the gold mine ranch horseback riding tours

I booked this ride before arriving in Aruba and I am so happy I did. If you book ahead online you get a discount.The owner picked me up where I was staying. The van was very clean and air conditioned. Once at the ranch we did our paper work and settled up payment. Then he locked up all our stuff so we could go on our ride. He gave great instructions on dos and don'ts while on the trail. Then they matched us all up with a horse according to experience. The horses are very healthy and beautiful. Once out on the trail you will see the ocean most of the ride. The trail was so nice. Just hilly and rocky enough to feel like you're in a John Wayne movie. You will stop at a cove by the water and the guides will take your picture if you have a camera. They also take a picture of each rider and have it framed and ready for you back at the ranch for purchase of $10. Worth every penny. I enjoyed this experience so much I booked to go back again while I was still in Aruba. Gold Mine Ranch was the best excursion I have ever taken. Everyone there is very professional and responsible. All the guides along the trail were attentive and made the ride the best ever. Even the first time riders with us were put at ease. The horses are very gentle and extremely well mannered.This will be on the top of my list every year I return to Aruba

Our whole trip was wonderful from the time Johnny picked us up at our hotel, he gave us a good history of the island and answered all our questions. The ranch is in a perfect location, we were able to enjoy every minute of the trip. The ride begins right at the ranch, the horses were accommodating to beginners, Goldie was perfect for me, Candee was quite helpful and a pleasant guide. The views are amazing! We really had a great time. Thank you again for helping to make our Aruba trip very special!

My daughter and I had a fun ride on 'our' horses Blanca and Elegance. Under Candee's guidance as our tour leader, both horses were very well controlled but it def wasn't a boring, plodding trek.It's a great way to see the coast on the east side of Aruba....including going into the water on horseback :) Thanks to Johnny and Candee for making our horseback ride one of the highlights of our Aruba vacation.

There were only 8 people on our morning ride. What I like about it was that we got to see the other side of the island - away from the built up side - which is like virgin land. So , it was a beautiful trip. Thanks to Johnny for taking such beautiful pictures of me on the horse in front of the beautiful beach scenery! I would recommend this place for a nice horseback ride while in Aruba!

The guides and owner are wonderful. They pick you up from hotel and take you on a wonder ride trotting and walking along the beach the entire ride. You even get a chance to stop and get your pictures taken along the way. Not an informational type tour. Its just riding and ocean. I loved my horse Blanca. She listened very well. I wanted a nice calm quiet ride because I have a young horse at home and she fit the bill perfectly. I honestly just wished the ride was longer.

This is the most laid back, friendly riding tour I have ever been on! Compared to those in America, where they won't even let you canter, this is a horse ride! The owner is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic too!They don't even usually have tours on Sunday, but they opened it up for us and ended up being completely private!The scenery is stunning, and you even get to go in the ocean! Oh, and they take picture stops, so don't worry about having snap a pic while moving.The horse are a smaller breed, but they are fast. Very fast, actually. Quite a bit of the tour is done at a fast gallop with a lot of turning on the winding trail. It is quite flat though, with not many hills.This is an absolute must-do on the island. Be hesitant bringing younger kids, however, as they may not be prepared for the speed.

Friday the 13th turned out to be our lucky day - we were the only ones signed up for the afternoon 5pm tour and Johnny asked Candy, our tour guide, to give my mom and I a private tour rather than the group tour we signed up for! We were able to get going right when we got there at about 4:15pm.Johnny narrated a quick demo by Candy on mounting/riding the horses, then helped us mount and we were off. We had a nice time chatting with Candy, practicing our spanish - although he does speak decent English apparently. We went to 3 separate beaches, he offered to take lots of pictures for us. He lives on the ranch so the horses are his babies. They were so well trained - mine, Blanca, was a little behind so all Candy did was call her name (Go Blanca!) and she trotted to catch up. I felt very in control and safe, and the horses weren't spooked by cars or the many ATVs that passed us. I was a little apprehensive at first, having not ridden in over 10 years, but by the end I was happy to go ahead and let Blanca lead the way back for us. Candy gave us water bottles, and the horses got carrots, upon our return to the farm.I would definitely recommend Gold Mine to anyone, if we hadn't of done it, we wouldn't have gotten to see the east side of the island really. I'd happily visit again if/when we return to Aruba! TIPS: -book online ahead of time to save a bit of money!-Very windy so don't wear a hat unless it has a strap under your chin.-They have a little saddle bag so you can put your phone keys etc. in there but don't bring much.

My wife and I went to the Gold Mine Ranch during our first trip to Aruba. Both of us are experienced with riding. We were promptly picked up at our resort and taken to the ranch We were provided a history of the ranch and its rescue efforts. We did take the private tour and were very pleased we did. The guide was very good and patient. He took several pictures of us using my wife's camera and the trails we followed were varied and beautiful. Another group was departing at the same time and the workers were patient and determined what the riding level of each rider was. A note on the rider weight limits - they are enforced as the horses are smaller due to their breed and the island climate. They appear very well cared for.

My husband and I had our first riding in Aruba experience with the Gold Mine Ranch, and it will be the only one we use in the future. The sights are amazing! The staff is very welcoming and very focused around our satisfaction. They truly care about their ranch, horses, and their customers! Great for couples, familes, or groups! Make time for this one!

I've been going on trail rides for 40 years and this one was the best of them all! Great owner and friendly staff, fantastic, lively, horses, beautiful scenery and terrain. We even got to cool ourselves and the horses off in the ocean! Simply wonderful and highly recommended for all ages!

I have not done a horseback ride in many years. I have to say i was nervous. But the staff is so professional and calming. They knew exactly which horse would be good for me. I got Blanca and she is a very sweet horse! I felt like a pro! I would definitely do another tour with Goldmine Ranch! See you soon! Masha danki dushis!

Great place to ride a horse. The owner is awesome, very helpful, and wants to make sure you have a good experience. The place is family owned and not too commercial. Picked us up and dropped us off at our hotel. The scenery was beautiful, couldn't ask for anything better. Highly recommend this place. You can't go wrong with a place with such great reviews! Will definitely come back

Horses, staff, management, tour, they were all the best. This was the best horseback tour we have done. The guides are very professional and the horses are well trained. These two things make for a great time seeing this beautiful rugged area. I spent most of the trip chatting with the lead guide. I will definitely do this again next time we come. Johnny - you were right, you are the best in the whole world!!!

My husband and I arrived in Aruba on February 5th on a cruise ship.By reading all of the different reviews it seemed like this would be a better choice for us, then one of the excursions from the ship and we were right.Johnny, who is also the owNer, he says up at the cruise ship and gave us a little history about the island on our way to his ranch.We selected the private tour and our guide made our ride a lot of fun. We got to see the various sites in a fun way. The horses were so well behaved and easy to manage.Johnny was great as he dropped us off at a beach on our way back. We certainly do recommend this establishment.

Best horseback tour I've been on. Guide was wonderful, horses were well taken care of. Safe and so much fun. Breathtaking views!