After their horse tours in Costa Rica our guest can highly recommend trail rides with Paradise Riding in Costa Rica. Our riding program and the Criollo horses convince equestrians from all over the world.

Fallowing guest like to recommend us, contact them

Jose and Joann Reyes

Maggi Schock

Meredith Krause

Mary Kay Liotta

Andrew Shor

And other clients about us

Rexanne Felton, Houston, Juli 2012:

If you are a rider – this is heaven!

Margaret Wagner, Boston, March 2011:

Erika, I have traveled to many places in the world on horseback vacations: England, Belize, Spain, Ireland, France, Greece. I have enjoyed each adventure immensely, but the only place I have returned to for a second trip is yours. Absolutely magical! I am now enjoying my second trip here and can´t wait for my next trip back. There is something so special here that keeps calling you back.  You and your crew are doing a wonderful job. I highly recommend this trip for anyone looking for a beautiful, relaxing, wonder-filled horseback vacation!

Marcella and Jeffrey Reeves, December 2010:

After two trips to Costa Rica and both times spend with Erika and her helpers at Paradise Riding we are hooked for life! Erika is exceptional in everything related to horseback riding and hostessing tours.  She has amazing horses that are fun to ride and so well trained.  She matches your riding experience to just the right horse and finds a way to keep everyone together, novice and expert alike.  The places we rode where magical. Riding miles sometimes without seeing another human being.  Erika has also scouted out great lunch stops – by the time we break for lunch everyone is ravenous, and boy, do we eat well! As we said, we are hooked for life!

Ruthanne Bischoff, Minnesota, January 2010:

I have told all my friends how much I loved being with you and riding Fandango. Such a fabulous vacation..probably the best ever and I have traveled a lot! Thank you for making my tour so special. It was like it was created just for me.

Susan Kee, November 2007, Kanada, Toronto,

Jamie & I had a marvelous time & memories that will last us a lifetime.  It was a great opportunity for some mother/son bonding too.  It was the best vacation I ever had  I hope to do Costa Rica again.

Enjoy your paradise.

Happy Trails & give Bugs & Blanco a pat for me!

Linda Farina,  November 2007

Dear Ericka and Juan de Dios,

I cannot thank you enough for the great vacation!  I loved every minute of the ride and you are such a fabulous guide!  Everyday was more beautiful than the next.  Bermuda is a great horse and I cannot stop thinking about everything we did and am looking forward to my next family vacation being Guanacaste!

Thanks Again.

Meredith Krause, June 2008, Virginia,

I really do believe that you are the most wonderful, joyful, and delightful horsewoman that I have EVER met…and that’s saying something, given that I’ve been riding for 35 years!!!!

Kitty Beasley, March 2007, Canada

Erika, I just wanted to say thank you so much for an absolutely amazing time! You put on a superbly organized ride and stay, and you make it extra interesting with the side trips to the ranch and the farm! We LOVED it and had a wonderful time!

And thank you so much for my beautiful wooden horse head you sent for my birthday… that was so sweet of you and I love it….its on prominent display in my living room!!

Katrin was so sweet and an excellent guide and we were so impressed with your fabulous horses, loved Fandango and Humboldt and hated to leave. Just wanted to say thank you again and we soooooo hope to come back some time! xoxoxoxoxo

Matt Bates,  June 2006, Derwood, Maryland

Pam and I returned from our Costa Rican riding vacation last night, just before midnight and I am writing while the memories are fresh in my mind.

It still seems impossible, but there are miles upon miles of wide-open beach, without a soul in sight in Guanacaste — the northwest province where we rode for four days. These are beaches of surpassing beauty: white, black and golden sands, with dramatic formations of volcanic rock and grassy bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

We rode four and five hours a day, seeing no more than a half dozen people swimming or surfing. We were free to canter or break into a gallop without bothering anyone.

Our host, Erika Rapthel-Kieser, did a great job selecting horses that matched our abilities yet allowed us to ride to the full extent of our abilities. This was important because Pam and I are intermediate riders and we left Costa Rica feeling we had enjoyed ourselves and improved our riding skills, as well.

Erika´s horses are so well trained and cared for and this is important, too, because surprising things happen when you ride through a village or follow a densely forested trail. A soccer ball suddenly rolls in front of your horse; a lizard darts across the path or a family of monkeys erupts into howls in the trees overhead. We rode young, strong, spirited horses, but never once did they spook or bolt.

Our accommodations were attractive, clean and comfortable and the quality of the food was consistently good to excellent. (I am living proof you can ride four hours a day in the tropical sun and still gain weight.) There is an abundance of dairy products, fresh fish, seafood, fruits and vegetables and tasty grass-fed beef and other meats.

Although Costa Rica is a poor, developing country, the government disbanded its military half a century ago, opting, instead, to invest in education, health care and eco-tourism. As a result, 27% of the land is protected by national law, the tap water is drinkable (at least in all the regions we travelled) and kitchens and restrooms are generally clean and well maintained, even in the humble local cantinas. Perhaps most important, the people are outgoing and friendly and we felt welcome and safe throughout our visit.

For her part, Erika seems to know everyone in the province, where she is widely respected for her expert equestrian skills no mean feat in a country where riding (let alone running a business) is still considered a guy thing.

This was a well-organized riding vacation, run by delightful people in a stunningly beautiful land. Pam and I cant wait to return.