Horsejungle — Local services in Sámara

Our tour with Horsejungle was the highlight of our week in Costa Rica. We did a full day horse riding tour that included three beaches. Melissa was great to communicate with and set up the private tour for the two of us with just a day’s notice. She sent a pin of the location and we were able to get there with no problem using Waze. Our tour guide was Sandra and she was just awesome. She helped us feel comfortable with the horses since one of us had just a little riding experience and the other one hadn’t been riding in years. It was clear that she loves animals, cares about the horses, and loves the region that we were in. She pointed out different animals and plants along our route. We got lucky and saw several large groups of howler monkeys. Sandra did a wonderful job of balancing checking in to see if we were comfortable and allowing us to handle the horses.

The full day tour included three different beaches with a long stop at one of the beaches for a tasty lunch, a swim in the water, and a break for the horses. We took the horses into the water to cool off. We had a funny moment as one of the horses decided to lay down in the sand and roll around. The horses we were riding clearly knew the area and seemed to enjoy the beaches. They broke into canters on the beach without prompting and we loved letting them run along the water. Overall, the whole experience was an absolute blast. We highly recommend it as a great way to see the natural wonders of the region and also learn about them from a knowledgeable guide. You get to see so much more than would be possible just on foot...

Due to the unprofessional behavior we cannot recommend Horse Jungle at all. Family of 4 with no riding experience (Horse Jungle was informed accordingly): My husband was assigned a very demanding horse that was only allowed to ride in the back of the group because otherwise it would grope the other horses. The 5-year-old daughter was thrown off the horse before the tour started because my husband's horse snapped at the daughter's horse. A no-go for a child to be on a horse unsupervised - in the presence of other horses of such high character. My horse slipped on the muddy ground and I was thrown off. Under these conditions, it would certainly have been better if we had dismounted from the horses and walked the distance. My horse was not controllable, ran away in any direction, wore a muzzle so it could not bite (kept snapping at other horses). I was informed that if the horse wanted to drink in the river, it was not allowed and if it did, it might lie down in the river and I would have to jump off the horse. 2.dropping on the beach, because my horse suddenly started to run wildly bucked. Why are such horses used for tourists and why is a group put together with such strongly stubborn characters? We had to pay the full amount for these 3 hours - never again Horse Jungle. And the torn tendon of the shoulder...

I cannot recommend this experience. My daughter fell in love with horseback riding while on another tour in Costa Rica, so we wanted to have another experience at the beach. Unfortunately, my daughter was put on a very demanding horse and kept at the back of the line of 8 horses. Her horse kept stopping to eat and required constant corrections to stay in line with the group. At one point the guide pulled my husband and I across a river, but left our 8-yr-old to cross on her own. It was very scary and dangerous for her as her horse didn't seem to want to cross and just stopped in the middle. I spoke with the guide and asked if my daughter could ride closer to the front of the group, but was informed that her horse had to stay with mine. When I asked if we could both move forward, I was ignored. We do not have experience with horses, so leaving me to try and help her through it was pretty ridiculous. Also, unlike other reviews that spoke of trotting on the beach, our guide specifically told us that our horses needed to walk. Generally, it was a long, boring, expensive trip for my husband and I and my daughter was a mixture of frustrated and scared. Not an experience we...