Horseback Riding in Aruba: North-East Coast, Sand Dunes and Lighthouse
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- Choose from 7 different horseback riding trails with different length and difficulty
- Enjoy a complimentary pick up at your hotel or cruise ship terminal
- Listen to a safety briefing then meet your horse and prepare for the horseback riding tour
- Follow your multilingual guide through our 'Cunucu' or Arubian countryside
- Ride along the coastline and enjoy spectacular panoramic views of the north coast
- Stop at Aruba's most famous landmark, the California Lighthouse, a symbol of hope
- Refresh yourself upon returning to our ranch then take our shuttle back to your hotel or cruise ship
Discover the beautiful and unusual countryside of Aruba in guided horseback riding tours. Enjoy small group or private horseback riding excursions seven days a week with multiple departures daily. Horseback riding is one of the most beautiful and serene things to do in Aruba you can enjoy with your friends and family.
Your North-East Coast, Sand Dunes and Lighthouse horseback riding tour in Aruba starts with a pick up at your hotel or cruise ship terminal by an air-conditioned van 30-45 minutes before the tour.
After arriving to our ranch close to Palm Beach, you will listen to a quick briefing from your guide and meet your horse. You will find Paso Fino, Trocha, Trotton, and the South-American Quarter horses on our ranch. We provide both Western and English tack. Your guide will help you prepare and getting on your horse, then the horseback riding excursion takes off.
This tour shows you a little bit of everything. The tour will lead through the outback not having to cross streets or traffic. You will reach the north-east coast through the ‘Cunucu’, passing by the Tierra del Sol Golf course. Take photos of the beautiful view and gallop over dunes of fine white sand if you are an experienced rider. Have a nice stop on top of the Coral Plateau with beautiful views of the north-coast. This 3-hour trail ride is for advanced riders and galloping is allowed.
After returning to our ranch, enjoy some fresh water, say farewell to your horse then take our shuttle back to your hotel or cruise ship terminal.
We offer horse riding excursions for beginners, intermediate and advanced riders with a minimum age of 6 years. Our excursions are available for both hotel guests and cruise ship passengers as a shore excursion. Choose from horseback riding on the beach, explore secret lagoons, caves and the beautiful sand dunes with cactus forest
Countryside and Hidden Lagoon
From the ranch we will take you on horseback through our 'Cunucu' or Arubian countryside. The tour will lead through the outback not having to cross streets or traffic. You will follow your guide to the hidden lagoon where many donkeys, iguanas, parakeets, goats and rabbits live. Choose a 5:00 pm departure for a sunset horseback riding tour in Aruba.
For all skill levels. No galloping allowed. 1 hour long. From $70
Beach and Sea Horseback Riding Tour
Our guides will take you from the ranch through the countryside and a residential area. We will have to cross two roads with traffic to reach the beautiful coastline of Malmok Beach where you can walk through the water with your horse if weather and tide permits.
For advanced riders. No galloping allowed. 2 hours long. Only on Monday and Friday. From $105
North-East Coast and Sand Dunes Horseback Riding Tours
This great tour shows you a little bit of everything. You will reach the north-east coast through the ‘Cunucu’ without the need of crossing busy streets. We will pass by the wish garden and have the option to take beautiful panoramic photos. Experienced riders can gallop over dunes of fine white sand. We will take a rest on the beach if time permits. Choose a 4:00 pm departure for a sunset horseback excursion in Aruba.
For intermediate and advanced riders. Galloping is allowed. 2 hours long. From $85
Urirama Cove, Secluded Beach and North-East Coast Horseback Riding Tour
Get a taste of country and beach horseback riding in Aruba. Our guides will take you through the typical Aruban countryside to the north-east coast and Urirama beach. This tour is solely through the countryside without any traffic. This trip is fun for all ages.
For all skill levels. No galloping allowed. 1.5 hour long. From $80
Countryside and Alto Vista Chapel Horseback Riding Tour
This scenic trail will take you through our 'Cunucu' or Arubian countryside. The tour will lead through the outback not having to cross streets or traffic. You will follow your guide to the hidden lagoon where many donkeys, iguanas, parakeets, goats and rabbits live. We will then stop at the historic Alto Vista chapel where you enjoy beautiful views. Choose a 4:00 pm departure for a sunset horseback ride in Aruba.
For all skill levels. Galloping allowed. 2 hours long. From $85
Beach and Countryside Horseback Riding Tour
This ride gives you the chance to enjoy both the Arubian countryside and Malmok Beach. You can choose if you would like to spend more time riding your horse on the beach or prefer more time in the countryside and see the coastline on the other side of the island, which is completely different.
For advanced riders. Galloping allowed. 3 hours long. From $135
- 3-hour horseback riding tour
- Hotel transfer
- Guide
- Helmet
- Water
- Comfortable clothing
- Minimum age: 6 years
- Maximum weight: 221 lbs / 100 kg
- Children under 6 years may ride with their parent (free)
- Children under 15 years most wear helmet (provided)
- This tour is for advanced riders
- Galloping is allowed for experienced riders
- Full refund if cancelled at least 24 hours before the commencement of the activity, no refund after.
- Full refund if cruise ship does not dock in time or does not dock at all and tour is missed.
- Full refund if supplier cancels the tour.
- If there is no specific check-in time then booking must be cancelled at least 24 hours before tour day.
