“Wow, this is beautiful,” I thought to myself as we approached the viewpoint. Despite Arenal Volcano hiding behind some clouds, the view was breathtaking. Deep green forest stretched in front of us for miles and miles, a slight mist hung quietly over the top of the trees and birds sang cheerily in the distance.
With a view like this, it was the best way to introduce my family to the rain forests and mountains of Costa Rica.
We stayed there for a few minutes as our guide explained to us the importance of this viewpoint. From here we could see the site of Tabacon old town before it was destroyed by the 1968 eruption of Arenal.
For this reason, the El Silencio Mirador is actually considered in the high risk zone but as Arenal Volcano has stopped erupting, many people hike and horseback ride through this area just like us.
Nudging our hoses along, we made our way through the 555 acre nature reserve surrounded by old growth trees as far as the eye can see. We stopped to observe a Ceiba tree and others, learning about how they are protected since they are very valuable.
Trotting just a hundred feet more, we reached another viewpoint that overlooked the Arenal Volcano National Park as a handful of cows sleepily observed us as we got closer.
There was still so much more to see so we headed back towards the mirador to turn onto another trail that would take us through the reserve.
The Arenal area has always captured our hearts, delighting our eyes with lush forests. Compared to the arid and yellow desert of Guanacaste that we saw for nearly 8 months of the year, being surrounded by all this intense green was certainly a welcome change.
About halfway in, a light sprinkle came down and I turned my head to the sky, licking the raindrops off my lips savoring the cool fresh water. My horse had the same idea, pausing to nibble on some of the dewy grass.
Rain is a precious commodity in Guanacaste since it doesn’t rain much there and it’s one of the things we love most about the Arenal area. It’s hot but gets plenty of rain so the air feels crisp and refreshing. The landscapes are some of my favorite, with primary rain forest everywhere you look.
Who wouldn’t want to horseback ride through all this spectacular scenery?
My parents had never gone horseback riding before and taking them through a nature reserve in the rainforest was, in my opinion the best way for them to try it for the first time.
The beach could have been another option but we’d already visited many beaches and this way, they could connect with nature not just by seeing beautiful scenery but also by riding one of the most majestic animals to roam this earth.
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Arenal Horseback Riding Tour Tips
- Wear long pants and closed toed shoes. If you’ve ever been horseback riding before, you’d know there’s a reason why cowboys always wear jeans or long pants!
- You won’t need mosquito repellent because of the fresh weather, there aren’t really any mosquitoes up there.
- If you go in rainy season, bring a rain jacket. They did give us a poncho just in case.
- You don’t really need to bring anything in terms of a backpack or food. Our guide brought water and had fruit for us at the end.
- You can bring a camera but I don’t recommend a DSLR especially if you’re not comfortable on a horse since sometimes they will break into a trot and you don’t want to be dropping anything. I used a waterproof phone case and wore it around my neck or you can bring a point and shoot with a wrist trap.
- If you bring your GoPro, make sure you have the helmet clip and mount.
- Horses know where to go so sit back, relax and enjoy the views.
Watch a video of the horseback riding in Arenal tour here. This is one of the best Arenal horseback riding tours and we highly recommend it!
We went with Jacamar Naturalist Tours who in our opinion, has one of the best horseback riding tours in Arenal. The horses are extremely well taken care of, the views are spectacular and our guide watched over us carefully. And we have a 10% discount on this Arenal horseback riding tour!
Click here to get 10% off your tour in Arenal
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kent says
Hola. We decided to take this tour after reading the article- and were not disappointed. We went with Tony and were the only 2 people on the tour. We are comfortable around horses but by no means experienced riders- it was not a problem at all. There are lots of horses- so no worries about them being overused, and our guide was a good horseman. This tour was the perfect length and took us thru beautiful treed pasture. We saw many birds, gorgeous views and a “herd”? of cotamundis. overall an excellent tour and good value. Thanks for suggesting it!
Sammi says
Hi Kent! Great to hear you had a good time on the tour, my parents loved it and it was their first time on a horse but they felt very comfortable too. It’s a beautiful ride!
Hannah says
Hi, the horseback riding looks nice. My sister and I are both experienced riders and would enjoy a tour that lets those who are comfortable do a little more (e.g., trotting, cantering in some places) if they want to. Do you know if they can accommodate experienced riders?
Sammi says
Hi Hannah! They’ll ask you how experienced you are and they will let you to do some trotting along the tour. We did this tour twice and the group we were with the second time did some galloping back so as long as you let the guides know, they will let you know when is a good spot to do some trotting.
Mary says
I want to horseback ride. We are spending 1/2 day Thursday, all Friday & Saturday then checking out Sunday & driving to Monteverde. We want to zip line also, hike waterfall. We are there mid May. What order do you think?
Sammi says
That sounds like a great day! We are here now in Arenal and the weather has been great but I do recommend doing activities as early in the morning as possible. If you’d interested, we have a 10% discount for this tour you can check here: Arenal and La Fortuna tours discount
Jill says
Hello! Do you know about how long this tour lasts and how long you are actually riding the horses (vs being transported to the starting point)? Thank you!
Sammi says
Hi Jill, the tour is a couple hours and there is a long and short tour so you can choose which one you want to do. You get picked up at your hotel and the stables are close to the national park so maybe 5 minutes driving depending on where your hotel is. We did the long tour with my parents and we were riding for a good couple hours. It was the longest horseback riding tour I’ve ever been on.
Curtis says
If you don’t mind me asking. Who did you book this tour with? Thanks for the help.
Sammi says
Hi Curtis, we went with Jacamar Naturalist Tours. They are very big in Arenal, highly recommended!
Sabra says
I loved this area. I stayed at a lodge about 5 miles from La Fortuna (can’t remember the name now) back in 2003 when Arenal was still erupting. It was amazing. I arrived there my first night in Costa Rica and it was pitch dark. I remember hearing the sounds of the jungle for the first time and the occasional rumble from the volcano. It was awesome. They had a hot springs pool with a swim up bar, and you could just chill there, sipping your drink while watching fiery boulders being launched out of the crater. So glad I got to experience that when it was still active!
Sammi says
That sounds amazing!