Guadalajara: Horse Riding on the Tequila Route with Tastings

The best part of this day is the setting: you taste tequila high above Tequila Canyon, then ride on horseback through the blue agave fields that give Jalisco its character. I like the mix of outdoor scenery and local craft, especially the small family distillery and its handmade tequilas and liqueurs.

I also like that the day includes more than a tasting room. You get a guided look at agave growing, a walk through Tequila, and lunch in an underground restaurant. The main drawback is time: one delayed start once left only about 20 minutes in Tequila, so the town walk can feel short.

Key points to know before booking

• Tequila Canyon tasting: Learn how blanco, reposado, and añejo differ while looking across the canyon.
• Blue agave horseback ride: Ride for about an hour through the fields near Amatitán, with no prior riding experience needed.
• Family distillery visit: See the traditional production process and taste handcrafted tequila and liqueurs.
• Guide quality matters: Delfino receives repeated praise for his clear explanations, local knowledge, and personal care.
• Underground regional lunch: La Taberna de La Cofradia provides a memorable setting, not just a quick meal.
• Seven hours from Guadalajara: Round-trip transport makes this an easy full-day choice, but the schedule leaves limited spare time.

Why this Guadalajara tequila tour works

Jalisco’s tequila country is best understood outside the bottle. The blue agave fields, the hillside views, the cooking, and the old town all explain why tequila became such a strong part of the region’s identity.

This tour gives you that wider picture in one day from Guadalajara. You are not only sampling different pours. You are seeing where the agave grows, learning how it becomes tequila, meeting the spirit through a family-run operation, and then walking through the town that gives the drink its name.

At $210 per person, this is not a cheap day trip. The price makes more sense if you want transportation, a bilingual guide, several tastings, horseback riding, lunch, and a visit to both Amatitán and Tequila without arranging each part yourself. If your main goal is simply to buy a bottle or take one distillery tour, you can likely find a simpler and less costly outing.

I would choose this experience for someone who wants variety. You spend time outdoors, sit down for guided tasting, ride a horse, eat a proper regional meal, and walk through town. That range is the appeal, though it also means no single stop gets the leisurely pace of a full-day visit.

The ride from Guadalajara to Amatitán

Your day begins with hotel pickup in Guadalajara. Be ready 15 minutes before the stated pickup time, then settle into the van for roughly an hour to Amatitán.

The included transport is useful here. The agave country is outside the city, and moving between the fields, distillery, and Tequila saves you the trouble of coordinating taxis or a rental car after tasting tequila. You can also leave the driving to someone else once the sampling begins.

The day is scheduled for seven hours, so expect a compact program rather than a slow rural retreat. A guide such as Delfino can make a real difference on a schedule like this. His role is not just to point out stops, but to explain the local setting and keep the day moving.

Wear shoes you can walk and ride in. Sunglasses, sunscreen, and protection from warm weather are practical choices. The tour is not suited to people with mobility impairments because it includes horseback riding, walking, and several changes between vehicle and activity.

Agave fields and the first tequila lesson

Amatitán brings you into the countryside where blue agave grows in long rows. The plants are the visual heart of the day, and this is the place to take photographs before the tasting and riding begin.

You receive an explanation of agave cultivation, which gives useful context to everything that follows. Tequila begins with the agave piña, the large central part left after the leaves are removed. Seeing the plants in the fields helps you understand that tequila is an agricultural product first, not just a drink served at a bar.

The first spirits stop lasts about an hour. It includes a professional tasting in a special area with wide views toward Tequila Canyon. This is one of the strongest parts of the tour because the surroundings slow the tasting down and give it a clear sense of place.

A tequila master guides you through the main styles:

• Blanco: Usually clear and fresh, with the character of the agave more plainly on display.
• Reposado: Rested in wood, bringing a softer profile and some color.
• Añejo: Aged longer, with a deeper and more developed taste.

You are not simply handed shots. The point is to notice aroma and flavor, and to understand why the same base spirit can taste different after aging. Go slowly. The day includes another tasting later, and the combination of sun, food timing, and alcohol can catch up with you.

Horseback riding through Amatitán’s agave country

The horseback portion lasts about 45 to 60 minutes, depending on how the timing is described for the day. You ride through the town of Amatitán and the surrounding agave fields, with the plants close around you.

You do not need previous riding experience. The horses have been described as calm, which should make this a manageable introduction for a first-time rider. Still, horseback riding is an active part of the day, not a scenic vehicle ride. If you are uneasy around horses or have trouble mounting, sitting, or walking afterward, think carefully before booking.

I like this stop because it changes your pace. The tasting is seated and guided. On horseback, you take in the countryside more quietly, with time to notice the rows of agave and the open views. The ride is not long enough to feel like a serious equestrian outing, but it gives the day a more personal connection to the fields.

The horse handler is part of the experience too. A friendly, upbeat approach can help beginners relax, and the available feedback points to a well-managed ride. You should still follow instructions closely and wear clothing suited to outdoor activity.

A family-owned distillery and handmade spirits

After Amatitán, the van continues toward Tequila for about 30 minutes, with a stop at a family-owned boutique distillery. This visit shifts the focus from the raw plant to the finished spirit.

You learn how the agave piña is harvested and how it moves through the traditional tequila-making process, including distillation. The family-run setting is valuable because it gives the production a more direct, human scale. Instead of treating tequila as a mass-market label alone, you see how care and local practice shape a bottle.

