EXPERIENCE THE REAL CUBA: SHOULD I GO HORSEBACK RIDING IN TRINIDAD CUBA?

HORSEBACK RIDING IN TRINIDAD

By Kristin Kallweit, Spanish student, Trinidad, January 2014

Beautiful Trinidad.... when I planned my trip to Cuba to learn Spanish, I knew I wanted to go horseback riding. At home I often don’t have as much time as I would like to, so every time I go on holidays I try to use the opportunity. I have been riding in Australia, New Zealand, Spain and Argentina. I think it´s a wonderful way to explore nature, spend some time outside and visit areas that you can’t often visit with a bus or a car.

I did some research online and found some interesting looking websites but ultimately decided to just book something when I got to Trinidad. Therefore I just asked “my family“ if they knew someone they could recommend.

Gustavo told me he knew a guy who is a trained Veterinarian; something that immediately appealed to me. I had the experience when travelling through Central and South America a few years ago that some people and companies that offer tours are not very well trained, often the horses looked pretty malnourished and had infected hooves. And the good treatment of animals is something that is very important to me. So a trained Vet as a guide is a definite plus.

I ended up doing 4 tours with Maikel and his colleagues… I got the chance to meet some great people from different countries on the tours and experience the beautiful countryside in and around Trinidad that I would have missed out on otherwise. For example the “Valle de los Ingenios”, rivers and beaches and swimming in natural pools. The horses are well trained and quiet and seem to be used to tourists with different levels of experience. You can trot more slowly if you want to relax and take photos but for the more experienced it’s possible to gallop, too.

The tours vary in length but there is always an opportunity for a lunch break. Usually in restaurants on "farms" where you just sit outside. I have eaten in 3 different places during the tours and they all had vegetarian dishes available, like salads, vegetable soups, pasta, eggs and rice.

Maikel is able to speak English as well, because he spent a few months in Australia. It was easy to talk to him and tell him what I was interested in and plan different routes and tours.

It was a wonderful experience and looking at the photos now makes me want to book my next trip!

Thanks to Kristin for sharing her expereinces in Cuba.

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