Horseback Riding around Arenal Volcano base
Recommended by 95% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
La Fortuna, Costa Rica
- 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Enjoy a ride across the slopes of Arenal Volcano, following a route that moves from lower pastures to elevated viewpoints. This guided horseback experience offers access to varied terrain, including forests, creeks, and open land, without public trail congestion. The gradual ascent provides wide views of the volcano when weather permits, making it a practical way to experience the landscape beyond roadside lookouts.
- Discover rural Costa Rica beyond tourist routes
- See Arenal from a unique perspective few visitors get
- Reach scenic viewpoints without steep climbs
- Access terrain unreachable by standard vehicles
What's Included
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Casco de seguridad
- Private transportation
- Lunch
- Alcoholic Beverages
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
All clients will be picked up at their hotels between the route from La Fortuna downtown to the Arenal Volcano National Park. The pick-up time can vary between 10 to 15 minutes, so we recommend that you be ready at the time indicated.
Itinerary
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Hannah_M
had such a fun time!! would recommend to anyone visiting la fortuna. the guide was very experienced and had a great personality. the horses were so cuteee. never was a time I didn’t feel safe
Reviews
4.8
based on 39 reviews
Akvile_A, Feb 2026
This was the worst experience of my stay in Costa Rica. Due to cloudy weather, there was zero visibility of the volcano. Of course, weather is beyond anyone’s control - but it would have been professional and considerate to inform guests in advance and manage expectations. There was no acknowledgment at all that the volcano wouldn’t be visible.
The guide (I believe his name was Domingo) was unkind and at times outright rude. He appeared completely uninterested throughout the tour. When we reached the so-called “viewpoint,” he didn’t even address the obvious lack of visibility.
Most concerning was the safety aspect. I have riding experience, yet I still felt uncomfortable with how carelessly the group was handled. At one point, he pushed the horses into a gallop without considering whether all riders felt confident or safe.
Overall, disappointing, poorly managed, and far from the experience advertised.
Hannah_M, Feb 2026
had such a fun time!! would recommend to anyone visiting la fortuna. the guide was very experienced and had a great personality. the horses were so cuteee. never was a time I didn’t feel safe
Bethany_M, Feb 2026
This company is very easy to work with. They helped me out and I truly appreciate them and timely responses and ease to work with. Great tour company
Kristina_P, Jan 2026
Our horseback riding experience was absolutely wonderful! I went with my 11-year-old daughter, and we both had such a good time. The horses were beautiful, gentle, and well-behaved, and the landscapes were breathtaking. After the ride, we spent the whole day at the resort’s hot springs. The facilities are beautiful, very well maintained, and made for the perfect place to relax. A quick tip: bring your own towels, or you can rent them—payment is by cash near the locker rooms or by card at reception.
andres_v, Dec 2025
There were about 30-40 people. Way too crowded. Originally booked one location and the day before they texted that they were doing the tour somewhere else (at the hotel, where all the other tourists except us were staying), probably to merge multiple groups and save money. There was a 9 year old crying half the tour until they begged to be taken off. There should be some age limit because it was really annoying when you want to just have peace and quiet. Also zero indication about where the pickup for the way back is. Had to ask multiple staff and bus drivers. The staff were telling me to kick my horse hard to get it to go. My partner is an experienced horse rider. Another tourist told her to not kick the horse. That was annoying. Would be 5 stars if they limited the group size, but it felt extremely crowded. Also a tour bus stopped at the volcano lookout at the same time as us, so we didn't really get to enjoy it since there were like 100 people there.
Shane_K, Dec 2025
This is the horseback experience to book - snag the 8 am slot so you can enjoy FREE access to Los Lagos Hot Springs all day, complete with water slides, wet bar and more.
The horseback guides - Adrian especially - were helpful, kind and informative.
This was a highlight of our trip!
Jason_C, Oct 2025
The was relaxing and fun. We paused a couple times to admire scenery as well as a bunch of monkeys. The guide was really nice and the horses were fun.
Renelle_M, Aug 2025
Wonderful experience! The staff took great care of us and the horses were a pleasure. Highly recommended!
Jose_S, Aug 2025
This is by far the best Horseback Riding tour you can book in La Fortuna area. Will and Jackson were our tour guides and kept us all involved and spotted lots of different wildlife for us. What makes this experience different from the rest is that they actually take you on a horse trail up a hill to the base of the volcano. You cross several creeks and you get the feeling you are in the middle of the jungle. This was my wife’s first trail ride and she really enjoyed it! We saw 2 species of Toucans, spider monkeys, and an anteater!
Chris_C, Aug 2025
Communication for pick-up was not ideal. We booked an appointment for 8:30AM only to be told the day of, at 12:59AM pick up is actually at 7:40. We ended up just getting an Uber to the stables ourselves.
Excluding the communication problems we had our tour with Mario, and Adrian. They were excellent tour guides. They taught us how to ride. They matched riders with different horses based on experience, size, temperament, etc. Once we actually started they were really good about talking to everyone individually. Asking where you're from, if you'd riders a hourse before, etc. They were great about spottimg the struggling riders and were excellent about giving them some extra tips to help them out. They also were able to spot sloths, toucans, and even spiders in the trees and tell us all about them. Again. Wonderful tour guides and really nice horses!
