rancho tipico don juan

Private tour of family farm. Randall and his father share their beautiful land with you via a well trained horse. Beautiful views and nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of life. .

Randall and his father, Juan have created a wonderful experience that is way more than horseback riding. My family, including my young children ages 2 and 5, were picked up by Randall at our villa in the morning. He started the tour explaining a few landmarks in Quepos and some history about the town and the area. The drive to the ranch gave us an opportunity to understand more about Costa Rica and it's people. We arrived at the ranch and Randall made sure we were comfortable with our horse and gave us instructions. We are very inexperienced riders. None the less, the ride was not overly difficult and they were very patient with us. We toured the property and Randall explained many trees, flowers, etc that could be found here. The terrain is absolutely beautiful. This is a slice of heaven right here! We stopped at the river near a waterfall and took the time for the kids to swim and play. After returning to the ranch, Randall drove us to a local restaurant where we were served a yummy lunch, consisting of typical Costa Rican fare. Except the children, who were served grilled chicken and french fries. Randall offered to stop at the fruit market in Quepos on our return. Also, part of the tour included fresh fruit in the morning, bottled water on the ride, fruit juices and more water, lunch at the restaurant, pictures taken by Randall and deposited into Dropbox, and transportation. This is a family run business to help sustain their property, and to help tourists see the natural beauty of Costa Rica. I highly recommend this tour for anyone, especially families. We had a terrific day!

Simply put, adding to what everyone else has said- An authentic experience with Randall, a very attentive, knowledgeable and personable guide. We had a group of 8 including girls ages 9-13. The trip takes you through some hilly terrain with extremely safe horses. The girls and zero fear or issue. If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of MA or Quepos and really see how people live and work, this is it. Only about 30min outside of MA. Simply fantastic trip. Do it.

I've visited Costa Rica 3 times over the past 20 years, as well as several visits to other Central American countries. Over the years I've seen many parts of Costa Rica become touristy and Disney-like, devoid of all their Central American charm. No so on this beautiful ranch. My wife and I visited with our 5- and 7-year-old daughters. Just as other reviews described, we had a wonderful and authentic experience. We visited the ranch, farmlands, rain forest, and a waterfall and saw various plants, farm animals, and butterflies. Randall and his father are very attentive and professional. Randall speaks excellent English and is well versed in local history, ecology, and flora and fauna. We were particularly impressed by the Randall and his father take to promote safety. For example, every horse receives a minimum of 1 year of training and acclimation before it is allowed to carry a visitor. We all agreed that our visit to Rancho Tipico Don Juan had been the best part of our trip. Bottom line: if you want to see and experience the real Costa Rica (and Central America), don't miss a visit to this ranch!

My wife and I had a great experience at the Rancho Tipico don Juan. We had the opportunity to ride horses for the first time in our lives and it happened to be through some beautiful terrain. We found Randall and his father to be very pleasant and attentive. They said they only take small groups - ours group was just me and my wife! We noted how they constantly watched us and the horses and took us into areas that they knew would be safe and fun for us. By the end of the trip both my wife and I were completely comfortable with riding horses and felt as if it was just a natural thing we should have been doing a long time ago. They also took us for a short walk into the jungle and talked to us about preservation, pointed out wildlife and the diversity of the forest.For people like us, who have lived in cities all our lives and are detached from nature, such an experience is highly memorable. We certainly intend to visit Costa Rica again with our children and the ranch is one of the activities we definitely want them to experience.Make sure you take a swimsuit. We didn't have one but we still went into the waterfall and loved it. Our clothes were dry by the time we were done.One of the really nice things they do is Randall takes pictures with a great camera for us and then shares them on dropbox at no charge. They want you to just enjoy the ride and not worry about pictures along the way.Enjoy!

We visited Rancho Tipica with my father, husband and two young children. From start to finish, Randall (our guide) provided superior service. He was kind, knowledgeable and very trust-worthy. We were met at the ranch by his family and a friend and began our tour on their farm. Randall took extra time to take pictures of our family during the tour. He spent time explaining to us Costa Rican culture and history. The tour ended with a superb Costa Rican lunch! If I could give ten stars, I would! Randall sent us the pictures later that week - such an awesome memory! I would highly recommend this tour when visiting Manuel Antonio!

Rancho Tipico Don Juan offers much more than a leisurely ride in the Costa Rican countryside. Randall and his family invite you into their beautiful part of the world and share their love of the land and country all while keeping you mesmerized with the stunning views around you. The ride was easy for the kids and the horses were very friendly. We thought that the highlight was the dip under the waterfall, but then we had the meal...delicious! The kids and adults all agreed that it was an absolutely fantastic afternoon.

Do not underestimate just how WONDERFUL horseback riding at Rancho Tipico is!Randall knew so much about the land and its history and my family really appreciated how hard he is working to create a sustainable, authentic Costa Rican farm amidst the many palm oil farms that are taking over the area. He cares about the animals and plants and we felt like we were a part of that on our tour. The horses were very well trained and we always felt safe, the waterfall was completely idyllic, the lunch was fantastic (try the sangria!), and Randall's father is pretty hilarious (in a subtle dad-jokes kind of way). Definitely recommend this tour. Thank you, Randall and family!!

Our group of 10 family members enjoyed a wonderful morning of horseback riding with Randall and his father Juan. There was plenty to see and learn. During the 3 hour ride we explored their farm, learned a good deal about the natural environment, saw a calf being born (which Juan immediately named for our group member who had been first to spot it) took a walk in the woods and swam at a cooling waterfall. A fabulous time. Snack and a full lunch were included. The pacing was perfect and both father and son were most attentive to each one of us and our questions. I would most certainly do it again.

