• Jaguar still roam the coastal jungles of Costa Rica.Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica image by Oren Sarid from Fotolia.com
  
  Costa Rica is a small country sandwiched between Panama and Nicaragua in the heart of Central America. With a Caribbean and a Pacific coast, and hundreds of square acres of subtropical rainforest, Costa Rica is an outdoor paradise which draws many thousands of tourists and adventurers each year. One of the best ways to penetrate the dense jungle and rugged coastal environments of Costa Rica is on horseback.
  
  

Rainforest Adventure

• Equitours Rainforest Adventure on horseback is an eight-day/seven-night package which couples travelers with a trained equestrian guide and affords them an extensive riding experience through the many landscapes and ecosystems of Costa Rica. The tour can work well for couples and is easy enough to bring the family along. Tour highlights include Gallery Forest, Maravilla, Guacalillo Estuary, the Pacific coast, La Leona Ranch, Canopy tour, Machuca River Canyon and San Jose. Along the way you will view wildlife, birds and insects while learning about the habitat from your guide. Included are three to five hours of riding per day, round-trip airport transfers, nightly accommodations and all meals. The tour departs from San Jose with groups from two to 10 riders. Travel dates year round. Rates are $1,710 per person based on double occupancy as of October 2010.
  
  

Costa Rica Intrepid Adventure

• Serendipity Adventures' Costa Rica Intrepid Tour blends horseback riding, wild rafting, tree climbing and rappelling to create a true outdoor adventure vacation in the wilds of Costa Rica. Geared for the young-at-heart, this very physical tour will bring you into Costa Rica's Cloud Forest, Turrialba white water center and Arenal volcano. Highlights of the tour include a day of tree climbing, river rafting and wildlife viewing, horseback riding to remote villages, canopy tour, white water rafting, canyoning, and San Jose City. The tour includes are all accommodations in 3-star or higher hotels, breakfast and lunch daily, all adventures and all transfers in air-conditioned vehicle. The tour departs from San Jose and takes place year round. Tour rates are $2,790 per person based on double occupancy as of October 2010.
  
  

Horseback Monteverde to Arenal (Lake Route)

• Anywhere Costa Rica's Horseback Monteverde to Arenal day tour follows a traditional sightseeing route and takes you from the rainforest to the jungle to farmlands and finally the lakeside. Tour highlights include wildlife viewing in each of these unique ecosystems and a visit to the town of Castillo on horseback and by boat. The tour begins at 8 a.m. in Monteverde with an air-conditioned transfer followed by 2.5 hours of riding time, a 30-minute picnic, then a short lake cruise, ending at your hotel in La Fortuna at 2 p.m. The tour includes expert local guides, riding equipment and mount, rain poncho, picnic lunch, water, hotel transfers and baggage service. The cost is $70 per person as of October 2010.