Horseback Riding in La Fortuna (2026): Best Arenal Tours Compared

Horseback riding in La Fortuna is one of the most popular ways to see the countryside around the Arenal Volcano, and because La Fortuna sits at the foot of Arenal, you'll also see these trips searched as Arenal horseback riding or horseback riding Arenal Volcano. They're the same rides. The area's tours split into a few clear types: the classic ride to La Fortuna Waterfall, a scenic ride to the blue waters of Rio Celeste, fully private and customized rides through jungle and pasture, and small family-farm rides that add cocoa tasting and wildlife spotting.

Best Horseback Riding Tours in La Fortuna

Quick version: for a top-rated ride that bends to your pace and experience level, we'd lean toward a private customized tour; for the best value and the most-booked option, the Rio Celeste ride is hard to beat; the La Fortuna Waterfall ride is the classic if you want the postcard cascade and a swim; and a small-farm private ride suits travelers who want a quieter, more personal experience with a local family.

Private and Customized Horseback Riding Adventures

Our top pick for most riders. This private tour runs about 3.5 hours and, unlike the fixed-route options, is built around your group: you tell the guide what you want or let them suggest a trail based on your riding experience, then head out through jungle, river crossings, and open pasture with well-trained horses and all equipment. Hotel pickup within La Fortuna is included, and the route can take in the Maleku village. At 4.9 stars across 97 reviews, it's the strongest all-around ride for travelers who want flexibility rather than a set itinerary. The main tradeoff is cost: you pay more for a private guide, but it's the only ride where you set the pace, from a gentle walk to a gallop.

Rio Celeste Horseback Riding Tour

We'd give this the edge for value, and it's the most-booked ride on this list, with 4.9 stars across 221 reviews and a from-price of $57.70. The roughly 2.5-hour experience (about 2 hours on horseback) rides through farmland and primary forest to the famous sky-blue waters of Rio Celeste, with a Tarzan swing, a hanging bridge, and a swim in a natural river pool, plus a fruit snack at the end. One thing to know: the meeting point is out near Tenorio Volcano, roughly 1.5 hours from La Fortuna, so this works best if you're already heading that way or don't mind the drive.

Horseback Riding to La Fortuna Waterfall

The classic La Fortuna ride, and the one most people picture when they think of horseback riding here. Over roughly 3 to 4 hours, you ride about 45 minutes each way along a scenic trail toward the 70-meter La Fortuna Waterfall, then dismount and hike down to the base. Most people don't realize the ride is the easy part: the hike is a steep staircase of roughly 500 steps down and back up, and reaching the pool involves a rocky river wade, so this is the one route where fitness and water shoes genuinely matter. You can swim in the emerald pool before riding back. It's 4.6 stars across 60 reviews and includes hotel pickup in the Arenal area. If your priority is the postcard waterfall plus a ride, this is the one. Our La Fortuna Waterfall guide covers other ways to visit if you'd rather skip the horses.

Arenal Fields Nature Park: Private Ride & Cocoa Tasting

A quieter, more personal option: a private roughly 2-hour ride on a local farm that adds wildlife spotting, river crossings, and cocoa and produce tasting straight from the property. At 5.0 stars across a small number of reviews and about $77 per person, it suits travelers who'd rather support a small family operation than join a larger tour. It's booked directly with the farm over WhatsApp (+506 6150 3215) rather than online, so plan ahead.

Our experience (Arenal Fields): Our guide, Eddie, made the tour. He knew an incredible amount about the local wildlife and the region's farming, and he had a real gift for spotting animals tucked up in the trees that we would have ridden straight past, then telling us all about them. What stayed with us most was how peaceful it felt: a quiet, unhurried stroll on a private tour, without the crowd and the stop-start pace of a big group. If you can, we'd book the private option for that alone.

Prices for horseback riding in La Fortuna span a wide range depending on whether the ride is shared or private and what's bundled in:

• Shared group rides, from ~$58 per person: The Rio Celeste ride ($57.70) is the best-value option, a roughly 2.5-hour ride with a swim stop. The catch is location: it's the cheapest ride but meets about 1.5 hours from La Fortuna, so weigh the drive against the saving.
• Waterfall ride, from ~$85 per person: The classic 3 to 4 hour ride to La Fortuna Waterfall, including hotel pickup and the hike to the falls.
• Small-farm private ride, ~$77 per person: The Arenal Fields farm ride (35,000 CRC), a 2-hour private experience with cocoa tasting, booked directly.
• Private customized ride, from $140 per person: A fully private, tailored 3.5-hour tour with a dedicated guide and flexible route.

We think the tradeoff is straightforward: what drives the price is mostly private versus shared and total duration, not the quality of the horses or guides, which is high across the well-reviewed operators. For groups, a private ride splits better than the per-person rate suggests.

• Wear long pants and closed shoes: Shorts chafe against the saddle, and the trails are muddy. Closed shoes you don't mind getting dirty are ideal; skip sandals.
• Bring a swimsuit and water shoes: Most routes include a swim, at the waterfall pool or the Rio Celeste swimming hole. Water shoes matter most on the waterfall ride, where reaching the pool means wading across a rocky river.
• Be ready for the waterfall staircase: On the La Fortuna Waterfall ride the horses only take you partway; getting to the base is a steep descent of roughly 500 steps and back up. It's worth it, but factor in your fitness before choosing this route over a flatter ride.
• Book the morning slot in green season: Afternoon rain (May to November) is common and makes the trails slicker. A morning ride usually means better footing and clearer volcano views.
• Check where the tour actually starts: The Rio Celeste ride meets out near Tenorio, about 1.5 hours from La Fortuna, while the waterfall and private rides start much closer to town. Confirm pickup details when you book.
• Ask about weight limits and age minimums: Most ranches have a rider weight limit and a minimum age for younger children. If you're riding with kids, confirm in advance.
• Pair it with another Arenal activity: A morning ride leaves the afternoon free. Our La Fortuna zipline guide and sloth tour guide cover good add-ons.

We focused on horseback tours that depart from or are commonly booked in La Fortuna, then filtered by review rating and volume, route variety, and clarity of what's included. The four featured rides span the main experiences travelers ask about: the waterfall, Rio Celeste, a private customized ride, and a small-farm option. Ratings and review counts reflect the operators' current listings at the time of writing; we did not include tours with thin review histories or unclear inclusions. Where a ride is booked directly with a local operator rather than an online platform, we've flagged it so you know how to arrange it.