Last Updated: March 6, 2026
Monteverde has several reserves to take in the area’s abundant nature, but the most popular is the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (Reserva Biologica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde). This Reserve offers a variety of trails and has several characteristics that make it unique. Most notably, it is positioned at the location of the Continental Divide where the Atlantic and Pacific slopes collide. The Reserve is also known for its red hanging bridge, which you see in all the pictures. We have hiked here several times in our years living in Costa Rica. In this post, we’ll tell you what you need to know to plan your visit to this famous reserve.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: As of December 8, 2025, the ticketing and entry process of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve has changed significantly. Day passes are no longer available and you need to purchase tickets to a specific trail circuit. See the Getting Tickets section, below, for more information.
The Reserve’s Interesting History
The Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve has a rich history.
It all started when a scientist named George Powell who was visiting the area became concerned about conserving Monteverde’s rich biodiversity. Settlers were moving into the forest, and widespread hunting was jeopardizing the flora and fauna.
Determined to make a difference, Powell reached out to a local man named Wilford Guindon, one of the first Quakers to arrive in Monteverde. Together, the two worked to establish a nature reserve, which came to fruition in 1972 with the help of the Tropical Science Center.
The Reserve was started with a donation of 328 hectares (820 acres) of land. The Tropical Science Center quickly expanded that by soliciting donations from individuals and conservation organizations around the world. Included in the list of donors were some prominent names like the World Wildlife Fund, Nature Conservancy, and International Council for Bird Preservation (BirdLife International).
Over time, the Reserve was expanded with the help of Guindon and others to include adjoining areas that were being threatened by development.
An interesting event happening in the background at this time was a 1977 BBC documentary. This film about Monteverde’s cloud forests dramatically increased interest in the region, and in particular, the preservation of tropical rainforests.
Today, the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve encompasses an impressive 10,500 hectares (25,946 acres).
Looking to explore more national parks and reserves on your trip? Our National Parks articles cover 40+ options all around Costa Rica!
What You’ll See at the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
Overview
Four different life zones exist on the massive property at the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, each with a slightly different ecosystem. It is this diversity that draws so many different types of plants and wildlife.
To get an idea, over 100 kinds of mammals, 500 birds, and 120 amphibians and reptiles can be found. In addition, the property hosts tens of thousands of insects and over 3,000 plants, including more than 500 species of orchid alone.
Birds and Animals
Some of the more common animals seen are white-faced and howler monkeys, paca and agouti (small rodent-like animals), and coati (similar to a raccoon). As we mentioned, bird species are numerous here as well. Hummingbirds are plentiful and you also can spot the Three-Wattled Bellbird.
One of the biggest draws for birders, though, is the Resplendent Quetzal. This brightly colored bird with extraordinarily long tail feathers can be seen in only a few parts of Costa Rica. It spends much of the year in Monteverde but is easiest to spot in March and April during their breeding season.
Tip: To see the most, hire a guide. Although Monteverde is one of the most biodiverse areas of Costa Rica, wildlife is often hidden high in the canopy or in the shifting clouds. A good naturalist guide not only knows where to look, but also has a scope, allowing you to see things up in the trees. See below for information on booking a guide.
Scenery
Even with a guide, there is still a possibility that wildlife will remain mostly hidden at the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. Luckily, though, walking along the trails is a unique experience in itself due to the climate and landscape.
The Monteverde Reserve is at a very high altitude and you will often pass through thick clouds shifting in the wind. The trees and plant life are also unlike anywhere in Costa Rica. Thick moss and lichens cover every inch of bark and rock, and broad-leaf plants, vines, and bromeliads practically grow on top of one another.
Trails
To protect the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve’s abundant flora and fauna, only a small portion (about 3%) of the property is open to the public. Still, the Reserve’s 11 trails amount to 13 km (8 miles) of path to explore. Here is a picture of the trail map.
There are several different options for hikes. Below we cover the two main loops.
Longer Loop
This is a good choice for a hike if you have about a half day to spend.
The loop goes around the perimeter, starting on Sendero Bosque Nuboso (Cloud Forest Trail). Sendero Bosque Nuboso leads through thick cloud forest and is supposed to be one of the best places to spot the elusive Resplendent Quetzal bird.
