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Well, howdy partner! If you’re looking for the best horseback riding experiences in Monteverde you’ve come to the right place. We’ve lived in Costa Rica for a while now and know a thing or two about horseback riding tours.
Below are our personal recommendations from our experience with each and spoiler, they’re all fantastic! But depending on what type of traveler you are, one will be better than the other. So instead of having to guess from half-written online descriptions of tours, you can quickly check out what we thought of each and pick the right one for you.
Quick Pick: Our Favorite Tour
Don’t have time to read the full article?
Our personal FAVORITE tour is this horseback riding experience through rural parts of the famous Monteverde Cloud Forest. There are epic views along the way and you can even choose to take the tour at sunset! Check out all the 5-star reviews and book this tour here!
Tip: This is a popular tour (especially for sunset), so reserve this tour early to guarantee your spot!
1. Beginner-Friendly Monteverde Cloud Forest Horseback Riding Experience
- Price: $95 USD
- Duration: 2 hours
- Time: 8 am, 11 am, 2 pm, 3 pm
- Highlights: Horseback riding through rural untouched parts of Monteverde Cloud Forest, views of the Gulf of Nicoya, ride through coffee and sugarcane plantations, wildlife spotting, and sunset (3 pm start time only)
- Inclusions: English-speaking guides, round-trip transportation, horse and all equipment, entrance fees, snacks
- Pickup from: Monteverde and Santa Elena
- Rating: 4.5 Stars (Read the 5-star reviews here!)
What we loved most about this beginner-friendly horseback tour were the multiple start times that offered different highlights depending on what you wanted to see. Does riding through an epic landscape at sunset sound fun? Book this for 3 pm! Or maybe you’d rather spot tons of different animals and birds? Go at 8 am!
We wanted to see the sunset, so we opted for the 3 pm start time. After getting picked up at our hotel, we were whisked away to a nearby ranch in the Monteverde Cloud Forest. Our guides gave us an overview of what to expect, led us to our happy and healthy horses, and then we were off. This isn’t a “giddy up” quick ride, but a slower-paced trot through the country suitable for anyone even if you’ve never been on a horse.
With the help of our guides, we spotted tons of animals and even a snake! The highlight of the day however was the epic landscape views of rolling mountains and distant clouds as we trotted along the countryside and watched the sunset. We even passed through a coffee and sugarcane plantation which was a sweet bonus and our guides told us all about the growing process of the plants.
Perfect for any traveler, affordable, and just downright fun, this was the best horseback tour we had been on in a long time and it shouldn’t be missed!
Book our FAVORITE horseback riding tour easily here!
2. Private Horseback Riding Tour in Monteverde Cloud Forest
- Price: $96 USD
- Duration: 2 hours
- Time: 8 am, 11 am, 3 pm
- Highlights: Horseback riding through Monteverde Cloud Forest and the countryside, views of the Gulf of Nicoya, ride through sugarcane plantations, waterfalls, wildlife spotting, and sunset (3 pm start time only)
- Inclusions: English-speaking guides, round-trip transportation, horse and all equipment, entrance fees
- Pickup from: Monteverde and Santa Elena
- Rating: 5 Stars (Read reviews here)
What made this horseback riding tour stand out is that it’s private, so we got so much more out of our time compared to larger group tours. We went farther, saw more, learned more, and it was much more peaceful overall. If you’re looking for an intimate and nature-filled horseback riding experience, this tour is for you.
There are multiple start times and depending on what you want to see you can start earlier in the day (wildlife) or later (sunset). Right from the start, we were impressed with the hospitality of our driver and guide as we quickly became friends and made our way to Monteverde Cloud Forest. Since it was just us, there was very little time wasted once we arrived and within 10 minutes we were up and riding on our healthy and friendly horses.
The landscape was stunning with epic views of the Gulf of Nicoya and lush rolling hills. I found my itch for adventure being scratched as we crossed streams and stopped to let our horses drink at waterfalls while we chatted with our guide about the rainforest and life in Costa Rica. We were even lucky enough to spot a sloth!
By the time we got back, we actually got more than 2 hours of riding in and we couldn’t have been happier. Having a private guide made this a more personal experience and we really enjoyed it.
Book your private horseback riding experience here!
Related Read: Another must while you’re here is drinking coffee! Check out our favorite coffee tours in Monteverde for our personal recommendations.
