Na’alapa Stables – Kahua Ranch Horseback Adventures

First, I want to start by saying I missed our tour Wednesday morning! For some reason, I had been thinking «it’s on Thursday,» since we arrived on the Big Island! So Wednesday, I find a voicemail on my phone stating «we have you scheduled for a ride today at 830 and we haven’t heard from you; please call us…» I immediately call when I hear the message, which is probably 10am! I apologized and told them I couldn’t believe we missed our ride and it was all my fault. I asked if there was any possibility for us to ride Thursday… She didn’t have to say yes. I had already paid and we missed our ride. They could’ve kept our money and not let us have a make up day… but they worked us in… We got to ride today and it was amazing!
Our guides Maileh and Derrian were very helpful, reassuring and knowledgeable. Maileh usually works on the Waipo Valley Ride; which I’ve done before, but due to an outbreak of Dangue on the island, they stopped tours for a few weeks (mosquitos thrive in the wet valley).
The horses, the land, the view: all beautiful and rate 5 stars in my book. All the Na’alapa guides have impressed me… Even 5 – 6 years ago when I did the Valley ride… Still remember how impressed I was!

We were really looking forward to this 1 ½ hour horseback ride.
Everything about it was horrible!
The brochure says they provide sunscreen and water — — they had neither.
As we mounted the horses it began to rain and less than five minutes into the ride it began to pour, and it poured for the entire 1 ½ hour. The only offer made was to «cut your ride short to get you out of the rain».
My wife wears glasses and could see nothing due to the rainwater on her glasses.
We got totally soaked, to the point where we poured water out of our shoes and wrung water out of our socks.
Our clothes were ruined by the stains from the water soaked leather saddles.
We would have expected an offer to stop the ride and have been offered vouchers for a ride on a later date By the way, we two were the only riders.
As far as the lovely hills, cinder cones, great views of the ocean and other islands — — forget it — — all we saw was rain, clouds and the horse’s mane.
This business needs some customer relations training!