The trail ascends, and in about an hour, you will reach a lookout called La Ventana (the Window).
Here, you will find a beautiful view of the Continental Divide, the point where the Atlantic and Pacific slopes converge. Seeing the moisture-rich trade winds of the Atlantic slope collide with warm air of the Pacific slope is one of the most memorable parts of visiting the Reserve. Although the clouds are often racing by, we have always been able to catch quick glimpses of the beautiful valley below.
From the viewpoint, you continue on Sendero Camino for a short time and connect to Sendero Roble, Sendero Chomogo, and eventually Sendero Tosi. We love this part of the hike because the trail runs along a steep ridge, putting you at canopy level with many of the treetops.
From this vantage point, it is a lot easier to see wildlife. Though it can still sometimes be difficult to see through the thick haze, in this area we have spotted a white-faced capuchin monkey, mother and baby white-nosed coati, gigantic snail, small land crab, and lots of interesting insects, as well as several types of birds, including wrens, warblers, and thrushes.
Tip: It took us several visits to the Reserve to see all this wildlife. If wildlife is a priority for you, consider visiting the Curi-Cancha Reserve. This is another private reserve just up the road from the Monteverde Reserve. Along the diverse trails at Curi-Cancha, you’ll explore different habitats and be more likely to see mammals and birds. Read our full guide on Curi-Cancha.
Plan on spending about a half day for the longer loop so that you can go slowly and look for birds and wildlife. The trails are well-maintained, but still rustic in places. Conditions are moderate in difficulty with some steeper spots and rocks and roots to navigate.
Shorter/Main Loop
This is the most visited and busiest loop.
Sendero Camino (Road Trail) is wide like a road and leads to the hanging bridge. It’s mostly flat and has even terrain so is a great option with younger kids or anyone looking for an easier hike. This is the trail we went on most recently with our kids (ages 5 and 8 at the time). The conditions are easy, making it good for just about anyone, which is why it’s so popular.
Visiting with kids? Be sure to check out our post on the best things to do in Costa Rica with kids. We cover the whole country with recommendations by age group.
The hanging bridge is really beautiful and worth the stop, even if it’s a little busy. From high atop the swaying bridge, you can get a bird’s-eye view of the overflowing canopy.
From the hanging bridge, you can connect back to the ranger station on Sendero Wilford Guindon.
This trail was named after the prominent conservationist who helped found the Reserve. It is narrower and more scenic. On our visits, we have seen some birds and a coati on one occasion, which was a nice surprise.
The main loop takes about 1.5 hours.
Sendero Camino is one of the easier trails in the Reserve. Sendero Wilford Guindon is more difficult, with some steps, so take Sendero Camino both ways if you’re looking for something easier.
Planning Your Visit to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
See section below, Booking a Tour, for help booking a guide.
Getting Tickets – IMPORTANT
Starting December 8, 2025, the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve made the following changes:
- The Day Pass has been eliminated and replaced with three circuit options:
- Essence Trail – 0.9 miles (1.4 km); includes waterfall
- Heart of Forest Trail – 1.7 miles (2.8 km); includes the hanging bridge
- Continental Divide Trail – 2.5 miles (4.1 km); includes the hanging bridge
- Each circuit costs $29/adult (previously, the day pass to explore all trails was $26/adult)
- The circuits have one-way direction only and no re-entry
- All visits now require pre-booked time slots with limited capacity (26 people per slot)
- Late arrivals result in forfeited reservations with no refund
- Visits end when your chosen circuit is complete; you cannot explore freely or stay longer
- No circuit changes allowed on-site
With these changes, you can no longer explore whatever trails you’d like and need to purchase entrance to a specific circuit at a specific time.
Tickets can be purchased directly through the Monteverde Reserve’s website.
Check in at Visitors Center
On the day of your visit, you will need to check in at the Visitors Center at your ticket time.
This new reception/ticketing office is about 1 mile (1.6 km) before the entrance to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. Below is a map with the location. They have free parking and will take you by van to the Reserve. The shuttle van runs regularly from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The van schedule is based on the circuit ticket times.
Ticket Prices
Foreigners, Price Per Circuit – $29/adult, $16/child ages 5-11. Free for children under 5.
