Layered Directory

Big Island Hawaii Horseback Riding - Horseback Above Waipio

Overall Rating
Overall Rating 3.75 / 5.00
Category Rating
Enjoyment 3.6
Uniqueness 3.8
Value 3.4
Staff Quality 3.8
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Customer Reviews

# of Reviews: 17 1/1Page

Horseback Above Waipio

Reviewer: Mr. Paul  Posted on 29 Jul 2010
Overall Rating:
Excellent. To start, driving through the small towns looking for the pick-up point was wonderful and provided good opportunity to view this side of the island.
The 2.5 hour ride was awesome, scenery beautiful and something you just can't capture on film.
The wranglers were very professional and knowledgeable. Not only did we see beautiful scenery, but we also learned a lot of history surrounding Waipio, thanks to Chauncey one of the wranglers. The horses were very good stock and wonderful to ride.
If you have a chance, don't miss this opportunity to view Waipio, this amazing slice of natural beauty and well worth the journey to this side of the Big Island
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Fabulous time, a spectacular place

Reviewer: Ms. Heather R.  Posted on 18 Jul 2010
Overall Rating:
My husband and I enjoyed a nine night vacation in Hawaii. We enjoyed every minute of it, but both agree that the Waipio Valley horseback riding tour which took us to the lagoon/ waterfall was our favorite part of the entire trip. The guides were friendly and helped us learn from the surroundings. Roy was my favorite guide, as he would point out different flowers to identify them, passed out white ginger flowers for us to smell (yum!) and was funny and helpful. The horses are slow - especially mine (Parker B) who was slow the whole time and even slower when going downhill. The views of the valley were amazing. But my favorite part was the trip to the lagoon. It was beautiful and although the water was chilly, it was very refreshing. I got some good photos of my husband in the water fall. Don't forget to climb a little higher to take pictures of the other waterfall, slightly above the main one. The ride down seemed a little long due to the fact that my rump could no longer find a comfortable spot, but it was made worthwhile with the beautiful views when we left the eucalyptus forest on the right side. This trip definitely enhanced our enjoyment of Hawaii and I highly recommend it!
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Beautiful Sites! Excellet Guides!

Reviewer: Mr. Tzeench  Posted on 9 Jul 2010
Overall Rating:
My wife, me and two friends took the 5.5 hour horseback tour to the hidden waterfall. We all had a great time and enjoyed the scenic overviews, forest, waterfall and the staff.

The only bad thing I can say, is that half way through the trip it started raining and continued to rain the rest of the trip. This wasn't totally unexpected. The lush green forests and undergrowth don't get that green without rain. The rain did influence our chose to not swim by the waterfall, but we were still able to enjoy the views and sounds of being in the valley.

We would recommend this trip to anyone who likes to experience something in a unique way. And would even recommend it to someone who has never ridden a horse before (they were very good with the new riders in our group).
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Such a great time!

Reviewer: Ms. Kelley WC  Posted on 26 Jan 2010
Overall Rating:
My husband and I had a fantastic time on our trail ride last week. The tour guide (Chauncy - sp?) was wonderful and personable. My husband and I are very experienced riders, but there were several first timers in our group too. We all had a fabulous time! The horses were wonderful as well :) Highly recommend the 5.5 hour tour - it's well worth it!
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Wonderful trip, geat staff

Reviewer: Mr. Anonymous  Posted on 3 Jan 2010
Overall Rating:
A very nice ride with terrific views from the rim of the valley. Staff was very helpful, patient with new riders, and informative--they enjoy leading these tours and it shows. Next time we'll book the longer trip--we all enjoyed this one a lot.
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Gentle Jaunt

Reviewer: Mr. Carolyn from England  Posted on 4 Nov 2009
Overall Rating:
After a careful introduction to Western Style riding, we were matched with our horses. Attention was paid to their needs as much as it was to the riders', so after watering them, checking girths and some basic reminders we set off through the eucalyptus forest. Our guide, Dwayne, informed us of the flora and fauna en route, which added to the value of this memorable trip along the rim of the valley. 5 hours passed fast, at a leisurely pace and although we were unable to swim in the falls, ( our choice due to the rain!), we still enjoyed a simple sandwich lunch, along with my first sampling of real sugar cane and strawberry guava, freshly picked for us. Our guides took photos for us, and our horses carefully picked their paths back down through the forest. The horses were responsive and knowledgeable, kind and considerate and safe - all in all, a fabulous experience not only for the riding, but also for the sampling of Hawaiian nature, spectacular views and genuinely passionate explanations of the old culture from our guides. And, after enjoying the 5 hour ride so much, I returned with my non-rider husband and son for the 2 1/ 2 hour ride two days later!
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Wonderful View and Experience!

