From Albufeira: Horse Riding Tour with Pickup

We decided to try horse riding during our holiday in Albufeira, and having never ridden a horse before, it was something completely new for me! The trail took us through the beautiful Algarve countryside, offering a lovely change of scenery from the busy beaches and tourist areas. We were also lucky enough to be the only two people booked onto our tour, which made the whole experience feel much more personal. It was lovely being able to enjoy the ride without a large group around us. As a complete beginner, it was certainly something different to try, but that’s what holidays are all about! Getting out of your comfort zone and experiencing something you wouldn’t normally do. A really enjoyable experience and something I’d happily recommend to anyone visiting Albufeira who wants to explore a different side of the Algarve.

It was a lovely experience all horses and staff were amazing especially the horse i rode (olivia)

Pick up lady was lovely. Horses well taken care of. Unfortunately no atmosphere. We walk around for an hour and half. Not given option to trot. Boring. Disappointed for the money we paid.

I managed to convince my boyfriend to go horseback riding together! It was his first time. With such activities, I find it important that the horses are well cared for. Reading the reviews, this was reasonably good. Upon arrival, I found it a bit less. Horses were waiting in a lot of poop, didn't look cheerful, and a horse walked by that wasn't walking very well. I told my friend that I didn't hope the horse would go along, shortly after the horse was unfortunately saddled. We started with slow steps in the pit so everyone could get on their horse, there was never an explanation or instructions given. Then we went around the area, my friend was lucky that I knew how to ride a horse so I could explain it to him, but I found this very much! During the ride, there were two guides, one was on a very restless horse and the other was an 11-year-old girl. The two guides rode at the front and had a very pleasant time together throughout the ride. About halfway through the ride, one of the horses bolted where a lady who had never ridden a horse before was sitting; she almost fell off. The guide came to see if it was okay and then drove forward again. The only thing they had to say to someone who had never ridden was "pull the reins and kick your horse." I found the way they dealt with people who had never ridden before very dangerous.

Third time riding with Albufeira riding school. You can be a total beginner or an experienced horse rider. Everyone is welcome. We rode out for 1 hour and half hours with two riding guides in a group of about 15 through flatland countryside and some tree lined trails. A few of the riders who were experienced were allowed to go and gallop with one of the guides separately which was a nice touch I thought. All the horses were pretty chilled and considerate to the new riders, and halfway through the trot/ride they take pictures of you on your horse for you. I can recommend them, great value for money, they look after you on the ride and will pick you up from your hotel or Mdonalds in Albufeira if you got no transport. Go book, ride and enjoy.

Updated Review / Response to Management I want to clarify the facts because the response from the company does not accurately reflect what happened from our side. We booked this excursion through Viator and received a confirmation stating that our pickup time was 9:00 AM at the McDonald’s meeting location. We drove approximately an hour to get there and arrived about 15 minutes before the scheduled 9:00 AM pickup time. The company now says that the pickup time had been changed to 8:30 AM and that this information was sent through Viator the day before. The problem is that we never received a notification, email, or direct communication informing us of this change. Apparently, the change was placed somewhere within a Viator app/sub-menu that we never saw. We had no reason to believe our confirmed pickup time had changed. We only discovered the change after arriving at the meeting location, when the company had already left. The company also says they made several attempts to contact us before leaving. We did not receive any calls or emails before the driver left. It is possible there was an issue with how our U.S. phone number was being dialed, but regardless of the reason, we did not receive a call or communication that alerted us that the pickup time had changed or that the driver was waiting for us. After we discovered what had happened, we called the company at approximately 9:05 AM. The representative we spoke with was very difficult for my wife to understand because of the language/communication barrier. The company claims that we repeatedly ended the calls. That is not an accurate description of what happened. The call was disconnected, or the representative ended the call, and we immediately tried calling back several times. Our calls were not answered. We were trying to resolve the problem, not avoid a conversation. We also contacted our Viator booking agent after the company failed to pick us up. We were told that Viator had attempted to communicate with the company about the situation, but the company would not agree to refund our money. The company now says that rescheduling had not been refused because the matter was still under review. Regardless of the wording they chose to use, we were left without the excursion we paid for and were not provided with a refund or a satisfactory alternative. This was not a minor inconvenience. We drove approximately two hours round trip for an excursion that never happened, lost a significant portion of our vacation day, and spent additional time trying to get help and resolve the situation. Most importantly, this was an activity that our daughter had been particularly excited about and had specifically requested as one of the things she wanted to do on our vacation. Seeing her so disappointed was extremely upsetting. We paid approximately $300 for this experience and received nothing but a great deal of frustration, wasted time, and disappointment. What is most disappointing now is the company's response. Rather than acknowledging that there was a communication failure and taking responsibility for showing up at the pickup location at the time stated on our booking confirmation, their response places the blame entirely on us. We understand that pickup times can change. What we do not accept is changing an important pickup time and relying on a notification buried within an app that the customer did not see, without ensuring that the customer actually received and understood the change. When a customer has driven an hour to meet you, a simple phone call using the correct U.S. number or a direct email could have prevented this entire situation. We paid for a service, followed the pickup time provided to us, showed up at the designated location, and still ended up with no excursion and no refund. Based on our experience, we cannot recommend this company. The handling of the situation afterward only made an already bad experience considerably worse. We strongly encourage anyone booking this excursion to confirm the pickup time directly with the company rather than relying solely on the time shown in their original Viator confirmation.

It wasn't worth the money, the guide barely spoke English, and with 20 people, we stopped a lot because horses were acting up. If you're an experienced rider like me, forget about trotting or galloping.

Pick up was convenient and on time. It was good that two of the stable riders came out riding with us and did not just stay in one place all the time. They had good control of the whole ride. Horses were carefully selected to match those of us riding. I and others were able to use a step to get onto the horse which was helpful. Riding across the nature reserve and into the sand dunes was a pleasant experience with well-trained horses who coped well with crossing car parks as well! One of my family is an experienced rider and had the opportunity to gallop which she loved. Otherwise, this was a slow steady trek with a fairly large group. I felt safe. It was good to have the opportunity to ride around the ring whilst everyone was being mounted. I liked the fact that due to the heat the stables moved the time to slightly later to prevent the horses being put under unnecessary stress. There is a cafe where drinks and ice-creams can be purchased at the end if required and the stables were able to look after back-packs whilst we were riding.

Back to the selim. It is always good to remember the sense of freedom and happiness that these beings gave me in the past... missing “my” Horse Wine. Today's tour team: Me & Lightning. ⚡

excellent. great ride for beginners. my family had a great time riding well mannered horses. staff were fantastic.