Citizens and Residents, Price Per Circuit – $10 per person. Free for children under 5.
Hours
The Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve is open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Ticket times for the circuits start at 7:30 a.m. and go until 2:45 p.m., depending on which one you choose.
Booking a Tour
If you’d like help booking a good naturalist guide, we work with an excellent small local company in Monteverde. They take visitors on the Heart of the Forest circuit, which gives elevated cloud forest views and includes the hanging bridge. Make your booking request through our site using the links below. You won’t pay until your tour is confirmed. Learn more about our travel agency.
Driving to the Reserve
Many of the roads in and around Monteverde are still rough dirt. We recommend a 4×4 vehicle if you’ll be visiting during the rainy season (May through November). Read our post on Driving to Monteverde: Best Routes and Road Conditions for more information.
As for local roads, the road to the Reserve is flat and you don’t need a 4×4. It’s good to have an SUV for the clearance/bumps. Here’s a link to our Rental Car Discount to save 10% through a reputable rental company.
When to Visit – Avoiding the Crowds
The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is one of the busiest nature reserves in the area. It often gets busy, with busloads of visitors looking to discover the cloud forest. Avoid peak travel times like Christmas, New Years, and Easter to avoid the biggest crowds.
The rainy season, May to November, sees the fewest visitors.
Want to avoid the crowds? The Santa Elena Reserve is your best option for a cloud forest hike in the Monteverde area. It sees the least visitors by far. Although it’s harder to see animals here, you can see many birds and the environment is lush and beautiful.
Weather in Monteverde
The dry season in Monteverde is approximately January through April. During this time, the region receives less rain, but since it’s the cloud forest, rain is possible at any time. Temperatures are typically fresh, in the mid-70s°F (around 24°C) during the day and slightly cooler at night.
The rainy season is from May through November. Temperatures can feel slightly cooler during this time due to the moisture. The rainiest month in Monteverde is October. We have visited in June, July, and September, and the weather was decent, with rain mostly in the afternoon or at night. Learn more about the weather in Costa Rica.
What to Wear/Pack
We recommend layers and lightweight long pants. A poncho or raincoat is also a necessity as rain is frequent in the cloud forest.
For footwear, hiking boots or sturdy sneakers with good grips are best.
If you are planning a long hike, be sure to get an inexpensive backpack cover in case of a heavy downpour.
Check out our post on packing your day pack for more tips on what to bring for the hike.
Conclusion
Out of all the nature reserves in Monteverde, the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is one of our favorites. The trails are not only scenic and rugged, but also offer interesting viewpoints. We have enjoyed seeing the canopy from the hanging bridge and especially loved the view of the Continental Divide.
Have you visited the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve? Share your experience below.
Some of the links in this post are connected to affiliate programs we have joined. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Want more info for your trip to Monteverde? Check out these posts:
Monteverde: A Forest in the Clouds – Monteverde has a ton of options for hotels and activities. Our destination guide will help you figure out the best places to stay and things to do.
Monteverde Hummingbird Gallery – Right outside the Reserve entrance is this casual garden and cafe with feeders that attract hummingbirds. It’s a great, free activity!
A Night Tour in Monteverde – Learn about what you can expect to see for wildlife on a night tour in Monteverde.
Cafe Monteverde – Monteverde’s most famous crop is coffee. This sustainable coffee tour will show you how it’s made from bean to cup.
Monteverde Tours – View all the tours we book in Monteverde.
Things to Do: Costa Rica has so many activity options. Our Things to Do articles give 150+ ideas for everything from off-the-beaten path hikes to the best hot springs.
Visiting in March and had planned to visit Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. With the changes to the circuit, would you still recommend for hiking, or would you recommend a different location?
Hi Jimmy, Honestly, we would recommend visiting a different reserve unless things change at the Monteverde Reserve. It’s too restrictive with the new conditions on visiting. A lot of the local guides feel this way too and are not bringing their customers there anymore. Curi-Cancha Reserve is a great alternative, just down the road from the Monteverde Reserve. The local guide that we work with in Monteverde actually prefers it to the Monteverde Reserve anyway because it’s easier to see wildlife.
Has anyone had trouble booking on the Cloud Forest Preserve website? I am repeatedly getting an error code after entering all of my information: “Error: No activity ID provided”. I have tried Safari and Google with the same results.
