Two rides out of the stables at Palmetto Point, west of Basseterre. The beach ride takes about an hour and a half and starts from US$89. The rainforest ride takes about two and a half hours and starts from US$109. Both are walking pace with a guide on a horse beside you, and both fit easily inside a ship day.
What it costs
| Price | What is in it | |
|---|---|---|
| Beach ride, about 1.5 hours | from US$89 | The horse, the tack and a guide riding with you |
| Rainforest ride, about 2.5 hours | from US$109 | The same, on the longer route inland |
| Full rainforest ride up and back | priced on request | Riders put this one at about four hours. We quote it once the stables confirm the day |
The word from is doing real work in those two prices. This is the one excursion on this site where the operator does not publish a rate, so we get the figure in writing and send it to you before you pay anything. If it comes back above the from price, you see the number first and you decide.
Transport to the stables is not in the price either. Palmetto Point is a short drive west along the coast and the statutory maximum taxi fare from Basseterre is US$10 or EC$27 for one to four people one way, or US$3 a head for five or more. Ask us and we will put a car on the booking instead.
What is the ride actually like?
Walking pace, start to finish. Nobody is going to put a visitor on a horse and let it canter down a beach.
The beach ride goes down to the sand on the Caribbean side and along the water. You stay on the horse the whole way and there is no swimming in it, with you or with the horse.
The rainforest ride turns inland and climbs away from the coast into the trees, which is why it takes an hour longer and costs thirty dollars more. It is the better ride if you have sat on a horse before. Riders who go all the way up and back put the full version at about four hours, and that one is a quote rather than a listed price.
A guide rides with every group. You are not handed a horse and a map.
How long does it take, and will it fit a cruise day?
An hour and a half for the beach ride. Two and a half hours for the rainforest, plus the drive out to Palmetto Point and back.
Most ships in Basseterre are alongside from about 8am to 5pm or 6pm. Either ride fits that window twice over, and the beach ride is short enough to pair with a town walk or a beach afternoon on the same day. The four hour version still fits, but it uses up the morning.
What should you bring?
Long trousers. Bare legs against a saddle for an hour and a half ends badly, and jeans or leggings are what people wear here.
Closed shoes with a low heel. No sandals, no flip flops, nothing that will slide through a stirrup.
Ask for a helmet when you book. No helmet policy is published anywhere for this ride, so we put the question to the stables and tell you the answer before you pay.
Sun cover and water. There is no shade on the beach stretch and the horse is not carrying your drink.
Who should not book this one
Weight and age limits are set by the stables and we confirm both in writing when we confirm your booking.
Nothing about riding experience is published either, so tell us on the form how much riding you have done and we will put that to the stables with everything else.
Anyone with a back or hip problem. Two and a half hours in a saddle at walking pace is still two and a half hours in a saddle.
Anyone who is frightened of horses. A guide beside you does not change the fact that you are ten feet off the ground on an animal that makes its own decisions.
What happens if the weather turns, or your ship is late?
Light rain does not stop a ride. The stables make the call on anything heavier, usually on the morning itself, and if they stand the horses down you pay nothing. Anything already paid comes back in full, with no fee and no credit note.
If your ship docks late, tell us the ship name when you book and we will set the ride against the actual arrival time. These are short rides with a drive at either end, so an hour of delay moves the slot and nothing more.
If we cannot get the price confirmed in writing before your date, we will say so and cancel the booking ourselves. You will not turn up at a stable yard to be quoted a number nobody warned you about.
Book it
Tell us your date, which ride you want, how many of you, who has ridden before, where to collect you, and your ship name if you are on one. We put the party to the stables, get the price and the limits back in writing, and come to you with both within one working day. Only then do we send a payment link, and nothing is charged until all of that is settled.
Questions people ask
Why is the price a from price?
Because the stables do not publish a rate card. Every other excursion on this site has a figure we could check at a gate or on a published rate sheet. This one does not, so we quote from US$89 and US$109, confirm the real number in writing, and show it to you before any money moves.
What does a taxi to Palmetto Point cost?
US$10 or EC$27 for one to four people, one way, from Basseterre. That is the maximum fare set under the Vehicles and Road Traffic (Maximum Fares) Regulations 2021, and with five or more in the car it drops to US$3 a head. There are no meters on this island. A driver may charge less than the maximum and never more.
Is there a weight limit?
The stables set one and it is not published, which is why we ask them for your party and confirm it with you in writing. Tell us on the form if that matters for anyone riding and we will get a straight answer before you commit.
Can children ride?
There is no published minimum age, so the stables decide it. Give us ages on the form and we will come back with what they will take and at what price.
Do we swim with the horses?
No. Neither of these rides goes into the water, and nothing on this page involves swimming.
Do we tip?
Tips are appreciated and not required. Ten to fifteen percent is normal here.
Written by Khareem Cabey. Prices and fees last checked 30 October 2026.