Horseback riding in the northern-highland area near Arenal
Near the area of Arenal in Costa Rica the horseback riding tours are really interesting, due to the natural beauty of the area and the imposing presence of the Arenal volcano, one of the main attractions of the country. For this reason, there are several types of tours that you can take and in most cases are a good combination of hiking and horseback riding with a beautiful landscape. The horses are trained and they will take you to the entrance of the waterfall through grass areas, forests and high hills. The views of the San Carlos Valley of Costa Rica and the tropical forest that surround it are spectacular. At the end of the road, you will stop and descend from the horses to walk along a nature trail to the base of the waterfall.
This fantastic area in Costa Rica is very quiet and a special place to relax and swim for a while. Generally, the tours leave La Fortuna in the early morning until the Arenal dam. After that you will take a motorboat for 20 minutes that will take you to El Castillo on the other side of Lake Arenal, the horses in this town will be ready for you. Then you will ride for three and a half hours to cross rivers, meadows, and forests and climb to about 3300 feet from the rain forest to reach the cloud forest. Probably this is the most spectacular trip you will find in Costa Rica, traveling on horseback by the old route that the villagers used for decades to trade. One of the tours leaves La Fortuna at 7:00 a.m. and travel to La Tigra where we changed the transportation to 4×4 car to climb 10 kilometers until The Biological Station in Pocosol which is a city in Costa Rica. In this place, you will receive a little chat about location and information on the research work being carried out in the place.
Later we started a walk on the trail of Catarata Velo de Novia of about two hours to come into contact with the dense forest. When you return to the station you will eat lunch to get energy. In the afternoon you will travel on a horse the path of Zamia, for two and a half hours, where you can contemplate the secondary volcanic activity. After going out of the path you will take a swim in the natural lake of volcanic origin. The dinner will be at 6:00 pm. At 7:30 pm you will hike at night to identify amphibians, reptiles, and insects. The lodge is located inside the installations of the Biological Station.
Another interesting horseback riding tour in Costa Rica in this specific area is near Rio Celeste, located near the Tenorio Volcano National Park. In this place, you will begin a tour on horseback of 7 km (4 hours) across the rainforest. You will arrive at Lake River Celeste, in this place, there is two nascent crystal clear water of light blue color a really beautiful spectacle. When the tour is returning it travel along a trail where is possible to find “Pots”, these are like smoke-filled mud, produced by the volcanic activity. This place has a unique beauty which you can appreciate and care at the same time. During the journey, you can see the high-temperature gases and also you will find a beautiful waterfall with its crystal clear. The tour ends with a delicious lunch.
In another horseback riding tour in Costa Rica is Monteverde, where you will travel by horse to travel on muddy and rocky roads, through a lot of beautiful natural surroundings. In addition, you have the chance to see some of the wonderful scenery in the world when you arrive close to the “Forest of Eternal Child”, the Monteverde reserve and through the reservation of Santa Elena. This is an adventure that you will enjoy to the maximum.