Monteverde Cloud Forest Horseback Riding

Paysagés magnifiques Nous avons été accueillie avec des breuvages et un goûté des produits entièrement de la ferme

Two main things should have you rethinking this excursion: transportation & horse welfare. We have seen horses all over the country during our visit & none looked as in poor shape as these horses did. The guide was on a horse that would be equivalent to one being saved at auction by a rescue in the states before it went to slaughter - she was old, in poor shape & way too thin to be carrying someone on her back much less navigating the terrain of this farm & forest (rocky, muddy & steep). The cows & dogs all looked well cared for but with the exception of one horse on our tour, all were noticably underweight & their manes & tails were matted. The horses were shoed and generally clean but otherwise lacking in basic care. The terrain definitely required a sure footed horse (which they were) but considering their condition, they all still struggled despite knowing the path & terrain well. They were never allowed an opportunity to rest either, just a brief water break.They were all very sad & worn out & gave us no positive feedback with scratches or praise. The guide seemed less than enthused to have to take us on the tour. He spoke few words, never engaged in conversation & appeared totally bored & disonnected (even from the horse). I suspect this was his least favorite thing to do & the horses weren't a fan of him either. As for the transportation, we stayed closeby in town but what we assumed would be about a 3 hour tour (30 minutes of driving each way & the 2 hrs on the ride) ending up being almost a full 5 hours, much of it waiting for shuttles. You are picked up, taken to the Extremo headquarters (bathrooms, gift shop, etc), then wait for a shuttle, then travel to the farm. After the ride, we waited, then back to the headquarters, waited again for another shuttle and then back to the hotel. Most of the driving was very rough (gravel, steep) in vans that have lost their suspension long ago. We had already been on 5 tours since arriving in Costa Rica & this was our only poor experience. We would have definitely gone with another horse riding outfit as this was just a sad and wasteful experience. I suspect Trip Advisor and/or Extremo will need to rethink their relationship with this farm/tour.

This should avoided at all costs, this is poorly organised and unsafe. The guide spent the first 10 minutes trying to get us to cancel due to rain, if you do cancel there is no refund. The horses were in a poor state and one of our group was forced to dismount and walk due to her horse. The terrain was horrendous and made up of single track gradients making it difficult for the horses. It is sold as a family business but it was clearly a commercial operation located at a remote stable block with little regard for the clients and horses, you would do well to avoid this at any cost.