7 Day Hacienda and Cloud Forest Adventure Horse Riding Holiday in Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Mountain Horse Riding Holiday Costa Rica
This listing has one of the 10 most popular offers available in Costa Rica
Are you looking for adventure and a holiday away from the usual tourist centers? Then you should visit Hacienda Sassenberg in Costa Rica. Costa Rica's nature and adventures will surely make your holiday an unforgettable one!
Key Information
- Rider Weight Limit: 90 kilograms / 187 pounds
- Horse Height Range: 14 to 15 hands
- Tack Type: Western
- Horse Breed: Quarter horse and quarter horse mix (Arabic, Criollos)
Meet the instructors
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Highlights
- 5 days of horse riding
- Approximate daily riding time: 3 to 5 hours
- Ride into the cloud forests and jungles, witnessing its flora and fauna
- Hike and swim in a natural undisturbed waterfall
- Group assigned according to riding skills
- Panoramic ride with incredible views of the Pacific Ocean and mountains
- 6 nights accommodation
- Daily meals
Skill level
- Intermediate
Styles
Accommodation
Facilities
- Swimming pool (outdoor)
- Barbeque facilities
- Kitchen
You will be accommodated in a comfortable guest house with a small kitchen, bathroom, shower, TV, and direct access to the pool. The hacienda is nestled in the wild and romantic landscape of Costa Rica with views of the Gulf of Nicoya and offers its visitors many activities, but also peace and relaxation in harmony with nature.
Program
Explore the cloud forests of Costa Rica and its beauty with well-trained horses. During the star rides, you will discover on horseback the diverse landscapes Costa Rica offers, from exotic jungles to vast or mountainous landscapes that remind you of Montana or Switzerland.
Daily itinerary
Day 1
You will be picked up at Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO). The drive to the hacienda takes about two hours. Arriving at the hacienda, you can expect a snack and a non-alcoholic welcome cocktail. Depending on when you arrive, enjoy the tropical garden with butterflies, hummingbirds, monkeys, and the swimming pool.
Day 2
After an exclusive breakfast rendezvous together, you will get to know your horses. After the briefing and assessment of your riding skills, you will be assigned your horse for a trail ride in the riding arena, followed by a panoramic ride with incredible views of the Pacific Ocean and the mountains. The hacienda lies at about 750 meters above sea level, the Pacific is in front of you, and the cloud forest is behind. After this ride, you take the horses to the river, where they can cool down.
Day 3
You ride to the Hacienda's waterfall. A little climbing is announced today after a beautiful ride over the hacienda, and by grazing cattle herds, you reach the mountain river Zamora. You hike or climb the river upwards after about 20 minutes until you reach the waterfall with a very nice pool. There, you can swim undisturbed and enjoy a packed lunch.
Day 4
What could be more beautiful—apart from getting up early—than a ride around 5:00 a.m. (or earlier) to experience the sunrise and the awakening of nature from the back of a horse? Exactly, such an early morning ride is on today's program. Breakfast is served today out of the saddlebag. The silence is impressive. Coyotes, coatis, possums, and deer live there undisturbed, and because they are not hunted, they are not very shy. On your way to the hacienda, you will visit different ancient but still active gold tunnels.
Day 5
After a delicious breakfast, you ride into the cloud forest, where pumas, jaguars, and ocelots live in the wild (but don't be afraid, they are very shy and show themselves only rarely). Orchids grow there at the roadside. You ride on to one of the most beautiful Fincas in the whole area. With a few gallops over lush meadows, you reach the jungle.
Trees are so lush and overgrown with completely different epiphytes that even dead trees still look alive. One automatically thinks of a fairytale forest. After you have brought the horses to pasture, you also treat yourself to a nice dinner and spend the night in bungalows right next to the jungle.
Day 6
Get up at 7:00 a.m. and take care of the horses. When this is done, a hearty typical breakfast is waiting for you. Today is all about the cloud forest. You ride to a waterfall and cross a suspension bridge. In the village, there is still an ox mill with its sugar cane ground. Lunch is served in a local restaurant. Now, the horses also get a little break, and you walk a footpath of about 40 minutes through the cloud forest. After a coffee break, it goes now again back to the hacienda. There, you are away from tourism, the people are very friendly, and you can feel the "Pura Vida" that Costa Rica is so famous for.
Day 7
Breakfast and, depending on departure time, lunch and farewell take place.
Instructors
Heiko Sassenberg
Heiko Sassenberg has been an active western rider and trainer of western horses for over 40 years. He was 8 times national champion in various western riding disciplines and also German champion. He trains all horses himself and trains them for safety and reliability. He leads the tours and also instructs the horses and gives lessons.
Location
This horse riding holiday will take place in Miramar, Costa Rica. Costa Rica should be the country where there is no military and the longest democracy in Latin America. In the mountains of Puntarenas in Montes de Oro, a beautiful Finca Hacienda Sassenberg overlooks the Pacific with its water springs, three waterfalls, and an average temperature of 28 degrees.
Distances
- Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) - 2 hours
Features
Activities
- Swimming pool (outdoor)
General
- Kitchen
Food
You will be served two meals per day with beer and wine included in the price. Vegetarian and lactose-free food can be arranged on request.
The following meals are included:
- Breakfast
- Dinner
- Drinks
The following drinks are included:
- Alcoholic beverages
The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:
- Vegetarian
- Regular (typically includes meat and fish)
- Lactose Free
Things to do (optional)
- Beach stay (one or more nights)
- Manuel Antonio National Park
- Monte Verde canopy (zip line)
- Rio Celeste (sky blue river)
- Sea turtle watching in Tortuguero
- Whale watching (humpback whales) in Bahia Ballena
- White water rafting
What's included
- 5 days of horse riding
- Briefing on the level of training of the horses
- 6 nights accommodation
- Half-board meals including beer or wine
- Transfers from and to the airport
- Provision of horses, including equipment
- Support by German and English-speaking guides
What's not included
- Airfare
- All lunches
- Personal expenses, tips, and souvenirs
- Optional excursions, whale watching, national parks, etc.
How to get there
Recommended Airports
Juan Santamaría International Airport
58 km
Transfer included
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 18% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
- The rest of the payment should be paid on arrival.
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