Rancho El Diferente
Rancho El Diferente
5
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
About
We are a family horse lovers, eager to provide excellent service to make you feel that this the perfect place for a perfect day across our great activities. The Tourist Center Rancho El Diferente, aims to provide excellent customer service, by which your can feel satisfied and place us as the first choice when choosing a holiday club. This desire to give our best, we have turned into the No. 1 choice in the preference of those who already know us and those still seeking the perfect place for your holiday activities. Other features over 200 beautiful horses for riding activities, but above all we have a highly trained staff to assist you and make you spend an unforgettable moment.
Duration: More than 3 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience Rancho El Diferente and nearby attractions
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
19 within 5 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
5.0
473 reviews
Excellent
411
Very good
33
Average
18
Poor
2
Terrible
10
L V
Mid-Western Region, Nepal8 contributions
Apr 2015 • Couples
We booked a private ride through Diego, a ranch rep for El Different on site at the hotel and on the morning of the ride, we found we were booked with another couple. OK, not a big deal because we did not have to pay more for the private. However, I was horrified to see that every single horse had fleshy bleeding, open wounds from the tack that they wore (bleeding girth sores and scars from old girth sores). I explained to the staff that the horses were not in riding condition due to the wounds and they said that only that one particular horse had a wound and it was because another horse bit it. It does not take a horse owner to know better. The other couple saw the wounds as well and immediately became concerned. And it should make no difference how the wound came about, the matter was the mere fact that the horses had multiple wounds. I showed all of the wounds on every horse to the other couple as well as the ranch hands and the ranch hand said no problem and proceeded bring a horse over to me to get on. I continued to explain to them that they can’t expect the guests to ride horses that are in that condition and demanded we get our money back. They continued to ignore the concern and asked me how would even know if never worked on a ranch. It was clear they were not going to cooperate. I asked that they call Diego and they said we would have to wait to see him walking the hotel grounds and talk to him. He would not call. I deeply regret not taking pictures to be able to post. Big oversight on my part because I know if people saw what I saw, they would not support this excursion.
The horses were extremely thin, not just ribs showing, but hip points protruding. Being a horse owner, I understand different breeds and physical characteristics. Some are thinner than others, but any horse with protruding bones is not a healthy, well cared for animal. It does not matter what the breed or what country that breed comes from.
We were able to get our money back but not until we got the hotel manager on duty involved and we told the hotel management it would be in there best interest to not be associated with this ranch. The management appeared to be concerned about the animal welfare but I don’t know if anything will ever come of it. We continued to see people go out every day on these animals and based on other reviews I found on the internet from past years, they do not care to change anything because the issue continues.
Please do not get lost in the dream and vision of riding on a beach and ocean scene. These animals are not healthy and not happy, Dominican breed or not.
Gave one star because 0 star is not an option.
The horses were extremely thin, not just ribs showing, but hip points protruding. Being a horse owner, I understand different breeds and physical characteristics. Some are thinner than others, but any horse with protruding bones is not a healthy, well cared for animal. It does not matter what the breed or what country that breed comes from.
We were able to get our money back but not until we got the hotel manager on duty involved and we told the hotel management it would be in there best interest to not be associated with this ranch. The management appeared to be concerned about the animal welfare but I don’t know if anything will ever come of it. We continued to see people go out every day on these animals and based on other reviews I found on the internet from past years, they do not care to change anything because the issue continues.
Please do not get lost in the dream and vision of riding on a beach and ocean scene. These animals are not healthy and not happy, Dominican breed or not.
Gave one star because 0 star is not an option.
