If you type "horseback riding Puerto Vallarta" into Google you get pages of listings, but very little about what the day actually feels like: how far you ride, how the horses behave, what happens at the waterfall, what you should wear and how the pick-up works. This guide answers all of that from the perspective of the people who saddle the horses every morning at Rancho Capomo, a family ranch in the village of Las Palmas, in the Sierra Madre foothills just 25 minutes from Puerto Vallarta.

Whether you are staying in the Zona Romántica, Marina Vallarta or Nuevo Vallarta, or stepping off a cruise ship for the day, this is what you need to know before you book a horseback riding tour in Puerto Vallarta.

Why horseback riding is the best way to see the Sierra Madre

Puerto Vallarta sits in a narrow strip between the Pacific and a wall of green mountains. Most visitors only ever see the beach side. The mountains, the Sierra Madre Occidental, are where the rivers start, where the jungle is thickest and where small villages like Las Palmas have raised horses and cattle for generations.

You cannot drive into most of that terrain. Trails follow riverbeds, cross shallow fords and climb slopes that no vehicle can handle. A horse does it without effort, which is exactly why ranch families here have always ridden. On horseback you move at the speed the landscape was meant to be seen: slow enough to hear the birds and the water, fast enough to reach a waterfall that would take hours on foot.

There is also a cultural side. Riding is part of daily life in the Jalisco countryside. When you ride out of Las Palmas with our guides you are joining a routine that predates tourism, not a show built for it.

What the Rancho Capomo horseback riding tour looks like, step by step

1. Pick-up in Puerto Vallarta or Nuevo Vallarta

Transportation is included. Our shuttle collects guests at three pick-up points: the OXXO on Púlpito street in the Zona Romántica at 8:15 am, Starbucks Marina Vallarta at 8:40 am, and Starbucks Las Juntas (on the road to Nuevo Vallarta) at 8:50 am. Please be there 15 minutes early. The drive to the ranch takes about 45 minutes, winding out of the city and into the farmland and hills of the Sierra Madre.

2. Meeting your horse

At the ranch the guides size everyone up, quite literally, and match each rider to a horse by height, weight and confidence. Nervous first-timers get the calmest animals; kids get smaller, steady horses; experienced riders get a bit more horse. You receive a short safety briefing: how to hold the reins, how to stop, how to sit on the downhill sections, and what the guides will call out on the trail. Helmets are available.

3. The ride: river, jungle and mountain

The route leaves the village and follows the river into the tropical rainforest. You cross the water several times, sometimes ankle-deep for the horse, sometimes up to its belly in the rainy season. The trail then climbs into the hills with views back over the valley. Guides ride at the front and the back of the group, so nobody is ever alone, and the pace is a walk with occasional trotting on the flat stretches for those who want it.

4. Trekking to the waterfall

Horses can only go so far. At a certain point everyone dismounts and continues on foot along a jungle trail, over hanging bridges and up stone steps to the waterfall. This section is short but real hiking, which is why we ask you to wear running shoes rather than sandals.

5. Swimming in the waterfall pools

You will have time to swim in the natural pools below the cascade, cool off and take photos. The water is fresh mountain water, cold enough to feel wonderful after the ride. Bring a swimsuit and a towel in a small backpack.

6. Back to the ranch, cooking class and lunch

Back at Rancho Capomo you learn to make Mexican salsa and hand-made tortillas, then sit down to a full lunch: fajitas or chicken, guacamole, beans, rice and the tortillas you just pressed, with an open bar of national drinks. Then the shuttle takes you back to your pick-up point.

Prices for horseback riding in Puerto Vallarta

Prices at Rancho Capomo are in US dollars and include all taxes:

  • Horseback riding tour: $103 USD adults, $78 USD kids. Includes transportation, guided ride, waterfall trek and swim, cooking class, lunch and open bar.
  • Horseback riding + zip-line: $150 USD.
  • Horseback riding + ATV: $150 USD.
  • Ultimate combo (horseback + zip-line + ATV): $150 USD.
  • Non-riding companions: $40 USD (transport, lunch and open bar).

Compared with tours sold through hotel desks, where a commission is added on top, booking directly on this site is the best price available for the same day. Payment is online through FareHarbor, with real-time availability on each tour page.

