Enjoyed the most: The variety of trails and trail experiences. Very good guide. And, there were opportunities to do things other than ride -- see Mayan ruins, tubing, etc. Also loved eating family style and meeting other guests at the lodge (who were not all riders, but were very interesting, and diverse).

Comments: This is a wonderful facility, with wonderful people, and very good trail rides. More than fulfilled our expectations.  We were able to see things we hadn't thought we'd see, and participate in activities that were not on the "itinerary" (rounding up cattle, watching AI of cows!)  The Carrs are fantastic hosts, and we had a real sense of Belize. I wouldn't book a riding vacation to anyplace I hadn't ridden before unless I was using Hidden Trails! You folks have excellent customer service, and I have great faith in the facilities/hosts you choose to contract with.

Enjoyed the most: Friendliness, helpfulness, and knowledge of hosts and staff. The horses, especially Anna Banana. ACTUN TUNICHIL MUKNAL - THIS IS A MUST SEE!! Reef fishing Tikal Bareback riding in the river Sunset cruise - this was surprisingly enjoyable. Opportunity to meeting fellow travellers at Banana Bank.

Bothered you: San Pedro was more expensive than expected.

Comments:
Hidden Trails willingness to customize a trip is why we come back.
Horses were in excellent condition - best so far.
Saddles and tack were well used, but still good. The Australian saddle had never been used before and was so stiff it cut my legs... but at least they had one.
Accomodations at both resorts were great; comfortable, roomy, and A/C worked. Excellent for a family of 5. Meals at the lodge were generally good, but we think they could reflect more of a local flavour (actually some of the staff said this as well). Meals at the beach were not included, but the selection of restaurants was excellent; varied and intesting meals.
John and Carolyn, and the rest of the staff at the lodge were fantastic. Folks at Monkey Business were very helpful. Everyone's ability to manage last minute itinerary changes made our trip. 

Enjoyed the most: The atmosphere at Lodge - fun, friendly. The staff was wonderful (as were the owners).

Bothered you: Can't think of a concern or complaint.

Comments: I loved this trip.  I would recommend the trip and the Lodge itself very, very highly.  John and Caroline are great hosts and lovely people.  The horses are well cared for and the facility itself is really nice. Again, cannot tell you how much I enjoyed this trip. The Lodge gets an A++!!

Enjoyed the most: The Owners and Staff. They went out of their way to make sure I was taken care of. Working with a young colt in the round pen using the Horse Whisper method. The trail rides with John were fun and informative.

Bothered you: Nothing

Comments
The lodge is a family friendly facility and has something to offer to everyone. The food was good, the rooms were very pretty and kept very clean, the gardens were beautiful and of course the horses were great.

Enjoyed the most: My hosts and guides. They made me feel like family. I even went to church with them. I feel like I'vee made some life long friends.

Bothered you: Nothing.

Comments: There were no other riders on this trip with me, which turned out to be terrific. I got to pick out the things I wanted to do each day whether it was riding to a huge spring in the middle of the Belize river, going to a Mayan ruin, zip lining, or underground cave tubing. Leisa at the ranch would ask me each night what I wanted to do the following day and arrange it for me. SO much fun! Many thanks to you, Ryan. I'm really glad you convinced me to go on this particular trip. You were right. This ranch was amazing - the people, the food, the pool, the horses. I'm going to try and bring some kids from the school I work at to Banana Bank on a community service trip. There's a group of Salvadorian refugees who live nearby the ranch and need help building homes, etc.. John and I already talked about it. I've now been on 4 trips with you and I would repeat 3 out of 4 of them. Thanks so much for all you do. I appreciate it :-)

Enjoyed the most: I enjoyed the people! I loved the Mayan ruins and the caves. The trip to Guatamala was fantastic and I will return to Guatamala early next year. The food was good and experiencing another culture was wonderful. Lisa, Isaiah, Eddie, Carlos...all of the team at the lodge were so kind, happy and generous. I enjoyed their company.

Comments: I was prepared for exactly what it was like in Belize.  It was hotter than expected, but we can't control nature.  I do think that the description that you have regarding the "equestrian center and round pen" is inaccurate.  To be very honest about what is at the property is good enough, I don't feel you should embellish it.  The property is nice, the accommodations very clean, the food is great and the people are super.  This turned out to be more of an educational experience than a recreational experience, either way, it was an experience I am happy to have had!

