Ridning till Arenal vulkan med heta källor

The horse back riding was fine, but don't bother with this tour. All they did was give us a ride to the resort. Just book it through the resort directly. They have bus service to and from local hotels about every hour. Plus, then you are free to use the resorts hot springs and other facilities as long as you want.

The guides were good - knowledgable and seemed to know their horses well. The horses seemed well cared for. The scenery was very good - a nice view over La Fortuna & Arenal. The route: Probably the biggest disappointment was that 3/4 of the route was on a steep paved road with the occasional car or bus moving slowly past our group. I don’t think the horses were very happy about the steepness and some slipped a bit (horseshoes on pavement doesn’t offer good traction). But this was probably a safer descent than half of the way we went up: pretty steep jagged sharp rocks and other large stones that wouldn’t be pleasant or safe to fall on if tossed from an unruly horses (see next issue). The other candidate for “biggest disappointment” was my girlfriend's horse kicked me in the toe and kicked or bit at least 3 other horses/riders at other times during the journey. These two issues spoiled the ride for me. My girlfriend’s horse was also quite unruly - the guide admitted she (the mare, not my girlfriend, although also true) was a feisty one - well, if so, why is she still giving rides? Her difficult horse ruined my girlfriend’s day and we were both sore and grumpy from the experience that night. Other reviewers commented that this is not a beginner’s ride, and I fully agree. I took several years of horse ridding lessons as a kid, so I’m not a beginner, but I’m also way out of practice. This ride is too steep, has too many big rocks and tight passage areas and the horses are not docile enough for beginners. My girlfriend hated it (she was on the kicking/biting horse). Overall, this was the low point in an otherwise good time in Costa Rica.

Excellent experience. Very professional guide. I did not realized two hours of ride had gone so fast. Love to recommend to others.

This was an excellent excursion. There was only the two of us and the guide. We met inside the Hotel Lago which is a beautiful resort with stables. Our guide Mario took us up the mountain side on well behaved horses. We saw great views of the volcano and picturesque scenery. Mario took my phone and took great videos and pictures. We stopped at the top for a break and then back to the stables. After the ride we were allowed to stay by the pools, one hot and one cold. Unfortunately it poured and there was a really bad storm so we couldn't swim. However the ride was great and well worth the sore bum after!

HIGHLY RECOMMEND! It was a beautiful and breathtaking experience. The staff employees were down to earth friendly, and attentive. They also have good judgement picking out which horse works best for you. Horses are such beautiful creatures, and will also decide who they choose riding them. I was honored being the chosen one , and rode the horse named Enelo It means “INSPIRATION”. It was also adventurous going up the hills to see the beautiful Volcanic Arenal. I saw their hot springs which was inside the resort, and that was also breathtaking to look at. I had an amazing experience, and would definitely go back. Thank you for everything.