Written 4 May 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JLD
Lake Oswego, OR38 contributions
Jan 2021 • Couples
My husband and I had amazing rides on the beach last week while vacationing in Punta Cana for my 40th birthday! Fausto our guide was incredible and is truly an accomplished horseman. While I’m used to English riding back home, it was fun to ride In western tack and give it a go at neck reining. The horses were really responsive and fun to ride. The horse “Nacho” that I rode has a gaited walk similar to a Tennessee walking horse ( In other words he doesn’t trot) IE smooth and butter Cadillac ride. He is a fun, young, Feisty, spirited, Chestnut gelding which made for some amazing dreamlike canters and gallops along the smooth sand beaches. It was Like riding a magic flying carpet over the sand. There are horses for all abilities at Rancheo El differente as they have over 160 horses on their farm. As an equestrian, I can tell they are well cared for. Fausto does all his own farrier work as well. I specifically requested to ride a spirited horse like the one I ride back home as I enjoy, well “holding your horses”, but there are horses for all riding abilities. My husband prefers not such a hot horse, so he rode Carmello and Meduso. We had so much fun we went back and rode a second day. I planned to go riding on our trip before hand and because of all the great reviews I read about Rancheo El Differente, I picked it. We were not let down. I’m usually reluctant to go on horseback rides when traveling since they are usually geared for non riders/tourists, and I don’t like to be babysat on horseback nose to tail. But this was not the case. Based on our riding experience Fausto let use ride within our abilities. We will be back to ride again down there. Maybe for a couple weeks next time. Nothing beats riding a horse on the beach! Thanks Fausto! Thanks Nacho! Thanks Carmello! Thanks Meduso!
Written 19 January 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Come back soon again thank you
Written 18 March 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
faloncc
Colleyville, TX15 contributions
Aug 2024 • Couples
My wife and I are from Texas and were lured in by the dreamy description of "paradisiacal beaches," "exuberant vegetation," and the promise of a "relaxing and romantic" horseback ride along the seashore. What we got, however, was an experience we hope to forget—though my legs, with their 67 sand mite bites, might not let me.
Let's start with those "paradisiacal beaches." If your idea of paradise involves beaches littered with trash and driftwood that looks like it’s been marooned since the Jurassic era, guards walking around with sawed-off shotguns, then you’re in for a treat. The horses, possibly sensing the chaos around them, decided it would be safer to stick together like a herd of oversized, hairy sheep. So, forget about a peaceful ride by the ocean—it was more like a horsey traffic jam with legs being smashed!
Now, the tour guides. We had one guide who spoke broken English, but he was hanging out at the back, maybe rethinking his life choices. The guide at the front? Not a word of English. So, no delightful explanations about the vegetation or the "true speculum" of the river. We just got to enjoy the scenery in blissful silence, with no clue what we were actually looking at.
When I asked about the “promised photo oops”, the guy just gave me a bewildered look and shook his head like I’d asked him to explain quantum physics. So, no pictures to remember the moment—probably for the best since it’s one I’d rather forget!
When it came time for us to return the horses, we thought, what about the advertised galloping, so we had to ask if we could even do it, and then we galloped a whole 50 feet! The highlight? My wife's horse decided to jump over a giant 5’ round wooden log, which was probably the coolest and most terrifying part of the whole ride.
As for the end of the river where we were supposed to marvel at nature? Nothing. No talk about the flora, no details, just a hot, sad coconut water wheel barrow. And did I mention the sand mites? This tiny area was littered with sand mites and we couldn’t get out of there quick enough! We all ran back to our horses within minutes but nothing says "safety" like trying to navigate through a herd of restless horses in a space where you could barely swing a lasso.
In summary, this tour was not the relaxing, romantic ride of our dreams. It was more like a chaotic group ride on a trash-strewn beach with some very confused horses. Simply unforgettable? Sure, but not in the way we imagined!
Let's start with those "paradisiacal beaches." If your idea of paradise involves beaches littered with trash and driftwood that looks like it’s been marooned since the Jurassic era, guards walking around with sawed-off shotguns, then you’re in for a treat. The horses, possibly sensing the chaos around them, decided it would be safer to stick together like a herd of oversized, hairy sheep. So, forget about a peaceful ride by the ocean—it was more like a horsey traffic jam with legs being smashed!
Now, the tour guides. We had one guide who spoke broken English, but he was hanging out at the back, maybe rethinking his life choices. The guide at the front? Not a word of English. So, no delightful explanations about the vegetation or the "true speculum" of the river. We just got to enjoy the scenery in blissful silence, with no clue what we were actually looking at.
When I asked about the “promised photo oops”, the guy just gave me a bewildered look and shook his head like I’d asked him to explain quantum physics. So, no pictures to remember the moment—probably for the best since it’s one I’d rather forget!