The tasting here includes handcrafted tequilas and liqueurs. That gives you another chance to compare styles, but it also means you should pace yourself. If you want to remember the differences between the pours, take small sips and use the explanations from the guide.

Raul is specifically associated with the tasting stop at the palapa de David, where the explanations reached a more advanced level than expected. If Raul leads your session, take advantage of the chance to ask about how tequila is tasted and what separates a pleasant pour from a flat or harsh one.

This is also a good place to ask questions before buying anything. Personal expenses are not included, so bottles, crafts, and other purchases cost extra. You do not need to buy something to enjoy the visit.

Walking through Tequila’s historic center

The guided walking tour in Tequila lasts about 45 minutes. You explore the town’s central streets, browse local shops, and have time to look for artisanal crafts and regional products.

This stop matters because tequila is not only a rural product. The town gives the drink a social and cultural setting, with streets, shops, and daily life beyond the distillery walls. You can use this time to pick up a small souvenir or simply get your bearings in the Pueblo Mágico.

The limitation is the schedule. One delayed start reduced the town visit to around 20 minutes, which is enough for a quick walk but not enough for serious shopping or relaxed exploration. I would not book this day expecting several free hours in Tequila. The town visit is one piece of a larger route.

If seeing Tequila itself is your top priority, consider a tour built around a longer town stay. If you want a broad introduction to the region, the short walk is a fair trade for the horseback ride, canyon tasting, and distillery visit.

Lunch underground at La Taberna de La Cofradia

Lunch takes place at La Taberna de La Cofradia, an underground restaurant surrounded by agave plants. The setting is the main attraction here, but the meal also gives the day a needed pause.

You can expect authentic regional cuisine in a space that feels tied to the tequila country around it. The underground dining room makes lunch more memorable than a routine stop beside the road, and it fits the theme of the day without turning the meal into another formal tasting.

The lunch stop lasts about an hour. That is enough time to eat and reset before returning to Guadalajara, though the exact pace can depend on delays earlier in the day. One useful point to note is that a guide may not sit down to eat with you, as this has been raised as a minor criticism. That does not remove the value of the meal, but it can affect how much informal conversation you have during lunch.

Guides, language, and the pace of the day

The tour operates in English and Spanish. A bilingual guide is important because the best parts of the experience rely on explanation: how agave is grown, why tequila styles differ, and how local production works.

Delfino receives especially strong praise for being friendly, clear, and attentive. His local perspective is also useful during the walking portion in Tequila, where a few background details can make the town feel less like a quick photo stop.

The schedule is active. You travel by van, walk, ride, taste, eat, and return to the city in one day. Build in patience if the pickup runs late or a stop takes longer than planned. The day has enough moving parts that a small delay can shorten the free time in Tequila.

The tour has a 4.8 rating from 17 reviews, and the most consistent praise centers on the guides, the canyon tasting, the agave ride, and the calm horses. Those are the parts I would treat as the strongest reasons to book.

What $210 buys you

The $210 price includes round-trip transportation from Guadalajara, the listed visits, horseback riding, and tequila tastings. Lunch is presented as part of the day’s program at La Taberna de La Cofradia, while personal purchases are extra.

The value depends on how much planning you want to avoid. Arranging a driver, a safe tasting day, a distillery visit, a horse ride, a town walk, and lunch separately could become expensive and awkward. Here, the connections are handled for you, and you get a bilingual guide throughout the route.

The price is harder to justify if you dislike group schedules or want long periods of free time. This is a structured day with several fixed stops. You pay for range and convenience, not for lingering in one place.

You can cancel up to 24 hours ahead for a full refund, and the reserve-now, pay-later option keeps your plans flexible. Those terms are useful if your Guadalajara schedule is still changing.

Who should book this day

I would recommend this tour to you if you want your first taste of Jalisco’s tequila region to include more than a distillery. It suits couples, friends, and active adults who enjoy a planned day with several different experiences.

It is also a good fit for a first-time rider. No prior horseback experience is required, and the ride is short enough to feel approachable while still giving you time in the fields.

I would be more cautious if you want an in-depth tequila education, a long visit in Tequila, or a quiet day with no schedule. Serious spirit enthusiasts may prefer a tour focused on one or two distilleries. People with mobility impairments should not book this activity.

Anyone under 18 can join the broader excursion only with care around the alcohol portion, since people under 18 cannot take part in the tequila tastings.

Should you book it?

Book this tour if you want the full picture in one day: blue agave fields, canyon views, guided tastings, a horse ride, a family distillery, Tequila’s center, and an unusual lunch setting.

Skip it if your main goal is a long, relaxed visit to Tequila town or a highly specialized spirits tour. The schedule is tight, and a delay can reduce town time. For most people who want a practical introduction to Jalisco’s tequila country from Guadalajara, the combination of scenery, food, riding, and clear guiding makes the $210 price reasonable.

FAQ

How long does the tour last?

The experience lasts about seven hours, including transportation from Guadalajara and the return journey.

Is hotel pickup included?

Yes. Pickup and return transportation to and from Guadalajara are included, with pickup from your hotel lobby.

What languages are available?

The live guide service is available in English and Spanish.

Do I need horseback riding experience?

No. Previous horseback riding experience is not required.

How long is the horseback ride?

The horseback riding portion is described as about 45 to 60 minutes through Amatitán and the agave fields.

Can people under 18 join the tequila tastings?

No. People under 18 cannot participate in the tequila tasting sessions.

What should I bring?

Bring comfortable shoes, sunglasses, and sunscreen. Be prepared for warm weather.