Hi Wendy, I just tried it in Firefox and it let me get to the payment page. I can’t go past that without entering credit card information so not sure if I would get that error. Were you able to get it to work?
Thank you. I just tried it again with no problems. I appreciate you letting me know this.
Hello,
we have 1.5 days in Monteverde. I am wondering whether to do teh monteverde cloud forest hiking or the el tigre hiking. Both are beautiful .
thanks
Hi Soumya, We have not done El Tigre yet but it does look beautiful. The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is really nice as well but can get busy so it depends on when you’re visiting. We also love Curi Cancha, which is a great place to see birds and animals because of the varied habitats.
Between the Monteverde Cloud Forest and the Curi Cancha reserve, which one should we pick if our focus is on seeing wildlife (including birds). We will also be doing the Selvatura hanging bridges – so just wondering which one of these two we should add (would want to do a guided tour). Early January visit. Thank you!
The Curi-Cancha Reserve is much better for wildlife viewing. The guide we use for nature walks in Monteverde always tells us that. I think it’s because of the varied habitat at Curi Cancha.
Is there a reason to not stay at the La Casona Lodge at the Monteverde Reserve? Seems like easy access, plus lodging includes meals and the park entry fee.
Hi Carl, Staying right at the reserve at La Casona Lodge is a great option for basic, but clean and comfortable accommodations. Obviously the surroundings are beautiful too!
Hello, Thank you for all the information provided in your blog. I am travelling with my husband and 2 year old son to Costa Rica and will be in Monteverde for 2 days. I want to do a guided tour of the MonteVerde Reserve but unsure if it’s possible to do so with my 2 year old son. Most tours I see are 2-3 hours walking tours. Are these tours stroller friendly?
Hi Aarthi, Yes, most guided tours are 3 hours or so. The main trail at the Monteverde Reserve is not paved but it’s flat and possible with a stroller. We would highly recommend doing a private tour. In our experience, it’s much better with little kids because the guide can focus on only your family. We work with an excellent team of guides in Monteverde if you’d like help making the arrangements. They charge $70 pp for a 3 private tour and kids under 5 are free. We can send more info by email if you’d like.
Hi guys – great work on this site! We’re headed to Fortuna/Monte Verde in a couple of weeks, (2 nights Fortuna then 3 nights just outside Monte Verde). We’re looking for 4-5 hikes, that are a combo of guided (history, animal spotting etc) and interesting hikes on our own (scenery, exercise). Anywhere from 1-3 hours each would be fine. As a starting point, we’re thinking Monte Verde Reserve for guided, Arenal Volcano for unguided.
Appreciate your input on other great hikes to do with a guide (and recommended guides please!) and shorter hikes that are just as good without a guide, if you know of any.
Thanks so much!
Hi Garth, Let us know if you’re still looking for help with this. We know some time has passed since you commented. Thanks!
Hello! Have you done the Natural History Walk tour that Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve offers? Or would you recommend a different, private tour guide? We will be going in just over 2 weeks and we have plans for a coffee tour in the morning one day, hoping to go to the Reserve in the afternoon. It seems a guide is best way to see wildlife (which may be limited in afternoon, anyway). Trying to decide if guide is worth it, and if so, if we should just sign up for the 1:30 Natural History Walk, or arrange a private guide. Any recommendations welcome!! Thank you.
Hi Kae, It seems you are already in Costa Rica but please let us know if you still need help with this. We do work with a reputable company that offers guided tours of the Monteverde Reserve.
Hi there,
Thank you so much for all of these wonderful articles! It has made my trip planning a lot easier! We will be in Monteverde Feb 27-Mar 2, and I am wondering if you could recommend a naturalist guide that we can book for the cloud forest? Thanks again!
Hi Lisa, We will send you an email with information now. Thanks!
Would you be able to suggest some reputable naturalist guides and zip lining companies. Planning a trip for April. 🙂 Would you say half a day of hiking and then heading off to a zip line adventure makes sense? From what I’ve read most guided tours are about 2 hrs and then you can continue on other trails on your own.
