Aruba: Advanced Horseback Riding Tour & Coastal Gallop

4.74

(129 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

We were already saddled up before I realized how far we’d left the roads behind—just hoofbeats and our guide’s easy chatter in the air. The Aruban countryside (the “cunucu,” as they call it) felt raw and open, all prickly bushes and flashes of green where parakeets darted. My horse twitched his ears at every iguana sunning itself. Li, our guide, kept an eye on us—he could tell who’d ridden before and who was just bluffing. He told me to try a little trot first, then grinned when I stayed on through a patch of soft sand.

The north coast hit me harder than I expected—windy and loud, waves smashing against black rocks while we picked our way along the edge. There was this moment where Li just pointed ahead and said, “If you’re ready, go.” So I did. Galloping over those pale dunes felt like flying but with grit in your teeth (and probably in my shoes). Not sure my posture was perfect but nobody cared; it was just us, salt air, sun burning through thin clouds. We stopped for photos but honestly I was too busy trying to catch my breath—and maybe trying not to look too pleased with myself.

Back at the ranch it smelled like coffee and grilled bread—someone handed me a cold drink while horses snorted behind us. My legs wobbled getting down (I’ll admit it), but there was this quiet pride sitting there in dusty boots with sand still stuck to my hands. If you’re looking for an advanced horseback riding tour in Aruba that actually lets you ride—not just follow nose-to-tail—you’ll get it here. Still think about that wild stretch of coast sometimes.