When it came time for us to return the horses, we thought, what about the advertised galloping, so we had to ask if we could even do it, and then we galloped a whole 50 feet! The highlight? My wife's horse decided to jump over a giant 5’ round wooden log, which was probably the coolest and most terrifying part of the whole ride.
As for the end of the river where we were supposed to marvel at nature? Nothing. No talk about the flora, no details, just a hot, sad coconut water wheel barrow. And did I mention the sand mites? This tiny area was littered with sand mites and we couldn’t get out of there quick enough! We all ran back to our horses within minutes but nothing says "safety" like trying to navigate through a herd of restless horses in a space where you could barely swing a lasso.
In summary, this tour was not the relaxing, romantic ride of our dreams. It was more like a chaotic group ride on a trash-strewn beach with some very confused horses. Simply unforgettable? Sure, but not in the way we imagined!
Written 19 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello, we are very sorry that you did not like the tour and that everything seemed wrong without going into details. We apologize. We have a long history of more than 23 years of uninterrupted service and you can see it on TripAdvisor and some other quality control platforms. Our goal is to provide good service and we offer the same to the client. Thank you very much.
Written 22 August 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Ava
2 contributions
June 2022 • Family
I would not recommend. There were lizards tied up by necks, couldn’t move, drink, or eat. Two hamsters in cage hanging from tree. Turtles in enclosure with barely any water. Horses were crammed together in very small space, basically living in their own filth. The horses had scars all over them and were very skinny. When my horse was too tired to gallop, he was whipped. I could never support a place that treats animals like that. I will not be going back unless there are serious changes made. If you can’t treat animals properly, then don’t get one.
Written 27 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi my friend in very sorry for you but you was in the wrong place we are Rancho el diferente and we only have horse we dont have Any other animal Thank you and please make sure and erase this bad review Thank you
Written 29 June 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Andy D
Merseyside, UK45 contributions
Aug 2019
We were picked up at the Hard Rock and strangely we were transferred into another vehicle outside the gates. We were a family of 2 adults and 3 teenage girls, we were driven directly to the beach and there were 5 horses waiting, no matching of the horses to each individual and no safety helmets offered.
Our guide was fantastic and we did feel comfortable on the beach without helmets, the horses were fairly docile and looked in good condition. We did stop after an hour to stretch our legs, it would have been nice to have been give a cold water at this point rather than at the end of the 2 hours. Our representative had bottles of rum with our photos attached to the front, they wanted $30 a bottle we declined, one nice touch was the rep sent me the photos he took via Whatsapp free of charge.
It was a great day and lovely going in the water on a horse, we were not offered a visit to the ranch but to be honest it was boiling hot and we just wanted to go back to the pool and air con. For £150 for the 5 of us it was great cheap fun but they need to sort out the safety aspect and matching people to the size of the horse.
Our guide was fantastic and we did feel comfortable on the beach without helmets, the horses were fairly docile and looked in good condition. We did stop after an hour to stretch our legs, it would have been nice to have been give a cold water at this point rather than at the end of the 2 hours. Our representative had bottles of rum with our photos attached to the front, they wanted $30 a bottle we declined, one nice touch was the rep sent me the photos he took via Whatsapp free of charge.
It was a great day and lovely going in the water on a horse, we were not offered a visit to the ranch but to be honest it was boiling hot and we just wanted to go back to the pool and air con. For £150 for the 5 of us it was great cheap fun but they need to sort out the safety aspect and matching people to the size of the horse.
Written 11 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ian G
West Vancouver, Canada174 contributions
May 2019 • Family
We had a great ride on the beach. Don picked us up from our hotel and drove us to the beach where we met our Guide and our horses. The great thing was it was only my daughter and myself riding with our guide (we booked for a group tour) so we were well looked after and driven back to the hotel afterwards. The only downside was the amount of rubbish and especially plastic on the trails just off the beach. We thought this could easily be rectified. Overall though a great experience.