Reviewer: Mr. Colinator  Posted on 24 Oct 2009
Overall Rating:
Staff was friendly and very entertaining! Views of Waipi'o Valley were amazing! Horses were easy to ride. Nice walk through the lush Big Island forests. We did the 2 1/ 2 hour ride, but next time we go, we'll do the 5 1/ 2 ride to the waterfall. Would definitely do this again.
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Mr. Chuck

Reviewer: Mr. Anonymous  Posted on 27 Jun 2009
Overall Rating:
I was under the impression that advanced riders would get a chance to "ride-out" since they insisted on knowing our skill level and recommended this ride for advanced riders. I also thought the price was expensive for what was provided and the length of the ride. It cost the same as a 2 day ride we took in Australia earlier this year that had an overnight and gourmet meals provided. Still the guide was congenial and the horses skilled. We had a good time.
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Trip to the rim

Reviewer: Ms. Anonymous  Posted on 18 Feb 2009
Overall Rating:
Our ride was awesome, Lex was a great guide, very informative and made the ride interesting. I would recommend this ride for all ages. Lex never made any of us feel like we were not able to do the ride, 2 out of the 3 of us were not horse experienced.
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Amazing

Reviewer: Mr. Vinay Singh  Posted on 4 Sep 2008
Overall Rating:
Amazing experience, I was first timer on horse back and it was so easy and so much fun with adventure. I recommend it to every one and specially the first timers.
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Amazing ride

Reviewer: Mr. Ole  Posted on 16 Aug 2008
Overall Rating:
This activity was with one word: Amazing. I have never sat on a horse before, and I found the ride easy and pleasurable. The staff was very competent and helpful, as well as a whole lot of fun. The horses were friendly and easy to ride, even for a first-timer. The vistas were spectacular, and this is definately a ride I would recommend to anyone interested in a great natural experience.
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Beauty of the Big Island

Reviewer: Ms. Richard Starr  Posted on 19 Sep 2007
Overall Rating:
My wife and I enjoyed the Waipio Ridge Horseback Ride. Roy and Les made the ride very enjoyable and were great hosts. Roy was especially knowledgeable on the plants and history of the valley. We would recommend this ride to anyone that wants to see the beauty of Hawaii up close and virtually undisturbed. Thanks for a great time.

Rick and Sharon Starr
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Total # of Responses: 1 , Found Informative: 1

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Waipio Valley Rim Ride

Reviewer: Ms. Amy  Posted on 18 Sep 2007
Overall Rating:
Best activity we did the entire trip!
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Waipio Valley Horseback Ride

Reviewer: Mr. Chuck  Posted on 7 Sep 2007
Overall Rating:
As a family of 5 who had never riden horses the thought of the 5 hour trip was a bit scary. The guides were great in preparing us and especially helping our 10 year old get over her fear at the start. We all had a great time.

The only down side was that we got a drizzily day and we didn't feel the need to swim under the waterfall. Rookies like us might want to consider the shorter ride. The last hour wore on us a bit. But we would do the 5 hour again.
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What nice views.

Reviewer: Mr. ashley  Posted on 23 Jul 2007
Overall Rating:
This activity will take you to see amazing views of waterfalls and mountains however I thought that they overexaggerated a little bit on the details of this activity. It makes you think that you are going to get right up next to a waterfall and you dont. They take you to a cliff with an amazing view of waterfalls in the distance and the shoreline but you are no where near these waterfalls. The staff were very nice however and the ride was pleasent. I will definitlty go horseback riding in the future if I go back to hawaii, I would just sign up with a different activity so that I would be able to see different sights.
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Waipio Ridge stables

Reviewer: Mr. Steve  Posted on 11 Jul 2007
Overall Rating:
This was a great day. Travis and Al (the trail guides) could not have been more helpful, informative, or understanding. No one in our group had ever been on a horse before, but we were all ready to be cowboys by the end of the day. It was also nice to talk to real Hawaiians that were not 'on stage' like so many of the tourist places that we have been to. The only negative was that they started the tour one hour earlier than planned, but we did not have a schedule, so we could easily adapt. The trail went out to the edge of 900 foot cliffs where you could look down at taro farms and black sand beaches. Bring your 4wd, because you will want to drive down afterwards. Thanks to everyone involved.
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Reviewer: Ms. Marilyn Fulton  Posted on 2 Jul 2007
Overall Rating:
The two Hawaiian guides that rode with our group were very good. The one in front of the group told us a lot of informative items about the flora and fauna of the area we were riding through. The one disappointment was the fact that I had to WALK my horse through almost the entire ride. I understand insurance liability, but those of us who do know how to ride and handle a horse should be given the opportunity to do so, even if it means signing a waiver of liability. It would have made the ride more fun and challenging to run the horses a bit.
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# of Reviews: 17 1/1Page