r/vanuatu • u/AdministrativeSea574 • Aug 23 '26

Horse riding tours $$

puck meee, all places charge about $120 for 90 minutes sitting on the bareback of a walking horse... would pay 40 but not 120.

0 Upvotes

33% Upvoted

22 comments sorted by

8

u/germanautotom Aug 23 '26

Keeping them happy and healthy ain’t cheap, especially on an Island. We did the one through the water and were very impressed, 100% worth it.

-7

u/AdministrativeSea574 Aug 23 '26

Let’s do the math. 4 runs per day. 10 people per run @ $150 that’s 6 grand a day. 42 grand a week. No way 20 horses and 10 staff cost that much.

8

u/DietSatan Aug 23 '26

Cute math, but you're missing feed, vet care, farrier, insurance, permits, staff wages, maintenance, and seasonal downtime (try 200 working days if theyre lucky, not 365).

Also in Vanuatu—one of the world's most cyclone-vulnerable countries—businesses need higher margins to build disaster resilience, handle supply chain costs from isolation, and recover from inevitable climate impacts.

They're not overcharging; they're surviving. Dont like it don't ride. K byeee

-3

u/AdministrativeSea574 Aug 23 '26

Ok so let’s assume a 50% downtime. Still a huge profit.

7

u/DietSatan Aug 23 '26

Sigh tell me you know nothing about island life without telling me.

Vanuatu is still dealing from a 3-year COVID lockdown that crushed tourism. A recent earthquake that destroyed much of the CBD—they're still rebuilding. Supply chains from isolation cost 2-3x what you'd pay elsewhere. Infrastructure damage takes years to repair. That "profit" isn't going into pockets—it's going to: Replacing horses injured in natural disasters Repairing facilities damaged by cyclones/earthquakes Keeping staff employed through tourism downturns Building resilience so the business survives the next disaster When a small island is actively recovering from a catastrophic earthquake, pricing isn't greed. It's survival. The math doesn't work if you only count revenue and pretend everything else is free.

If you want cheap go to bali.

-1

u/AdministrativeSea574 Aug 23 '26

Oh, and the Covid pandemic finished three years ago in case you didn’t notice

4

u/DietSatan Aug 23 '26

Yeah and they're still recovering... you really havent a clue about this country.

0

u/AdministrativeSea574 Aug 23 '26

Any business in a Third World country doing 20 grand a week is hardly in recovery mode

4

u/DietSatan Aug 23 '26

Tell you what why dont you set up a horse riding business charge 40 bucks and lets see how long you last?

-2

u/AdministrativeSea574 Aug 23 '26

Three cruise ships a week with excess of 5000 people per ship tell me you know nothing about tourism when you know nothing about tourism

6

u/DietSatan Aug 23 '26

Oh my days. Sure buddy whatever you say.

Dipskin.

-1

u/AdministrativeSea574 Aug 23 '26

Why can’t you just acknowledge and admit that these people are ripping off tourists left right and centre?

5

u/DietSatan Aug 23 '26

Because I llived and worked there for decades and I know how much things cost, and I know how important it is take sure you have built in resilience for the next crisis that will invariably come round the corner, be it pandemic, earthquake, tsunami, volcanic eruption or God knows what.

This is one of the most vulnerable countries on the planet. They have to charge like this or they will not survive simple as.

3

u/clubfungus Aug 23 '26

Math, eh? Yours is like one of those simplified math problems where we get to assume there is no friction and no wind resistance. That is to say, you get to ignore reality for the sake of learning some maths.

6

u/OkRecommendation4786 Aug 23 '26

You reckon there are 40 tourists per day wanting to ride horses in Vanuatu. You're off your head.

0

u/AdministrativeSea574 Aug 23 '26

I just messaged an operator fyi. They are booked out every day for next 6 weeks. And they are just 1 of the 8 or so businesses doing this.

3

u/OkRecommendation4786 Aug 23 '26

That is probably due to no staff or logistics or something like that. Horses don't run wild in Vanuatu and haven't seen many ni Vanuatu in the equestrian events at the Olympics. My guess is any company running horse riding excursions in Vanuatu is being run by an Australian expat.

-1

u/AdministrativeSea574 Aug 23 '26

No one said anything about equestrian level horses they are retired so who is it that is off their head here.

2

u/OkRecommendation4786 Aug 23 '26

Just go snorkelling. It's great.

-2

u/AdministrativeSea574 Aug 23 '26

Funnily though. Snorkelling $100 per person.

4

u/OkRecommendation4786 Aug 24 '26

Maybe just stay in Brisbane where everything is better and cheaper and nobody rips you off.

6

u/selph2010 Aug 23 '26

that's a fair price for tours.. if can't afford don't do it.