Why We Book Tours with Viator
Viator is a trusted online booking system for tours around the world! We almost always book our tours using Viator for a couple of reasons:
- Free cancellation on most tours – Most of the tours on Viator allow you to cancel and get a full refund up to 24 hours in advance. This is handy in case plans change, or if booking an outdoor activity, the weather forecast is looking grim.
- Reserve now and pay later – You can secure your spot on some of the most popular tours well in advance and not pay until closer to the day of the tour.
- Lowest price guarantee – If you happen to find the same tour at a lower price elsewhere, Viator will refund you the price difference.
- Pay in your chosen currency – Avoid costly international transaction fees by choosing to pay in your home currency.
- Peace of mind – When booking with tour operators you find in person on the street or in small booking offices, you are often promised one thing and given another. This online platform holds tour operators accountable with a written description of inclusions as well as the opportunity for customers to leave reviews.
Check out the Viator website here! Or, for more info, read our detailed review about Viator here.
3. Monteverde Cloud Forest Tour with Waterfalls, Swimming, Trekking, and Horseback Riding
- Price: $116 USD
- Duration: 5 hours
- Time: 7:30 am, 9:30 am
- Highlights: 5 km (3 mi) jungle trek through Monteverde Cloud Forest, hanging bridges, waterfalls, swimming, wildlife spotting, horseback riding
- Inclusions: English-speaking guides, round-trip transportation, horse and all equipment, entrance fees, lunch
- Pickup from: Monteverde and Santa Elena
- Rating: 4.5 Stars (Read all the reviews here!)
This is more than just a horseback riding tour and is a full-on Indiana Jones adventure-filled experience that is sure to have those of you wild at heart singing its praises. I know I sure was! Seriously though, this is the perfect 3-in-1 combo tour that includes horseback riding.
Once we left Monteverde with our group, we quickly got to start hiking through the jungle with our guide. We crossed hanging bridges, saw 4 different waterfalls, and spotted animals like monkeys, coati, and various birds before cooling off with a well-earned waterfall swim in turquoise blue waters.
While most people will find the trek doable, it is mostly downhill so those with bad knees will want to bring a walking stick and good hiking boots.
The trek took us about 2 hours to complete, but that was with plenty of stops along the way so our nature guide could inform us all about the Cloud Forest’s unique biodiversity. I was super impressed with their knowledge and ability to spot animals! Of course, the cherry on top was ending the tour with an epic 45-minute horseback ride through the jungle, but the fresh Costa Rican lunch at the end of the trail had me swooning. I’m a sucker for fresh Gallo Pinto (beans and rice)!
If you love adventure and want to have the perfect combo day tour of Monteverde Cloud Forest I can’t recommend this experience enough!
Book this 3-in-1 combo tour here!
Other Things to do While You’re in Monteverde
While going horseback riding is definitely a must-do, don’t forget to explore the rest of this area. There are so many fun activities in Monteverde, that you could spend your entire vacation here! These are just a few of our favorites:
- Night walk – There are some animals you can only see at night! Guided Night Walks in Monteverde are a great way to (safely!) explore the jungle after dark. This night tour is a small group of up to 8 and you’ll have a naturalist guide to help you spot all the nocturnal creatures. It’s also super affordable at only $33 USD including round-trip transport.
- Go ziplining – This ziplining tour has it all! It’s 2.5 hours of fun including ziplining over the cloud forest, rappelling down to the forest floor, and the optional (but epic) Tarzan swing.
- Take a coffee tour – Costa Rica is famous for its coffee, and Monteverde is actually one of the best places to do a coffee tour. The Don Juan plantation is our favorite spot to learn about the coffee-making process and taste loads of samples, and you can book their coffee tour easily online.
- Selvatura Park – Selvatura Park is a nature and adventure park located inside a protected rainforest. This park has a network of hanging bridges above the tree canopy that give you incredible aerial views of the rainforest. Get the chance to explore all the bridges, go ziplining across 15 different lines, and try out the thrilling Tarzan swing on this Selvatura Park Combo Tour!
- Go bungy jumping – Bungy jumping is one of the fun Monteverde attractions you have to try … if you’re brave enough! The Extreme Bungee Jumping in Monteverde Tour has a daring jump from over 460 feet (140 meters). That’s the highest in Costa Rica and all of Central America!
Where to Stay in Monteverde, Costa Rica
Monteverde may be a small tourist town, but there are a surprisingly large amount of great hotels in all budget ranges. To help you pick a favorite, here are our top recommendations:
Chira Glamping Monteverde – $$$
If you’re a luxury traveler, I highly suggest choosing what we call a “destination hotel”. These hotels are an attraction in themselves because of the unique experience they offer. In Monteverde one of the best is Chira Glamping Monteverde which offers luxury camping with the option to have your own private hot tub surrounded by nature.