- No refund if you don’t show up for the activity or if it starts with a pick up and you miss it.
- Supplier gets to decide if the weather is good enough to run the tour.
- In case of a dispute, Twistour has the final word in deciding the amount of refund.
- Click on the Book now button and choose the date and amount of tickets
- Proceed and fill in your billing details
- Pay with Visa, MasterCard, American Express or PayPal
- You will receive your voucher via email or you can download it from this site in your Tickets submenu
- On the day of the activity, follow the instructions in your voucher to the check-in location
- Go to the reserve your spot section on this page and choose the date and amount of tickets
- Click on the Book now button and fill in your billing details
- Pay with Visa, MasterCard, American Express or PayPal
- You will receive your voucher via email or you can download it from this site in your Tickets submenu
- On the day of the activity, follow the instructions in your voucher to the check-in location
Cruise ship passengers will be picked up at the Citgo gas station outside of the terminal, by the ice machine.
If you want to come on your own, our ranch is located in Boroncana 8D, Noord.
If you stay in a remote area where we do not offer transfer, you will need to come to the ranch 30 minutes before the tour.
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Click here to see other activities
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It is evident that all the horses are well cared for and loved.
And, you actually get 2 guides for the price of one, because Lucky the dog was leading us the whole way!
We went up to the top of a mountain where we saw a breathtaking view of Aruba and the ocean. One of the things I loved was not just going at a slow pace the whole way. We were able to trot, cantor and even gallop a bit! Nestor treated us to watching him ride standing up and then......
He serenaded us with his beautiful rich voice. I can tell you for a fact, because my sister and I have been professional singers for many years, that this man can sing! Gave me goosies!
I cannot recommend Rancho Notorious enough. And I highly suggest you request Nestor. If we are ever in Aruba again we will ride with him.
Our shuttle driver was very friendly, and had lots of information about the island culture and nature! When we arrived at the ranch the horses were already saddled. The horses all looked healthy and happy. (Though they are slimmer in body structure than many horses in America, they were NOT skinny or malnourished.) We were offered riding helmets before we mounted, but as experienced riders we declined.
We purchased the 3 hour experienced rider tour, which included galloping and a ride all the way to the lighthouse on the northern coast of the island. We rode through the cactus jungle, up some hills to get a great view, on the beach and through the dunes.
Our tour guide was Daniel, and he was awesome! He also had great information about the island! He made sure we were comfortable throughout the entire ride, and when it came time to gallop he always asked if we were ready. He was excellent with the horses, making sure to keep in front of us during galloping and making sure the horses had plenty of walking between gallops to cool down! At the lighthouse we were able to stop and walk to it to take a look around, as there was a tying post for the horses. After realizing we were good riders, he even galloped us through the winding cactus forest! What a rush!
I was given the pleasure of getting to ride Pocahontas. She was a great horse. Ask for her if you want a tame horse. She knew exactly what to do without much direction. The guide Stephen gave us a quick lesson on how to handle the horses, but I already had some knowledge from other riding experiences. Remember, horses have personalities and tempers just like us.
I have never seen anything like this in my 45 years on Earth. I have always wanted to gallop on a horse on both white sand and desert. This allowed me to do both at once. I'm glad we called the office when we did. It was just the four of us plus our two guides (who were awesome by the way!) Stephen and Joe. The smaller group allowed us to get personal attention and converse on a more personal level with the guides.
We began riding through the outback where the cacti and divi divi trees were plentiful. The rocky terrain of the desert and greenery made you question if you were in a desert at all. We headed for the north coastline, and once we reached the skyline where the beach and desert united I couldn't believe my eyes. I have never seen such a more beautiful contrast. The picturesque view of the white spray of waves violently crashing against the rocky coastline with the desert in front of you (or on either side) is indescribable. You will see Cunucu houses along the way. Cunucu there means country or farmhouse. They are so quaint and colorful. You will also come up upon Rock Wish Garden where legend has it, if you stack up rocks and make a wish and they are still standing the next day, your wish will come true. This is mostly done by the tourists and not the islanders. It's still an awesome site to see. We never made it as far as the California lighthouse but you will be able to see it in the distance from horseback. Different tours are offered at different times. The best thing to do is just call the office and speak to them directly. Had we not done that, we would have missed this great opportunity.
We were able to both trot and gallop our horses several times with the lead of our guide Joe. Stephen remained in the back of the group with his ornery horse. The guides are great about keeping the group together and helping anyone who needs it. We stopped on the beach to let the horses rest and were each given water by the guides. After a short rest we headed back the same way we came. The whole riding trip itself was a little over two and a half hours not including the in between stuff. I was able to take some great shots while riding the horse, but if you aren't experienced or are afraid of your horse, I wouldn't recommend doing that.
When we arrived back at the ranch we were able to relax at the bar again and enjoy another cold beverage. I again chose the Balashi Chill. They then returned us to our hotel. I'm so glad we decided to do this. It was an experience I will always remember and treasure. Cross another one off the Bucket List! If you go in the very near future make sure to ask for either Stephen or Joe. I can't say enough how great they were.
ps... wear jeans, not work out pants.. if you are an advanced rider for this tour, then you will know that.. and i wish i had boots, but i was on vaca and didn't bring them.. i had my running sneakers.. it worked out.. and you will want gloves..