Hi Nadia, Yes, a morning hike and zip lining in the afternoon would work. Or you could do a hanging bridges hike-zip line combo so you do both activities at the same place. Feel free to reply to this message if you’d like us to send more information about your options by email. Happy to help you with the arrangements!
thank you for all of your great information on your site, it is so helpful. I am going to Monteverde from La fortuna in february. I am traveling with my mom and 2 of her friends (early 70s). One uses a cane and cannot walk a lot. Could you email me some tours that we can do early morning, maybe hanging bridges? Then we are driving to Manuel Antonio.
Hi Jana, Sure, we will send you an email now.
Our family of 3 will be in Monteverde January 25 and 26. We were going to book a SkyWalk through skyadventures.com, but the website isn’t loading anything past January 2. What is your recommendation for a hanging bridges walk? My husband and daughter are very fit, but I have some mobility issues. I’m assuming the hanging bridges will be easy for me to walk while holding onto the side.
Hi Linda, Sky Adventures’ hanging bridges is a nice walk, but for your family, we’d recommend a different facility because the walk is a little easier. We will send you some information by email now.
We only have enough time & budget for either Selvatura or Sky Adventures. Which one would you recommend? Thanks!
Hi Amisha, Both experiences are great but somewhat different. We will send you an email tomorrow morning with more explanation to help you figure out which one would be best. Thanks!
I would love to get an email about this as well if possible? Thank you!!
Hi Mary, We’ll send you an email now. Thanks!
Hi I am looking for a guide who is knowledgable about birds for Monteverde in Dec
Hi Rose, We sent you an email earlier today with information for a couple of options for guided birding tours so please check your inbox. Thanks!
We are staying in the La Fortuna area during Christmas week. Would Monteverde be too far for a day trip? Is it possible to get a guided tour which would pick us up at our hotel and return us there at the end of the day, as we may not have a car? Thank you!
Hi Sheila, Due to travel time, we don’t recommend Monteverde as a day trip La Fortuna. It’s at least a few hours away so you really need at least one night, 2 is even better. Another option for somewhere closer is Bijagua, which has the awesome Rio Celeste Waterfall. The forest there is different than in La Fortuna- they have rainforest but also some cloud forest too. And it’s only a little over an hour away. Let us know if you need any help setting up a day trip there. We work with a great operator that does tours with transportation from Fortuna.
HI there!
Fantastic work you guys are doing. Thank you so much.
We are a couple traveling on our honeymoon. We are Planing on staying in La Fortuna and Monteverde, around Dec. 9. Was wondering if we can get a recommendation for decent budget hotels in good location in both areas, as well as reputable shuttle services and guides for Volcano (Arenal) and cloud forest (Monteverde).
We won’t be renting a car.
Thanks in advance.
Hi Daniel, Congrats on your upcoming marriage! We have hotel guides that you can check out for budget hotel recommendations – La Fortuna Hotel Guide and Monteverde Hotel Guide.
We also offer a custom itinerary service where we can recommend hotels specifically based on your preferences and also help every step of the way with arranging tours and transportation. Here’s a link to our Custom itinerary page with more info. If you’d rather have help with only arranging guides and shuttles, just reply to this thread and we can send more information. It’s best if you have your lodging already secured and itinerary finalized so that we can give you the most accurate quotes. Thanks!
We are going to Monteverde tomorrow and I see that you might have good guide suggestions for the cloud forest reserve. Would love to get a few names if possible. Thanks
Hi Melissa, we’ll send over an email with more information shortly!
Thanks for all of the wonderful and useful information on the website.
We are a family staying by Tamarindo and would love to make a day trip to Monteverde later this week. A few questions:
1. Google maps says the drive is ~ 3 to 3-1/2 hours (through Santa Cruz). Does this seem accurate?
2. Is a day trip even recommended (we have no issues driving and leaving early)?
3. We have a party of 6 (2 adults, 2 seniors (75+) and 2 kids (13 and 10) and wondered about your thoughts on a guided tour.
4. Are the paths manageable for seniors?
5. Is this (mid August) a good time of the year to go?
Awesome job on the site… keep up the great work.
Thanks so kindly!
Hi PJ, Yes, that’s a good estimate for the drive from Tamarindo. The faster route is what Google has (Route 21 to 18).
2. A day trip will be fine if you leave early. Just try to leave Monteverde in the early afternoon to avoid driving after dark (sunset is around 5:45 pm).
