Top Colombia Horseback Riding - page 2

Ricardo (owner/guide) was a wonderful guide and this horseback tour is one of the best we've ever taken! The ride through the Medellin countryside is simply breathtaking. We did several tours during our week in Medellin and this one stands out as a very unique experience. All of the horses are very well taken care of. Ricardo is more than a guide, he truly cares for all his animals and has rescued many of his horses from terrible conditions and worked very hard to bring them back to good health. The tour starts at your meeting place where you will be transported by car (or cars depending on group size) and takes about 30-40 minutes to get just outside of Caldas where the tour begins at Ricardo's ranch. The horses are very well trained and respond very well to commands and reign steering. One word of caution, the horses love to compete for the lead position, so there may be quite a bit of trotting. But honestly, this made the tour more exciting. You will make your first stop at a small home of the man who trains Ricardo's dogs. There you can purchase beer, soda, or water to help support the dog trainer. Then you will continue through easy trails and some small hills until you reach your photo spot. It's a beautiful view of the surrounding countryside. Ricardo will pose your horses for great pictures. From there you will ride to a very small village where you will stop at the home of Estrella and her family where they will serve you drinks and traditional carrot cake. This is the last stop and you can spend as long as you like resting and learning about the locals and their traditions. The remainder of the trip is the return to Ricardo's ranch through Caldas. Here you will encounter many people, and some cars and motorcycles, but the horses don't mind at all. They are used to it. It's a steep climb back the ranch, and the horses handle the terrain very well. I believe Ricardo mentioned offering different tours that include lunch. We will definitely take this tour again when we return! A few other notes: Ricardo does a lot for the animals in his care. Please consider not only tipping him, but donating to the cost of food to care for all his animals and the local animals he looks out for. The tour itself lasts about 4-5 hours, but there wasn't any rush to get to the finish. If you arrive early, you can have a bite and some great coffee at Le Brunch Express (the meeting point). When you return (around 2pm), Biftek Sur has amazing chicharon and a good list of imported beers. Envigado park is walkable from here, and a cool place to visit.