Vallarta Adventures, or Rancho el Charro

If you’re looking for a tour in Puerto Vallarta, you’ve probably heard of Vallarta Adventures. They are massive. They are owned and operated by a very savvy group of people who we have nothing bad to say about. They operate in other hot spots as well, like Los Cabos, Punta Mita, and Cancun. They have a slick website, a nice booking setup, and tons of reviews.

We have Pam and a couple horses. Twelve of them as of writing. Twelve horses, not twelve Pams.

When you book a tour with Vallarta Adventures, you’re working with an employee who probably goes through a very standard hiring process and receives training for their job. They are probably really good at doing their job. They go home to their family and spend their money how they wish.

We work with people from our town, whose family we probably know or at least are just a degree removed from. They, too, receive money for doing their job. But we don’t give them much training because we just ask them to be themselves and that’s almost always good enough for a five-star review.

When you book a tour with Vallarta Adventures, you probably know what you can expect: a very standard and predictable adventure. Your money goes to multiple places, to multiple families. There are people at the top and people at the bottom.

When you book a tour with Rancho el Charro, you’re working with a very small team who are eager to adapt to your specific wants and needs. Your money goes straight to them, just like your feedback does. Everything is heard by everyone that works at the ranch.

Sure, we don’t offer whale watching tours. We don’t have a wedding venue. We certainly can’t offer you scuba certification. But we can offer you a family-run operation that’s directly supported by you riding a horse with them.