Written 2 May 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
leah w
louisville, ky225 contributions
Oct 2014 • Friends
The Excellence Resort offers a free 1/2 hour horseback riding session through the contracted services of Rancho El Diferente. 2 hour sessions can also be purchased. Diego, rep. for the service, took a group of us to the meeting point for the ride. I noticed most of the horses were very thin. I got on a horse and it was so skinny that the hip bones were jutting out and the individual vertebrates could be felt along the backbone. I could not participate riding these poor creatures. I complained to 2 resort managers and they promised to follow up, but never contacted me again. I also complained to Diego, the rep. for Rancho. He told me the name of these type of horses and said they are a skinny breed, but I could not find any such breed listed on the internet. He offered to let me visit the ranch at a designated time, but when I met up with him, he said that his boss would not let me because he needed to "organize things at the ranch first". I know Dominicans think about animals differently than Americans, but please consider the condition of the horses before you decide to ride them.
Written 19 October 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Si M
Haywards Heath, UK54 contributions
Absolutely shocking. The condition of the 2 horses was terrible, they were skeletal, very thin, their bodies had multiple scars and abrasion marks and their fetal matter was a toxic green colour. These horses are obviously malnourished and suffering. When you consider the huge amount of money these places make off tourists there is no excuse to treat the horses so badly.
If you love horses find somewhere else to go and ride them.
If you love horses find somewhere else to go and ride them.
Written 18 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Everyone already knows this bad strategy of the competition. We have 23 years of service offering a quality service, so I see that you don't know about horses because horses eat green grass and that's why they defecate green and we take very good care of our animals. This bad campaign plan doesn't work. God bless you.
Written 19 August 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Lisa D
Hopkins, Belize64 contributions
We had a great day on the beach riding in the ocean. The staff was great. They took videos and pictures for us. Very helpful in getting us on and off the horse.
Our drivers were great getting us there and back.
The only problem I had was the description on TripAdvisor There was no description as to what beach we were on. There was no description about water being served. No description telling us there was a market to shop or a vendor on the beach to get a beer after we were done.
No description to be prepared to buy a framed photo of our experience.
Everything else was amazing.
Our drivers were great getting us there and back.
The only problem I had was the description on TripAdvisor There was no description as to what beach we were on. There was no description about water being served. No description telling us there was a market to shop or a vendor on the beach to get a beer after we were done.
No description to be prepared to buy a framed photo of our experience.
Everything else was amazing.
Written 16 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much hope you come back soon
Written 17 February 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Craig B
11 contributions
Mar 2023
My family went and loved this excursion which we booked before we left here on TripAdvisor. Pickup was timely (they were actually there 10 minutes early) and the ride was about a half hour to the ranch. Once there, we saddled up, and took some pictures. This is where Rancho el Differente surprised us in a good way. Unlike many other excursions on the island, they will happily take pictures of you with your own phone. The ride on the beach was wonderful and Fausto (who was bringing up the rear) provided us commentary on the area and the DR in general. He knew my daughter took lessons at home, so he held her back at one point on the ride so she could post and trot (which she loved). There were only 6 of us on the ride in total (us and another threesome). Bring $2 for at least one coconut (there's a rest stop with a vendor - it's not required) and tip money (they deserve it). The way back is a little less "exciting" as most of it is via a path and road and only a small section on the beach. But we would do this excursion again in a heartbeat.
Written 9 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
thank you very much for your good comment we hope to see you again God bless you
Written 17 March 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
how far are you from New Onyx Punta Cana?
Written 17 February 2019
How far is it from the Majestic Mirage Resort in Punta "Cana
Written 17 May 2017
ranchoeldiferente
Higuey, Dominican Republic
Hi. good mornig, you are en 15 minutes.
Written 3 June 2017
Who is the Ranchero employee at The Excellence Resort that tries to get people to go on an excursion? He was awesome and great to talk with every day.
Written 20 August 2016
ranchoeldiferente
Higuey, Dominican Republic
Hi thank you for write.
Hi is my friend, if you want to talk with he, you only have to go a him facebook.
aencarnacionrd
add him
best regards
Written 24 February 2017
ranchoeldiferente
Higuey, Dominican Republic
Sorry I had not answered, until a few days ago we did not have access to our site in Tripapvisor.
And the answer to your question is: YES!
we walk to the edge of the beach and do another walk in the river.
I hope to see you soon
Thank
Written 14 January 2016
Showing results 1-7 of 7
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing