Palomino Horseback Riding: Beach Sunrise Ride

From $120 USD per person

Palomino sits between two things that do not usually meet: the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta rising directly behind the town to over 5,700 metres, and the Caribbean in front of it. Most visitors take that in from a beach chair. On horseback you move along the seam between them at a pace that lets you notice the forest pressing against the sand and the birds working that edge.

Three hours in total, two of them riding. Booked in the morning it is a sunrise ride, which is when the light on that coast is worth getting up for.

Check live availability and prices — or read on for how the ride works.

How the ride works

• Motorbike pickup and the briefing (about 15 minutes). Your guide collects you from your hotel and takes you to the starting point. You choose your horse and get the instructions: how to hold the reins, how to signal, how to sit.
• Two hours along the coast. Your guide leads the ride through the most scenic stretches, where vegetation meets the curve of the beach. You ride at your own pace with time to stop.
• Motorbike back (about 15 minutes). Enough of the day left afterwards to swim, walk the town, or do nothing.

What’s included

• Tour guide
• Hotel pickup and drop-off in Palomino by motorbike
• Horse rental
• A horse handler with the group throughout
• All-risk insurance

Not included

• Breakfast and lunch
• Extra purchases

Good to know

• The starting point is not reachable by standard vehicle, so pickup and drop-off are by motorbike and each person rides with their own driver. If that does not suit you, this tour will not work.
• No riding experience required. You get a full briefing before you mount, the pace is relaxed, and the handler stays with the group the whole way.
• Morning departures are the sunrise ride. Choose your slot in the calendar below.
• This is a rural area and local guides may not be fully bilingual. Worth knowing if English-only communication matters to your group.
• Long trousers and closed shoes make two hours in a saddle considerably better. Sunscreen and a hat regardless of the hour.

Frequently asked questions

I have never ridden a horse.

That is expected. The briefing covers what you need, the pace is slow, and a handler accompanies the ride. It is a beach ride, not a trek.

Sunrise or later?

Sunrise for the light and the cool. Later if getting up in the dark is not happening. The route is the same.

How long am I actually on the horse?

Two hours of the three. The rest is the motorbike each way and the briefing.

Can children ride?

Tell us their ages when you book. The horses and handler are one question; the motorbike to the starting point is another, and it applies to every tour in Palomino.

What should I wear?

Long trousers, closed shoes, sunscreen, a hat. You will be on a bike before and after, so nothing loose.

How do we get to Palomino in the first place?

We drive that leg. Our Santa Marta to Palomino transfer is the common one, plus Cartagena, Barranquilla, and Palomino back to the airport at the end.

Ready? Check your date and lock it in