Day trippin’…Riding in Costa Rica

This vacation is unusual in more than just being in a new country. It’s also the one of the very few times we’ve done a tour of any kind, other than our own. Yesterday, we did two.

Since we love to ride, the horseback riding tour grabbed our attention immediately. The man at the desk, when told we were good riders, recommended a new tour, Cowboy Tours, run by a friend. He asked, “You like to gallop?” When we said yes, he booked the tour.

On our way back from a hurried breakfast (the outdoor restaurant opens at 6:30, service is pleasant but slow and our pickup time was 7 am), we heard and saw a group of howler monkeys in the trees over the drive. They’re very loud and sound a bit like dogs.

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Our young guide, who turned out to be the owner, too, loaded us on a taxi which turned out to be operated by his father, and we were off for a half hour ride to reach the mountains. It was just the two of us, which was great. Hairo is 21 and always wanted a horse. Now he has 12 and his own little tour business. He learned English from being around people who spoke it and besides speaking it well, he’s very knowledgeable about his country. He was constantly pointing out birds, various plants, colorful butterflies or showing us a wonderful view. Once he saw we could ride, we did quite a bit of trotting and galloping through lush forests open areas, through rivers and to a waterfall where we hiked up for a break. At the end of the ride, we were served a delicious lunch of a cold chicken, rice and veggie dish, salad and sautéed plantains.  While we were eating, we heard the cries of toucans and Hairo and his father led us into the forest where we spotted the elusive birds.  They mate for life and if one dies, don’t mate again.

The ride was a wonderful way to start our week in Costa Rica.  Highly recommended!  You can find Cowboy Tours on Facebook by searching for “cowboyscostarica.”