What to wear on a horseback riding tour

This is the question we get most often, so here is the honest list:

  • Long pants if you have them. Shorts work, but light pants or leggings protect your legs from the saddle and from branches on the trail.
  • Closed shoes with a bit of grip. Running shoes or trail shoes are ideal. No flip-flops, no Crocs: you will be walking on rocks and wet steps to reach the waterfall.
  • Swimsuit under your clothes so you can jump into the pools without a changing room.
  • A small backpack with a towel, dry clothes and your phone in a zip bag.
  • Sunscreen and bug spray. The jungle is shady but the river sections are open, and mosquitoes love visitors in the rainy season.
  • A hat if you are not wearing a helmet; sunglasses with a strap.

Leave the valuables at the hotel. The ranch has a place to leave your bag while you ride, but there is no reason to bring jewelry or a laptop on a horse.

Safety: what a well-run horseback tour looks like

You are trusting an animal and a guide with your body, so it is fair to ask questions. At Rancho Capomo:

  • The horses live on the ranch, are worked regularly and know the trail. They are not rented from a third party for the day.
  • Guides ride with the group, front and back, and carry a phone with signal in most of the route.
  • Riders get a briefing and helmets are available on request.
  • The weight limit is 250 lbs / 120 kg, for the horse's sake. Expecting mothers and guests with heart, back, neck, balance or dizziness conditions are asked not to ride.
  • Companions who prefer not to ride can still come along, enjoy the ranch, the pool area and lunch for $40 USD.

We also care about the horses themselves. If you are curious about how we feed, shoe and rest them, read our post on horse care.

Best time of year to go horseback riding near Puerto Vallarta

You can ride year-round. What changes is the water and the greenery:

  • December to April (dry season): sunny, mild mornings, low humidity. The jungle is a little less green and the waterfall is gentler, but the pools are still swimmable and the trails are dry and easy.
  • May and June: hottest and driest months. Start early, bring water and expect the smallest waterfall of the year.
  • July to October (rainy season): the mountains explode with green, the rivers run high and the waterfall is at its most powerful. Rain usually falls in the afternoon or at night, so morning tours are rarely affected. This is the most spectacular time to ride.
  • November: the best of both: full waterfall, green jungle, drier days.

We wrote a full month-by-month breakdown in our guide to the best time to visit Puerto Vallarta for adventure tours.

Horseback riding vs. other Puerto Vallarta tours

If you only have one day for an excursion, how does horseback riding compare?

  • Versus a boat tour: boats show you the coast; horses show you the mountains. If you have already been to the beach, ride.
  • Versus an ATV tour: ATVs are faster and louder; horses are quieter and go deeper into the jungle. Many guests do both in the horseback + ATV combo.
  • Versus zip-lining: zip-lining is an adrenaline burst of a couple of hours. Riding is a slower, longer immersion. The horseback + zip-line combo gives you both.

The ultimate combo does all three in one day for $150 USD, which is why it is our most booked tour.

Tips from our guides

  • Eat a normal breakfast before pick-up; lunch is late in the day.
  • Keep your heels down and your weight back on downhill sections. The guides will remind you.
  • Let the horse choose its footing in the river. It knows the rocks better than you do.
  • Bring a few pesos or dollars for tips if you enjoyed the guides' work. It is appreciated but never required.
  • Book in advance in high season (December to March and Easter week). Groups from cruise ships fill the morning quickly.

Meet the horses of Rancho Capomo

Our herd is made up of criollo and quarter-horse crosses, the sturdy, sure-footed type that ranchers in Jalisco have bred for a century of working cattle in these hills. They are not tall, which makes mounting easy, and they are not fast, which is exactly what you want on a rocky riverbed. Each horse has a name, a personality and a job: some are the "kid horses" that plod along no matter what happens, some are the "front horses" that like to lead, and a few are the guides' own mounts that go wherever they are pointed.

Horses are shod regularly by a farrier from the village, fed hay and grain at the ranch, and rotated so no animal works two long days in a row. On busy weeks in high season we bring in extra horses from family ranches in Las Palmas rather than overwork our own. If you have questions about the animals, ask the guides; they have raised most of them.

