 days riding, 7 nights accommodation, all breakfasts and most lunches and evening meals (except on arrival and departure days and days 1 and 2), all transport, luggage transfers, entrance to hot springs and transport, experienced guides and all tours in the itinerary (except optional activities).

Not Included: Flights to Costa Rica, hotels in San Jose (which we can arrange for you - just let us know!), some evening meals, lunches on arrival day,  Days 1 and 2 and departure days, optional tours or transportation to other tours.

What to Bring: T-shirts, shorts, long pants for riding (you might want to bring half-chaps), sweater or light jacket, gel seat saver for western saddles,light hiking or riding boots, sandals to walk in rocky rivers, rain jacket, water-proof pants, sunscreen, insect repellant (also recommended for insect repellant is Avon's Skin So Soft), anti-histamine cream for insect bites, any personal medication, hair dryer,shorts, swimming gear, sports sandals, riding hat (or we can lend you one - let us know), traveler's insurance (to include horse riding), full passport and a credit card (VISA and MC's only - other cards are difficult to use in Monteverde).

Costa Rica Horseback Riding

Insurance: You must have your own insurance that includes horse riding (the policy number and details needs to be send to us).