3. We’ll email you now with some info on a guided tour that would be good for your whole group.
4. It’s rainy season but usually it’s not too bad in the morning so as long as you get the hike in then, you should be ok.
Hello, Would you be able to recommend a guide for when visiting Monteverde Cloud Forest? Thanks
Hi Ruth,
Definitely! We’ve just sent over an e-mail with more information.
Thanks for your great website. I would also be interested in recommendations for guides for Monteverde
Hi Tim,
Great, we’ll send you an e-mail with more information shortly!
We will be in monteverde this weekend (2 adults, 2 kids) and wondered if you had ideas for a guide for the cloud forest?
Thanks!
Hi Joelle,
We do! We’ve sent you more information through e-mail.
Hi, Leaving for CR next week. Do you know if the road from San Jose to Monte Verde is still under construction and we should take an alternate route? Thanks for all of your great info!
Enjoying all the info on your site. We’d love recommendations for a family guide for Monteverde, we have ages 6 to 47 and also for ziplining for adrelaline seeking teenagers!
Thank you!
Hi Julie, We are sending you an email now with the info. Thanks!
Hi Jenn and Matt, love your site; so helpful. Can you give some recommendations for a guide for a hike in the Monteverde Cloud Forest? Thank you!
Hi Lynn, Sure, we work with some excellent guides for the Monteverde Cloud Forest hike. We’ll send you some info by email soon. Thanks!
Hey, I would also be interested in a guide for a hike in the monteverde cloud forest! Could you send me some information?
Thanks a lot,
Maren
Hi Maren,
Absolutely! We’ve just sent you an e-mail with more information.
Hello Jenn and Matt,
Thank you for all of your helpful information. My husband and I will be traveling to CR next month and plan to have 3 nights in Monteverde. I would be interested in guide for canopy and/or night tour, zip line recommendation (if you think Monteverde is best place to do this). Thank you so much!
Hi Jill, Sure! We will send you some recommendations by email soon. Thanks!
Would you be able to suggest some reputable naturalist guides that would be able to take a family of four on a hike of the cloud forest?
Hi Anthony, Sure, we will send you some information by email soon.
hi im planning a trip in end of january, coming to monteverde for a few hours en route from jaco to papagayo. was wondering the best way to experiance the cloud forest and some activities. i booked salvetura hanging bridge and zip line combo, but not sure if its as impressive as the biological reserve. let me kow what you think, thanx
Hi David, First, make sure you have allowed yourself enough time so that you’re not driving after dark. We don’t usually recommend visiting Monteverde as a day trip since it’s a long drive due to rough roads, though they are improving the road right now. Selvatura’s hanging bridges are a great way to experience the cloud forest, but it is different than visiting one of the reserves, like the Monteverde Reserve. You will be deeper in the forest if you hike the Monteverde Reserve and the vantage point is different since the hanging bridges are at canopy level. The Monteverde Reserve is also at the point of the Continental Divide. If you change your mind and decide on the Monteverde Reserve, let us know if you’d like a recommendation for a guide. You can do the hike self-guided but will see more with an experienced naturalist guide.
We (4 adults) will be visiting Monteverde Cloud Forest December 4,5 2018. We want to do a zip line tour and also hike in Monteverde or Curi Cancha or Santa Elena reserves. We have a rental car so we do not need transportation so we were hoping to just hire a guide at the entrance of one of the parks rather than do an organized tour. Are there guides available for hire at the entrances or can you recommend some? Which zip lining company do you recommend. Three of us speak only English, one is bilingual Spanish/English.
Hi Glenda, We recommend the Curi Cancha or Monteverde Reserve hikes. It’s best to arrange for guides in advance, so that everything is set when you arrive and you are sure to have a reputable naturalist guide to go out with. We will send you an email with some tour companies that we recommend for this and the zip lining.
Hi,
I am going to Costa Rica next month and wanted to say thank you so much for all your information it is extremely helpful.
I wanted to arrange the following and was wondering if you had any recommendations of which tours to use:
Arenal – do we need a tour guide, should we do zip lining here of Moneterverde? We were going to go to La Fortuna Waterfall and Arenal National Park, is there anything else you advise?
