Cardrona Valley Trek: Scenic Mountain Horse Ride

263 Ratings

Cardrona

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Embark on a horse riding trek through the breathtaking mountainous landscape of Cardrona Valley. Enjoy stunning views, trotting and cantering, and a stopover at a historic pub.

Duration: 3 hours, 30 minutes

Cancellation: 24 hours

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Highlights

2125 Cardrona Valley Road - You will ride high up into the mountains, then down & cross the river over to the Cardrona Hotel for a drink, then back home along the river, many chances for trotting & cantering on this ride so please be sure to specify your horse riding ability upon booking! (Please not we do not “JUST WALK” on this ride, you must be…

What's Included

Beverage
Professional guide
Use of helmet

What's Not Included

Souvenir photos (available to purchase)

Additional Information

Saddle up on this very unique horse trekking experience, just 20 minutes from Wanaka. The half-day High Country Pub horse trek takes you up into the beautiful mountains of Cardrona Valley allowing breath taking views of the surrounding Pisa and Crown Ranges and Cardrona Ski Area. No riding experience is necessary as all tuition is provided, however if…

Location

2125 Cardrona Valley Road

Cardrona Valley Road

20 minutes self drive from Wanaka, 50-55 minute self drive from Queenstown. Look for "THE CARDRONA HORSE TREKS & QUAD TOURS" and the famous 'Bra Fence'

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

5.0

(263 Ratings)

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Ericya7085qg

Sep 20, 2025

10/10 would ride again - We booked a horseback tour about a day before. Ended up being just us, with our amazing guide, phoebe. The tour took roughly 3hr45min, included a beer at the Cardrona hotel and Phoebe was awesome about telling us the cities history. She was flexible with our intermediate experience, so we did quite a bit of cantering. 10/10, there’s a reason this experience has so many 5 star reviews. Bonus points the shop cat is very friendly and we saw a VERY fresh calf!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

200neridan

Aug 15, 2025

Exciting ride for competent riders - So many trail rides disappoint when you’re an experienced rider - this is not one of them! Lovely trained horses, spectacular scenery and plenty of opportunities to canter the trails. Kel is a great, accommodating guide. Loved it.

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Amandita1986

Jul 3, 2025

Saddles & Schooners: Just Your Average Ride to the Pub! - My partner and I had a break from the slopes and did the Pub Trail ride. As my partner has little experience they catered to his experience. We managed to canter in parts and fortunately there was a good mix of pace. The horses were great! It was a beautiful day, beautiful experience that i recommend to everyone! Worth it and a great natural way to see Cardrona Hotel which is a great little pub!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Anitarm6842ut

Jun 16, 2025

A memorable afternoon with "The Boys"!!! - Fantastic experience. Time well spent. Fabulous forward ponies, (Pete, Danny & Stu) fun & knowledgeable guide, great wine!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Meander26879547954

May 19, 2025

best horse riding experience - Had the best horse riding experience with The Cardrona in Wanaka! We absolutely loved our instructor Hannah—she was super friendly, supportive, and even took the most amazing photos and videos for us to remember the day. It’s not my first time horse riding in the Queenstown area, but I’d definitely come back here again. The views along the ride were simply beyond words—constantly changing yet always breathtaking. We did the 3.5-hour ride and even took a break to enjoy some local Cardrona beers. It was honestly the best day ever! Highly recommend. 🐎🍻🌄

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Passport46839749921

May 13, 2025

Great views and fun times - Kel was so knowledgeable about Cardrona and the views were spectacular. Lots of places to trot and canter, letting the horses have fun as well as us. Great intro to how the horses respond to the rider so we all knew where we stood and I would definitely come ride again. ‘Stu and Danny’ were great riding buddies and Stu’s canter was a lot of fun. A quick stop at the Cardrona pub for a drink and then back on the boys til home. Horses were extremely well looked after and well behaved. A must for riders.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Gordon_c

May 7, 2025

Beautiful ride through Gold rush areas! - What an amazing ride. Our guide Summer managed a group of 6 whose riding skills ranged from none to experienced. She did a great job of keeping us together while telling us of the history of the area. Due to our group skill (or lack thereof) we had less gallops than we would have wanted but she was able to get us riding fast once everyone was comfortable. This was a beautiful ride in a beautiful, historic area!

Review provided by Viator

Ryanml1983mz

Apr 18, 2025

Amazing experience - Rhonda took my daughters on an amazing horse trek! Both came back with beaming smiles and fantastic stories! Thanks so much for an amazing experience! Definitely worth a visit!

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Tracy

Mar 26, 2025

Fabulous experience!!! - Phoebe was our guide and was fabulous - very welcoming and friendly plus had a wealth of knowledge to share on Cardrona. We did a couples quad bike experience and the scenery was breathtaking. Highly recommend and I will be back to do the horse riding experience. 👌🙏🙌

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Michelle_h

Mar 22, 2025

100% recommended - Ashleigh did an outstanding job giving us a wonderful experience through the beautiful landscape and farming sections. Horses were in terrific condition and a joy to ride! Lots of areas where we could trot and canter.

Review provided by Viator

Check Availability

From $343

up to 7 guests

1 - Adult