The waterfall: what it is really like

The waterfall on our route is a jungle cascade fed by streams that start high in the Sierra Madre. It drops into a rock pool deep enough to swim and cool enough to make you gasp, then spills into a series of smaller pools downstream where kids can paddle. The last stretch to reach it is on foot, along a trail with hanging bridges and stone steps; it is short, but you will be glad of your running shoes.

Depending on the month, the fall is a roaring white curtain (August to October) or a gentle veil over the rocks (April to June). In every season the pool is swimmable and the setting, closed in by trees and ferns, is the photo everyone takes home. Guides keep an eye on the water and set the safe swimming area for the day. We wrote more about the Sierra Madre cascades in this post on waterfalls on horseback.

Las Palmas: the village behind the ranch

Rancho Capomo is on the edge of Las Palmas de Arriba, a farming village in the municipality of Puerto Vallarta, about 25 minutes inland from the hotel zone. It is a place of mango orchards, corn fields, a plaza with a church, and families who have worked horses and cattle here for generations. The tour rides out through the village before it reaches the river, so you get a glimpse of ordinary rural life in Jalisco: kids on bikes, a shopkeeper waving, a rooster in the road. It is a different Mexico from the one on the malecón, and most guests say it is the part of the day they did not expect to love.

Lunch and the cooking class

Back at the ranch, before you eat, you cook. The cooking class is short and hands-on: you roast tomatoes and chiles for a salsa, mash avocado for guacamole, and press and cook tortillas on the comal. Then lunch is served under the palapa: beef or chicken fajitas, rice, beans, the guacamole and salsa you just made, and the tortillas still warm. Vegetarians are catered for; tell us when you book. The open bar includes beer, tequila, soft drinks and water. It is a real meal, not a snack, which is why we tell everyone to eat breakfast but not a large one.

Group bookings and private tours

We regularly host groups: bachelor and bachelorette parties, family reunions, school groups and corporate team days. The ranch can seat large groups for lunch and we can arrange private departures, dedicated shuttles and a mix of activities so that riders, ATV drivers and zip-liners in the same group all meet at the waterfall and eat together. For groups of ten or more use the form on our contact page or message WhatsApp and we will quote a group rate.

How Rancho Capomo compares with other horseback tours near Puerto Vallarta

There are several places to ride around the bay, from beach rides in Nuevo Vallarta to mountain rides in the south near Boca de Tomatlán. What sets Rancho Capomo apart is the combination: a genuine ranch in a real village, a river-and-jungle route that ends at a swimmable waterfall, a cooking class and full lunch included, and the option to add ATVs and zip-lines on the same property on the same day. Our Google reviews (you can read them on the home page) come mostly from people who did exactly that and mention the guides by name. We think that is the best recommendation we can offer.

How to book

Choose your date on the horseback riding tour page, pick a pick-up point and pay securely online. You will get a confirmation email with the time and address. Questions? Message us on WhatsApp at +52 322 230 7793 and a real person from the ranch will answer.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does horseback riding in Puerto Vallarta cost?

At Rancho Capomo the horseback riding tour is $103 USD per adult and $78 USD per child, taxes included. The price covers round-trip transportation from three pick-up points, the guided ride, the trek to the waterfall, lunch, open bar and the salsa and tortilla cooking class. Combo tours that add ATV and/or zip-line are $150 USD.

Do I need riding experience?

No. Most of our guests have never been on a horse. The horses are calm, trail-trained and matched to each rider by the guides, who give a short briefing before leaving the ranch and ride alongside the group the whole way.

How long is the tour?

Plan on a full morning and early afternoon. Pick-ups run between 8:15 and 8:50 am, the ride to Las Palmas takes about 45 minutes, and after riding, trekking, swimming and lunch you are usually back at your pick-up point in the mid-afternoon.

Can children ride?

Yes. Children ride their own horse if they are old enough to sit confidently in the saddle; younger kids can share a horse with a parent at the guide's discretion. Helmets are available. The kids price is $78 USD.

Is there a weight limit?

Yes, 250 lbs (120 kg) for the safety of the horses. Expecting mothers and people with back, neck, heart, balance or dizziness conditions should not ride.

Will the waterfall have water?

The waterfall flows year-round, but volume changes with the season: strongest from July to November after the summer rains, gentler in the dry months from March to June. The pools are swimmable most of the year.