I just got back from Belize and I wanted to tell you we had a fantastic time. The ride was amazing and the staff was the best. I hope you will recommend this lodge to other riders. I don't think we could have asked for anything more. We'll be booking our next trip with Hidden Trails again.

Enjoyed the most
The horse back riding. There were no other riders. It was only my friend and myself and our two cowboys. We had a lot of fun with them. We also enjoyed the non-riding day, we went to Guatamala to Tikal, Mayan Ruines.

Bothered you
One day riding to Belmopan was no fun because of all the stones on the road my horse was limping in the afternoon. Poor Lucas (my horse)

Comments
Thanks for taking such good care. You guys also arranged our tickets and accomodation for a few days in San Pedro. We had beautifull weather and great dives over there.

Enjoyed the most
I loved the riding, which ranged from exhilarating gallops across fields to walks through the capital city, Belmopan, on horseback and through areas of Belize that enabled us to really see the country and meet people personally. Belize is a country of warm, friendly people. Also, the guests at the ranch were interesting people and the family style dining format enabled us to meet them easily. I made many friends to take back with me.

Bothered you
We were bitten by some bugs, but it wasn't a big deal and frankly nothing really bothered me. Quite the contrary. I had a truly wonderful time.

Comments
The Trailblazer Jungle Ride is a great trip.  Ryan recommended it for me given what I was looking for and he was right.  It was just what I needed over the winter holidays.  The ranch is fantastic and its owners and staff treat you like a member of their family.  Their entire agenda is to make sure that you have fun.  The food is incredible and the ambiance at the ranch is just charming, relaxing, and rejuvenating.

I'd say my expectations were exceeded.  It was a wonderful trip on multiple dimensions and the ranch is a magical place to spend time.

Enjoyed the most
The owners and staff

Enjoyed the most

the attentive trail guide and personalized tours and wonderful horse that I got to ride, since I was the only rider on this package

Bothered you

not a whole lot of entertainment or other things to do, as there were no other riders on this tour, spent most of my time alone, although did get to have meals with other visiting guests

Enjoyed the most

The riding

Bothered you

That I could not make coffee in my rom but had to wait for the kitchen to open. I am an early riser.

Comments

Thanks so much for helping us plan such a great trip. Your staff is very approachable and friendly

Enjoyed the most

Riding everyday.

Bothered you

Didn't really have anything that bothered me.

Enjoyed the most

The horses

Bothered you

the lack of communication once we had arrived at the resort. For example , the day we were going to take the horses to a stream - we could have swam - but no one told us this so we did not take swimming attire. There was many incidents like this.....

Enjoyed the most

Seeing the Mayan caves and pyramids.

Bothered you

TICKS

Comments

I will only consider riding tours with gaited horses from now on.

Enjoyed the most:

Riding without limitations and the jungle aspect of central america

Bothered you:

The weather was unseasonable wet and cold (Jan. 3-10, 2014).

Comments:

Long time user.

You have a unique service and I have recommended Hidden Trails many times. I would like more rides for experienced riders (most of your advertised rides seem to be for novice or intermediate).

Enjoyed the most
The staff  and the riding. The fact that we could make up our daily plans according to what we wanted to do.. Having our own guide who got to know us well and could take us to places based on our skill.

Great trip...  great guide... great location....
beyond my expectation.. even though it was very hot and humid, the experience was beyond caring about how hot we were...

Enjoyed the most
The individual trail guide that kept finding more and more challenges for us. In addition the horses were amazing. Nothing bothered them...not machete's swinging above them, cars zipping past in downtown Belamopan, swimming across rivers, or trapizing through tough overgrown jungle. Smooth riding at all gates! Also the various other activities..cave tubing, zip lining, Mayan ruins, etc. This trip had it all.

Bothered you
HOT and HUMID and enough insect bites from every bug know to man.

Comments
Planned past trips through Hidden Trails
The horses on first look were not the prettiest I've seen, but turned out to be just amazing rides. The people of Belize are one of the most geniunely nice folks I have ever met. This is a must do trip for anyone looking for a great horse trip! Oh and jungle is beautiful too!

This trip exceeded my wildest dreams for the perfect trip...there was enough horse riding for me (3-8 hrs/day), and enough other activities I had never done (cave tubing, zip lining, butterfly ranch, Mayan ruins) to keep each day an adventure. John and Caroline made us feel like Family! Sherman our trail guide was just the best.