Opportunities abound to go horseback riding almost everywhere in Costa Rica, and climbing onto the horse’s back, can be a wonderful way to spice up your vacation.

The choice of horseback excursions ranges from morning trail rides taking you into the mountains above San Jose, which brings you back to your hotel in after lunch, up to all-day expeditions through the rain forest, from which you could leave walking like John Wayne.

Though you might not associate it with a tropical country, Costa Rica has quite a cowboy culture Guanacaste, one of the country’s first zones to be conquered by Spaniards, is the province with more tradition in this regard, where many cattle ranches cover the forest-draped hills.

Nevertheless, mountain resorts and nature lodges located all over the country offer horseback riding trips, going through pastures, tropical forests, or down the beaches, and often stopping at waterfalls and lakes. Horseback riding tours are also an excellent choice for bird watching and getting close to nature, and the people leading the tours often have eyes peeled for interesting critters.