The view from the property is incredible! Rates begin at $439 USD/night. You can check availability and book online here.
Camino Verde B&B Monteverde – $$
For those well past their backpacking days who can spend a little more, I love Camino Verde B&B Monteverde Costa Rica. This boutique hotel has beautiful rooms, a deck with magnificent views, and includes breakfast. It’s a comfortable hotel that comes at a great price.
Rates dip as low as under $100 USD/night. You can check availability and book a room online here.
Selina Monteverde – $
If you’re a budget traveler or backpacker, there are lots of nice hostels in Monteverde. If you like modern features and outstanding facilities, Selina Monteverde is the best option. The hostel is beautiful, has great reviews, and lots of activities including yoga.
Prices begin at $97 USD for a private room or $25 USD for a bunk in a dorm. You can book Selina on Booking.com or here on Hostelworld.
Getting Around Costa Rica
How you choose to get around Costa Rica is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make when planning your holiday here! How you do it depends on your budget, travel style, and comfort level.
Renting a Car
Without a doubt, the number one way to explore Costa Rica is in a rental car. We book rental cars on the Discover Cars website as we have had good experiences with them in the past.
One of the things you need to watch for when renting a car in Costa Rica is the mandatory insurance that the government requires you to have. There are a lot of very cheap rentals that don’t include this mandatory insurance (TPL) in the original booking price, but there are also ones that do. To avoid additional surprise charges when you pick up your rental car, be sure to rent a car that includes the mandatory insurance when you book.
Thankfully, on Discover Cars it’s easy to tell apart the companies that include the mandatory insurance and those that don’t. The trick is you can’t pick any car on their website. In the picture below, you can see this rental car, with pick up in Jaco, includes the TPL. That means the mandatory insurance is included in the price. Any cover you get above that is extra.
Of course, I still suggest getting the full coverage offered by Discover Cars, which covers you even more.
You can browse cars on Discover Cars here.
Book Shuttles
If renting a car isn’t in your budget, you don’t feel comfortable driving in Costa Rica, or you just don’t like driving, shuttles are the next best option. There are hundreds of shuttle routes available all over the country, and they are very affordable.
Shuttles in Costa Rica are specifically for tourists and often include pick up and drop off at your selected hotels and airports. The drivers also speak some English, and the vehicles have air conditioning. You’ll also be guaranteed a seat when you book a shuttle (which isn’t the case with the public bus system.)
To get the best price, use the website Bookaway. They compare all the offers and prices of shuttle companies in Costa Rica so you get the best price! Honestly, we have saved so much money using Bookaway!
You can search for shuttles online on Bookaway here.
Public Bus
Lastly, you can use the public bus system. On short journeys, such as from San Jose to La Fortuna or Uvita to Manuel Antonio, this system is great. However, the longer the journey the more hassle and time spent on a bus. It’s undoubtedly best to save the public bus in Costa Rica for short and straightforward trips!
The public buses are definitely the cheapest way to get around Costa Rica, but they are not always very reliable and schedules often change without notice and delays are to be expected. The buses can also be very crowded and hot – so just be prepared!
It’s also good to speak some Spanish if you plan on riding the public bus since most drivers and ticket booth operators don’t speak English.
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance!
If you’re looking to save money on travel insurance, we currently use and recommend SafetyWing. We’ve been using their coverage since 2018 and they’ve had our backs when we needed emergency flights and got sick overseas.
SafetyWing is one of the cheapest providers out there and covers everything from medical costs to lost luggage, travel delays, and emergency flights. A huge difference we’ve found between them and other companies is that they let you take out a policy AFTER leaving your home country. We’ve also found it handy that it’s a monthly payment rather than a lump sum, and you can get a refund for unused time.
SafetyWing has helped us out in some scary situations before and their affordable coverage has given us peace of mind.
Pura Vida!
I hope we’ve helped you narrow down which horseback riding experience to take while you’re in Monteverde! The views around here are amazing – especially in the cloud forest – and it’s nice to give your legs a break and explore with a trusty steed.
If you’re looking for more must-do activities and inspiration for your trip, have a look through all our blogs on Costa Rica! After living and traveling all over the country, we’re here to spill our secrets on the best tours, activities, and answer any questions you might have.
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