Private Horseback Riding Tour on Etna Area + Traditional Lunch
Description
Admire the incredible beauty of the unspoiled nature of the Sicilian countryside. The tour is private – only your party, and includes pick-up and drop-off by comfortable air-conditioned car at your accommodation/port. At the Ranch, after a safety briefing and a bit of practice in the riding arena, take a 1-hour horseback tour exploring the fascinating flora and fauna of Etna Park with a professional guide. The tour is suitable for all ages. Please note: this horseback riding tour is designed for beginners and does not include trotting or galloping. The experience is kept at a basic level, ensuring a safe and enjoyable ride for all participants. After the horseback riding tour, have a traditional lunch at a Sicilian restaurant. Taste locally produced cheeses, salami, prosciutto, olives, traditional ricotta, pasta and local wine.
Tour Options
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Your private guide will pick you up at your hotel, port or train station in Taormina, Giardini Naxos, Letojanni or Messina port.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
Reviews(50)
We had the best experience!! Marco picked us up from the cruise port and drove us to our horseback riding experience. His English was impeccable and he was extremely knowledgeable about the area! He gave us some history and interesting facts on the drive to the stables. Once we arrived at horseback riding, we met with Sabrina and our horses. The horses were very well mannered and obviously well cared for. Since it was my son’s first time riding a horse, one of the guides was kind enough to lead him. We had amazing views of mount Etna and the countryside while riding! We stopped for lunch and had a local specialty- everything was delicious and Marco made sure we were comfortable and happy throughout. I cannot recommend this excursion enough, it was the highlight of our trip!
Amazing views! Well behaved and well taken care of horses. Would highly recommend. And the lunch was outstanding.
Our guide Omar made the day so special. He drove us through the quant towns from Taormina and shared his vast knowledge along the way. The lunch was delicious at a spot we would have never found on our own. Such a treat.
Corrado was incredible and extremely knowledgeable of all of the history of the towns and Sicily. Horseback riding was so fun and the wine tasting was fantastic. The views were breathtaking.
The owners of the horse ranch were lovely. Their young son spoke excellent English and had very nice manners. He walked along side the horses and told us about the area.
We had an amazing day. Our guide Corrado was wonderful. He picked us up at our hotel and took us to the Hidalgo Ranch run by Sabrina and her wonderful family who took us on a fantastic trail ride. After the ride we were taken to an excellent local Sicilian restaurant for a delicious lunch. After lunch Corrado drove us up to the Mt Etna area where we hiked among volcanic lava flows and explored craters and caves. It was a great day to explore the Mt. Etna area, ride horses in the Sicilian countryside and have a delicious meal. Corrado is extremely knowledgeable of the history and geography of Mt. Etna which was a surprise bonus!
Our guide, Marco, was awesome! Not only was he on time, he was personable when sharing the many interesting facts about Sicily, the people, and the culture. Seeing the countryside by horseback was definitely out of our comfort zone, yet we found it to be relaxing and enjoyed every minute of it. Remember to bring sunscreen, shoes that you're okay with getting dirty, long pants (to protect your legs), and sunglasses (depending on the weather). As for the traditional Sicilian lunch, be prepared to have a feast! Starting out with a glass of your choice of red or white wine. Our appetizer was equivalent to that of a charcuterie board! Given the size of the platter, we thought it was our meal. We proceeded to indulge in over 85% of the platter, as we could not possibly finish it between the three of us. As I sat there, while in conversation, I noticed the owner placed a small bowl of parmesan cheese on the table. I was of the belief that it was by mistake; however, it turned out, it was not! Next up was our macaroni with red sauce. Our American macaroni is not the same as the Sicilian macaroni and, without a doubt, falls short of the flavorful Sicilian version!! Once we were done with the main entree, we were offered dessert. Although I felt I could not possibly have anything else, I opted for the limoncello dessert. Needless to say, it did not disappoint! We are eternally grateful for Marco and urge others to step out of their comfort zone to try something out of the ordinary...totally worth it!
I am not a horseback riding person but our guide Sabrina was very kind and led me and my horse around.
We had a fantastic experience with this tour. Our guide - Maurizio - was incredible, the horseback ride was stunning (and the owners' son gave us three eggs that we had our hotel cook for us at breakfast!) and the lunch was delicious and filling for the belly and the soul.
I highly suspect they've switched stables because this tour is almost completely not as described. The ride is not through the beautiful countryside but on pavement and a dried up aqueduct/river bed through town complete with litter and garbage. None of the pictures are accurate. The riding is not 1.5 hours either. It is more like 40 minutes of boring, straight-lines walk. You do not get to practice with your horse. You do not canter or trot. You also do not arrive upon a farmhouse with olive & lemon trees. The lunch is after the riding. separate and arriving via car to a restaurant. A very average restaurant and not a local farmhouse. That said, the stable owners are extremely nice, the driver is incredibly friendly and knowledgable however either switch to the previous stable of show more accurate photo's so customers can have better expectations.
Good morning dear Kevin, Thank you for your opinion and for the compliments on our guide Maurizio and the ranch staff. At the same time we feel sad to read this review after all we did to make you, your wife and son have a good day. On this horseback tour there was a child, your son. Our priority was the safety of you and your family. Before we started the tour, the ranch owner called me and told me that it was better to take an easier route for safety reasons, because your son was not able to make the climb that takes us to the top of the hill where the tour then begins I immediately said yes. On this alternative route you saw in some places garbage but what fault do we have. This is a tour for beginners, anyone can do it, but for us safety is always the most important thing. When the owner of the ranch called me I was able to tell him: take the most beautiful road, the uphill one where there is a wonderful view, where the road is full of trees. Possibly we would have had a review with more stars but we would have risked it because your child would have climbed the hill to get to the hill but would have had problems on the way down. Regarding the description, it is important to understand where you booked the tour. Our products are on Viator and Tripadvisor. Sometimes there are other platforms that rely on these giants but sometimes they also change the description. In our description there is no mention of trotting or galloping. Regarding the restaurant, you ate the appetizers( Etna cheeses, olives, dried tomatoes, caponata, ricotta, Etna mushrooms, salami) and pasta alla norma. Maybe they weren't to your liking, I apologize for that. To conclude in honor of the truth it is fair to say that Maurizio returned to the office three hours later because you and your family had the desire after the tour to see the Etna volcano. I agreed to your request and Maurizio took you to 2000 meters and I didn't ask for Extra money. This tour has almost all 5 star reviews and it certainly happens that sometimes things don't go well. This time we are sorry because we didn't deserve it, Maurizio, your guide, didn't deserve it, Sabrina, the owner of the ranch didn't deserve it. I thought you would call us and thank us for all the effort we have done for you and your family but instead you thanked us with this review. With Respect Best regards Paola