Monterverde – we wanted to do the hangning bridges and a canopy tour. Is there any you recommend please?
Manuel Antonio – do you have any rafting recommendations or contacts?
Uvita – we wanted to do a day trip diving to Cano islands – can you recommend any companies to book through? We really want to see the manta rays and other cool things.
Thank you so much
Hi Elena, Yes, we can help with all of this. We’ll send you an email with more info soon. Thanks!
Could you send some info on guides in Monteverde that you would recommend? Are 4x4s necessary in the dry season?
Hi Cathy, We realize it has been a couple of weeks since you commented asking for this information so please let us know if you still need it, and we can send it right away.
The 4×4 question depends on which direction you’re coming from. If from La Fortuna, yes, we recommend a 4×4 even during dry season. If you’re coming via Highway 1 from Guanacaste, the Central Pacific Coast, etc., you will take Route 606, which is now fully paved so no 4×4 needed.
My son and I are heading to CR for 8 weeks in April to do some charity work. We are hoping to get to Monteverde and are keen to do a zip line tour. Is it possible or do we need to head to La Fortuna and Arenal? Keen to avoid really touristy areas…
Hi Rachel, Monteverde has several options for zip lining. A couple of companies that we recommend are Sky Adventures and Selvatura. They both have elaborate zip lines and emphasize safety.
Hi Matt and Jenn, one other question: can you recommend any coffee tours around Santa Elena or en route to Guanacaste? Thanks!
Hi Jenn and Matt! Great website! Thanks for all the work! I will be travelling with my parents (both 70+) and kids of 3 and 5 years of age. My wife does not think we should hike to the hanging bridges fearing that it is would be too much for my parents and the kids. What are your thoughts? Any suggestions for places to visit with seniors and kids?
Hi Ben, If you do the right hanging bridges, they are a fantastic activity for older adults and young children. We have brought our son on them since he was first walking. We know of some great bridges in Monteverde/Santa Elena that are stable and don’t involve too much walking. Just contact us through our tour booking page if you’d like help arranging a tour.
For your next question about a coffee tour, we know of several good options in the Monteverde area, one of which is particularly good for kids. We’d be happy to help with that too. Just shoot us an email via that page I referenced above.
Hi Jenn and Matt,
We will be in Costa Rica mid December through beginning of January (unfortunately the majority of my boyfriend’s holidays are fixed, so no other option than busy season… we will be arriving in Monteverde 16 December afternoon (coming from San José) and stay for 2 nights before heading to La fortuna. I was thinking about visiting the cloud forest on the 17th, will it already be super busy then? The next day, I’d like to do a hanging bridges tour, either Selvatura or Sky adventures, which one would you recommend? And I guess if we do this first thing in the morning, we have enough time to reach la fortuna before dark? We’ve rented a 4wd ?
Hi Kelly, December 16-17 shouldn’t be too busy yet in Monteverde. It doesn’t get too crowded until right around Christmas usually and that’s well in advance of that so you should be fine. We’ll send you an email with our recommendation for where to do hanging bridges. And yes, if you do the tour first thing, you should have no problem getting to La Fortuna before dark. It’s about a 3.5-4 hour drive. Look for an email from us soon. Thanks!
Hi There
We appreciate all your great advice.
Our lodging is in La Fortuna Jan 1-5. We are a family of four with two teens. My question is: Can we take the boat across early in the morning (I think there is like a 7:30 am boat) and then somehow get to Monteverge (I think it’s around 1.5 hrs there) and see the rainforest/hanging bridge and then take the afternoon boat back? Is this possible to try? Thank you so much.
Hi Jill, The van-boat-van option across Lake Arenal is about 3 hours each way so that’s too much travel time to do Monteverde as a day trip. Better to do an least an overnight or save it for another trip if you don’t have time in your itinerary.
A really helpful & comprehensive preparation for our trip to Monteverde- thanks.
As you hinted, wildlife may be sparse. We bagged a millipede, hummingbird and pheasant like bird. It occurred to me that given the proportion of the park not accessible to humans, no wonder the wildlife goes elsewhere.
As you say; even without the wildlife it is an incredibly evocative place and the 2 hour trail we felt as though we’d got a good measure of it. We pitched up early afternoon in July wet season and was amazed we only saw 7 other people in there.