Darrell_R, Jun 2025
I loved this excursion as the host was professional and very kind. I would do it over and over again… book it…
Abby_O, Mar 2025
Our guide Mario was amazing. Definitely worth booking, its a lot of ride time and more of an open path !! The horses also were good
Alicia_M, Mar 2025
This ride was soooo coool! We had a great time and everyone was so fun and friendly. The sightseeing was out of this world!
Duncan_B, Jan 2025
really great horse riding but bad service from viator where they forgot to book despite us booing with viator weeks before so we had to change from morning to afternoon at last moment. It seems as though viator forgot to process the booking and blamed on “operational issues” -sometimes an honest apology is better than being evasive-but don tobias stable excellent- beautiful location, saw wildlife and if you are an experienced rider ( or game amateur) best one in la fortuna to do
Stan_W, Jan 2025
It was a lovely horseback ride in the rain! Well, even in the rain, you'll see the surroundings minus fewer photos taken because you do not want to risk damaging the phone. I highly recommend this activity. We were dropped off at the reception in Mystic Park and then drove down to the barn, which wasn't far from the reception center.
jianke_c, Jan 2025
The guider, Mr. Donald, is very good. He gave the instruction very clear at beginning. During the travel, he took the video of the team and deliver to every team members. it is a very exciting experience.
Anne_P, Jul 2024
First, I signed up for this tour but we were somehow shifted to the horseback riding tour at our hotel, Los Lagos Spa and Resort. We really enjoyed THAT experience and highly recommend it. (i unfortunately couldn't find how to leave a review of the Los Lagos horseback riding.) However, I chose THIS tour for the included trip to the Rancho where we would be served a snack. It wasn't clear at first that this wasn't the tour I signed up for until I asked about the trip to the Rancho and they didn't know what I was talking about. I was unhappy with Viator's lack of transparency about this change and was disappointed we didn't have the tour we signed up for.
Courtney_B, May 2024
Mario was so great. Horses are very well looked after and the ride was amazing! Very scenic and the horses know where they are going and are well trained. Didn't get to do the hot springs though. Not sure why but I would still recommend the horse riding.
Dawn_J, May 2024
William and Kendal were AMAZING! They took very good care of our group and were very reassuring throughout the ride. They were more than willing to take as many photos as we liked. At the end they gave us the most amazing snack as well. HIGHLY Recommend.
Lorraine_C, Mar 2024
We had a group of 10 and everyone had a blast. The horses are healthy and well taken care of by the staff. The horses rotate so they are not working everyday. I personally had a younger horse still learning the reigns, she was a bit spicy in terms of obeying commands but I was also hesitant to be aggressive. Tour guides were funny and knowledgeable.
Rhonda_L, Feb 2024
Our tour guides Isaac & Will were amazing! It was the most fun experience we had. They were very knowledgeable, great with the horses and us!
Nicholas_S, Feb 2024
Our guides were wonderful and did everything to make the experience as fun as possible. We were able to do plenty of cantering and they took plenty of pictures. They were very knowledgeable about the surrounding area and eager to talk. I would definitely do this ride again!
Nilu_D, Jan 2024
Hands down the best experience in Costa Rica. I booked it just randomly when I was browsing through the Tripadvisor activities for Costa Rica, I am glad I did. The whole experience from being picked up from the hostel to being dropped off was great. It was my first time doing a horseback riding and I felt very comfortable. The horses are well-trained and beginner friendly, they know what they are doing. And the guides are amazing. Kendall and the whole team were very helpful and made us feel very comfortable the entire tour. They take pictures and vidoes for you so that you don't have to worry about dropping your phone (btw be careful with the phones). They also stop to show us wildlives along the way. Definitely the best way to explore Arenal. 1000% recommend it, you'll not regret it.
Nicola_P, Apr 2023
Such an incredible experience, highly recommend! Horses were well looked after and our guide Issac was fantastic, felt very safe on relaxed horses and the views were amazing! We even saw a couple of sloths!
Pravir_C, Dec 2022
Amazing experience! Our guide was awesome, had a great eye for wildlife, and gave a lot of insight to the personalities of each horse which made the adventure even more fun. We still miss Butterfly and Pinti!
MOE_M, Sep 2025
It was a great satisfaction.
We rode for an hour and a half in the wilderness.
Instructor Adrian was funny, friendly and had a great time.
I definitely recommend it because you can experience horseback riding that you cannot experience in Japan!
There is a great chance of rain along the way, so you need to change your clothes, including your shoes.
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Vronique_F, Mar 2024
Wir haben die private Reittour mit unserem Guide Donald und den super Pferden des Reitstalls Hotel Dos Lagos sehr genossen. Wir sind keine geübten Reiter, haben uns aber sehr sicher gefühlt. Die Pferde sind extrem trittsicher und geduldig. Donald hat eine Menge toller Fotos und Videos von uns gemacht - eine schöne Erinnerung. Beim Aufstieg zum Aussichtspunkt auf den Arenal haben wir einen Ameisenbären und viele Pekaris gesehen. Danach durften wir noch die Thermalpools des Hotels Dos Lagos benutzen - gut für die Entspannung des Muskeln nach dem Reiten.
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