Costa Rica Horseback Riding - Monteverde
Nice and quiet... horseback riding in the Monteverde Cloud Forest area for a few hours, or again to make the fantastic journey to the Arenal Volcano
Because
Monteverde is green all year with an average daytime temperature
of a cool 18 C (64 F) and offers so many great mountain views,
it is considered a paradise for horseback riding in Costa
Rica. In fact Monteverde means Monte: mountain and verde:
green so Greenmountain.
While it is not permitted to ride in the Reserves themselves, we are pleased to offer the chance to ride with Emiliano on his 139 hectares family's farms (343 acres) and enjoy exclusive quiet trails, bird watching, sugar cane and coffee plantations, secondary and primary forest, open fields (great for a run), and amazing views of mountains, canyons and the Gulf of Nicoya (Pacific side, where the sun sets).
Emiliano was born in Monteverde 56 years ago and has
been a campesino (cowboy and farmer) all his life. 
His
family is part of the original settlers that came to Monteverde
to carve a living in the virgin cloud forest before the Reserves
or the concepts of conservation or ecotourism were even invented.
In fact the old original rough dirt road to Monteverde can still be seen near the stable. Riding a horse in those times was not a hobby, it was the only way to go around as many "roads" were simply impassable with a vehicle (if you could afford one!).
Today the farm is used exclusively for horseback riding, grazing and producing king grass, sugar cane and cereal for the horses. No more forestry or dairy activities. The remaining forests are preserved and Emilano's son Alonzo started a reforestation program to reinforce the biological corridors of this perfect environment for often seen and numerous toucans, parrots, bellbirds, toucanets, motmots, and dozens of other species.
.While many Costa Rica horseback riding tour operators advertise that their horses are checked "regularly" by a veterinarian, Emilano's son Alonzo became one. Alonzo came back to Monteverde after his graduation to work on the farm with his father and take care of the animals. Must we mention that their horses are very well kept and cared for?
Best of all, our guests are horseback riding on exclusive private trails on the farm, not on busy dirt roads like some operators in Monteverde do, and that's best for Sunday cowboys like me who are not sure how to turn right or left and do not want a speeding car to correct them if they are wrong. To be precise, we ride 800 meters on a quiet dirt side road to reach the head of trail, all the rest of the ride is on private property.
We offer a nice 2 hour Costa Rica horseback riding tour in the Monteverde Area for $30. You could do a 6h am ride for bird watching, 8h am for best morning weather or 3h30 pm sunset tour (sunset is roughly @ 5h30 pm all year long in Costa Rica or any other time that fits your schedule.
We guarantee nice horses, diversified scenery and an authentic great Costa Rican campesino experience.
Some basic English spoken but often a smile and miming will do the trick, our horses are very easy to handle. All saddles are equipped with a poncho in case of drizzle or mist as Monteverde is a cloud forest region with beautiful ever changing skies and scenery. Naturally we are fully insured and certified riding helmets are available on request.
All the photos below were taken on the same afternoon by
a Sunday cowboy (me) during a 2 hour tour while riding with
one hand and taking pictures with the other. That galloping
was fun but I am glad my camera had a strong neck strap! 
| Horseback Tour Schedules, Rates, and Online Booking Forms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Horsback Riding in Monteverde | Monteverde horseback riding choose from a Early Birdwatching Tour, Morning Tour or a Sunset Ride | |
Please click the thumbnails below to view the full sized version of the photo.
See some photos of our Sunset Horseback Riding Tour
Info and reservations: horseback@monteverdeinfo.com or when in Monteverde just pass by the office of monteverdeinfo.com in the Tree House Tourist Center just in front of the church or contact us at least 1 day in advance as this is a small family stable. See this Monteverde map for the location of our office. You can also request a ride when writing to this website about a Monteverde Hotel, tour or transportation service. Or again to make the fantastic journey to the Arenal Volcano