Last week three friends and I went horseback riding with Outback Trails, and what an amazing experience it was.
They offer several different types of rides for all experience levels. My friends and I are fairly experienced and we chose the Jungle Adventure ride. They offer two rides per day and we chose the earlier one during the cooler part of the day.
It’s about a 40 minute drive from Placencia and so we started off early. We packed a picnic, water, swim suits and towels and bug spray. The stables and common area was very inviting with lots of shade, washrooms and a picnic table. We were greeted by a flock of Guinea Fowl who were very busy looking for insects to eat.

And in a nearby tree – a Toucan! Something I haven’t seen yet since we arrived in Belize. He spent some time posing very nicely for us, moving his head slowly from one side to the next in order for us to get his “good side.”

We were given helmets and fanny packs to put our stuff in (water, glasses, phones, snacks etc.) and then shown to our horses who were very friendly and well behaved.

A quick group photo

before we mounted and were on our way with our lovely guide, Ken. He was very friendly and knowledgeable about, well, everything. Any question we asked about the horses, or the vegetation, he had the answer for.


We headed out through an open field towards the rain forest

past paddocks of other horses and this cute little foal.

and then the entrance to the jungle trail

where we encountered many different types of trees

vines, flowers, tiger fern etc.


About halfway down the trail, we came across this huge Ceiba tree, the national tree of Guatemala, Ken said. He added that The ceiba was the most sacred tree for the ancient Maya, and according to Maya mythology,ย it was the symbol of the universe. The tree signified a route of communication between the three levels of earth. Interesting, huh?

He very kindly took some photos of us

before moving on to our next stop – the Sittee River

where we stopped to give our horses a drink.

It was here that we dismounted to give our, er, behinds a rest from the saddles and to stretch our legs. We were hot and sweaty by that time and two of us changed into our swim suits and cooled off. The water was crystal clear and wonderfully cool

Refreshed and rested, we mounted our horses once again and headed back to the stables. When we reached the open field again, we were given the opportunity to canter back to the stables.

It was about lunch time by then and we all unpacked the picnic items we’d brought and had a little feast.


All in all, a really great morning with of fun and laughter. We all agree to come back next month and try out another trail.
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