We had a great time in Manual Antonio (10 family members), snorkeling, kayaking, hiking, zip-lining (is that a verb?), eating, swiming. In the airport on the way home we were discussing our favorite activity. Horse-backing riding at Rancho Tipico came out on top. It was a relaxed half day with a group of people who really seemed to care about the country, the culture, the animals and us, as visitors. Randall is a smart guy. He never got tired of answering our probably naïve question about the language and history of the area. We particularly liked lunch at an off-the-beaten track "Soda."

This was one of our family's highlights from our recent trip to Manuel Antonio. The ride was beautiful and interesting. Randall, his father and the other rider were great with our kids (ages 11 and 14). They proudly showed off their lovely property, let us taste some of the fruit that grows on their trees and took us to a waterfall. Randall took great pictures of us and sent them via drop box after the trip. After the ride Randall took us to a very local place with the best chicken and rice of our trip. Our hotel hadn't yet heard of this tour but I suspect they will be recommending it soon. It was a great experience.

The tour started out with a guided drive through Quepos and the palm tree farms. We saw wildlife including monkeys along the way. Randall stopped several times to allow us to take photos. The horses were very tame and seemed to know the way. Randall and Juan were excellent helping us with the horses. The terrain varied from valleys to streams to mountainsides. Randall kept us entertained with his knowledge of the area. He took over 100 photos of us throughout the trip, which he provided via drop box. The waterfall was beautiful, if a bit cold :). Snacks and drinks were provided and the fruit was very fresh and ripe. The day ended with a delicious lunch at a local restaurant, with fresh starfruit juice. Would do this again if we return to CR.

Our family ( with boys ages 11 and 13) really enjoyed our horseback tour led by Randall and his father Juan. They own this slice of heaven deep in the woods a little bit south of Quepos, beyond the palm plantations. These tours are Randall and Juan's efforts to keep their ranch rather than succumb, as many other ranchers have, to planting boring monocultures of palms or corn. So instead, lucky visitors ride through scenic terrain, crossing streams and going up and down some impressive hillsides while seeing cattle, orange and many other different fruit trees, and even some coffee bushes. The terrain is beautiful, and we saw many toucans and other birds, plus frogs and some interesting insects (but not a single mosquito even though it was quite wet while we were visiting), and there are no doubt monkeys here too. Randall met us at our hotel in Manuel Antonio, and provided a comfortable and informative ride to the ranch, offering us each a large box of icy-cold fresh fruit (slices of pineapple, watermelon, etc.), organic bananas, and bottled water along the way. (What we couldn't eat he kept for us in a cooler to take back to the hotel with us.)We were fortunate enough to be the only guests this day; I understand that they currently take up to 8 guests at a time. Our backpacks were locked in the car during our ride. We then met Juan, who speaks little English but is friendly and kind, and we were saddled up. Randall had asked about our level of riding experience, and since we had some he took us on rather challenging terrain on his gentle, well-mannered horses. Initially our 11-year-old's horse was tethered to Juan's, until we asked that he be permitted to ride on his own.At one point we got off our horses to walk through some jungle to a gigantic ceiba tree - an amazing specimen. Then, after riding some more, we arrived at a gorgeous waterfall where we could take a bracing dip. (Wear quick-dry clothes!)Throughout the ride, Randall offered informative commentary, conveying his love of this unspoiled land. We dried off in the air on the way back, and were offered towels for the ride back to town. At Manuel Antonio, as part of the tour package, Randall took us to a restaurant - the Tabulia Hotel Banjo Bar - where we had the best casados we enjoyed in our entire week in Costa Rica (and we had lots of casados meals during the week). Our fillets of mahi mahi (dorado) were perfectly prepared.At the beginning of the tour, Randall offered a $20 option of taking photos of us. The photos were uploaded to Dropbox for us to easily access within the day, and they were a great souvenir.This is not some packaged, slick tour but instead a rustic, honest experience that we highly recommend. Our kids loved it. We wish Randall and his family well! Pura vida!

My family took this wonderful tour with Randall and Don Juan during our recent visit. Randall picked us up at the hotel and drove us to the farm. He is extremely knowledgeable and provided us with a lot of information about the area on the way to the farm. We all enjoyed riding the horses over their beautiful land. The fruit picked right from the trees was delicious. We got off the horses and took a short hike into the forest to see the huge ceiba tree. Everything was so green and lush. The waterfall was very refreshing. The paths were muddy and steep in parts but the horses navigated through them very well. After the horseback riding tour was done, Randall took us for a Costa Rican traditional casado lunch which was delicious. The entire family had a wonderful time on this tour.

We signed up for this horseback riding tour through our hotel. Randall picked us up promptly and took us for a "Costa Rican massage" drive through the palms and gave us some history on the economics of the region. When we arrived at his farm we had already learned so much. We absolutely loved the tour - picking and tasting fruit straight from the source, a hike through the woods where we saw amazing frogs and tried to find a pig, to riding through the fields with cows to the waterfall to cool off (wear your bathing suit under your clothes). All of this was followed by a delicious Costa Rican typical lunch on the way back to our hotel. Randall and his father were patient, knowledgeable, and proud showing off the land that's been in their family for generations. While some of the riding was challenging, it was an amazing experience not to be missed!! The best tour of our trip by far!