Monteverde is one of Costa Rica’s most popular destinations. There’s a reason why. The cloud forests of Monteverde are misty fairy lands that cling to the mountainsides. The trails of the area’s various reserves are dripping with vegetation. Vines and mosses hang from the limbs of towering trees and the forest shimmers with more shades of green than you ever knew existed.
Bird songs and the rustling of forest creatures echo through the mist, but the forest is so thick here the only animal life you’re likely to see are the groups of other tourists stomping through the muddy trails. That’s okay. Monteverde has enough magic for everyone.
What to Know Before Visiting Monteverde
Monteverde, centered on the town of Santa Elena, is one of Costa Rica’s most well-known and well-visited destinations. The area is nestled in the mountains that span the continental divide. It’s high enough above sea level that you’ll want a sweatshirt in the evenings. It’s also quite wet. You’ll sometimes literally be hiking in a cloud, so bring a raincoat.
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Monteverde’s History
Scientists have found artifacts from native groups in the Monteverde area dating back to 3000 BC. The Spanish invaded a few thousand years later, but they failed to find gold so they mostly ignored the region. In the early 20th century, Costa Ricans began to come to the Monteverde area to farm and work in nearby mines.
In the 1950s, a group of Quakers from the United States arrived in Monteverde, escaping the draft for the Korean war. To these pacifists and conscientious objectors, Costa Rica must have seemed like the perfect place to go. The country had recently abolished its army, after all.
The Quakers built a town and a bunch of farms. They also set aside a big chunk of virgin cloud forest. That chunk of forest became the Reserva Biológica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde, or Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. Decades later, the people of Monteverde found the Costa Rican goldmine the Spanish had failed to discover: eco-tourism.
Transportation to and Around Monteverde
Despite its mountainous location, Monteverde is relatively easy to get to. You can drive from San Jose, La Fortuna or Liberia in about 3 hours or so, depending on how often you stop to take photos. The roads here, as elsewhere in Costa Rica, vary in quality. Look out for pot holes.
The public bus is pretty easy, too. Direct buses depart from San José or Puntarenas, and indirect buses are possible from almost anywhere else. You can find more information on bus routes from the helpful Centrocoasting.com
A lot of sights around Monteverde are pretty spread out, but the town of Santa Elena itself is small and easy to walk around, if not particularly scenic. Most of what you’d want to visit is walkable, or accessible by bus. You can take a bus to both the big cloud forest reserves without too much trouble. You can also drive, but the roads to the reserves are especially bumpy and not the sort of place to bring an uncovered cup of coffee. The bus isn’t any smoother, but it’s cheap. Inquire locally for schedules, as they change regularly.
What to Do in Monteverde
The main reason you came to Monteverde is to immerse yourself in the magic of the cloud forest. That’s very easy to do. The Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve and the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve are the two big natural areas, and both are worth visiting. There are also all sorts of smaller private nature reserves scattered throughout the area.
Agencies in town advertise ATV tours and ziplines and other sorts of loud, obnoxious activities. I prefer to just wander around in the forest, but that’s me. Prepare to spend money here. Traveling to one of Costa Rica’s most popular destinations has its costs. Everything I’ve listed below is, in my opinion, worth the price.
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Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve
The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is the glamorous star attraction of the Monteverde show. This is where you can see the vast acres of mostly virgin cloud forest, protected by the Quakers so many years ago. The reserve houses hundreds of species of birds and animals as well as thousands of plants. So many plants, in fact, that animal sightings are almost impossible due to the thick vegetation. The reserve is still worth it.
The Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve is also very popular. It’s one of the most popular nature reserves in all of Costa Rica. That means you’ll have to share the trails with other, sometimes loud and annoying, tourists. Thankfully, the crowds thin out the further you hike, so if you’re willing to walk you might find sections of the forest all to yourself.
The reserve has a well-developed network of maintained, easy to moderate trails. Everything is well signed so it’s hard to get lost. I spent most of the whole day here both times I’ve visited. Make sure you stop by the onsite park café to watch the hummingbirds buzzing around the feeders. You can get to the reserve easily by car or bus from town.
You can visit the official website for reservations and tickets, but don’t expect a lot of information.
https://cloudforestmonteverde.com/home/
Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve
While it might not be as famous, Monteverde’s second cloud forest reserve is no less impressive. The Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve is a community ecotourism project that’s actually owned by a local high school. The reserve covers a similar habitat as the Monteverde reserve, but is secondary growth forest. That means that the vegetation is less thick. You miss the magic of untouched virgin forest, but have a better chance of seeing birds and animals.
The Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve also has the advantage of being less popular than the Monteverde Reserve. The trails are no less well maintained, though. It’s also fairly easy to get here by car or bus from town. Visit the Santa Elena reserve’s website for more information.
Orchid Garden
The Monteverde area supposedly has the most varieties of orchid of anywhere in the world. Unfortunately, orchids are notoriously difficult to spot in the wild, so you probably won’t see any at during your hikes. Don’t worry. The Monteverde Orchid Garden has you covered.
This private orchid reserve is located right smack dab in the middle of the town of Santa Elena. It’s a bit more polished than the orchid garden we visited in Cobán, Guatemala. They offer daily tours in English and Spanish and even provide magnifying glasses to view some of the really teeny tiny orchids. Much like Meryl Streep’s character in the movie Adaptation, the Monteverde Orchid Garden will give you a new appreciation for these magnificent little flowers.
https://monteverdeorchidgarden.com
Night Tour
Besides hiding orchids, the cloud forest is home to hundreds of species of animals. Unfortunately, many of those animals are nocturnal. If you want a chance of seeing them, you’ll need to book a night tour. You can book night tours through the official Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, but this little outfit is another popular option. You’ll be driven to a private forest reserve, clumped together with a larger group and guide, given flashlights, then herded off into the dark jungle night.
The reserve can sometimes feel a bit crowded, especially when you see the glint of another group’s flashlights through the trees. However, the guides all work together, so if one of them spots something interesting, they radio the others to come see.
If I’m being honest, I’ve done better Costa Rican night tours in Tortuguero and the Osa Peninsula. However, this one is still a lot of fun and still worth it during a stay in Monteverde.
https://elbosquemonteverde.com/monteverde-night-tour
Bat Jungle
Speaking of nocturnal animals, one of my favorite things to do in Monteverde has to be the Bat Jungle. This little zoo slash museum is located on the road to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve and is dedicated to all things bat.
Okay, so maybe the whole thing is geared towards children. But maybe my inner child is still fascinated by bats, and so I was very happy to join a tour filled with children and families to learn about these intriguing nocturnal flying mammals. Also, I think the fruit bats especially are kind of cute, and it was cool to see them squeaking and fluttering around at feeding time. If you’re a bat afficionado, or maybe your inner child is kind of goth, the Bat Jungle is well worth your time.
Murcielago Waterfall
If you know a little Spanish, you might expect the Murcielago Waterfall to also have something to do with flying nocturnal mammals. It doesn’t, and I have no idea why they named it the “bat waterfall.” Maybe because it’s just down the road from the Bat Jungle.
Either way, it’s a nice little private nature reserve. There’s a short, easy trail that leads down to the waterfall, and it’s possible to see monkeys cavorting in the trees overhead. Also, the person who owns it (or at least who runs the ticket booth) was super friendly.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068966275136
Coffee Tour
Okay, enough about bats and nocturnal creatures. Maybe you’re a morning person. If so, you probably appreciate a good cup of coffee. You also, then, might appreciate that the mountains surrounding Monteverde are perfect for growing coffee. If you’re curious about growing and processing coffee, Café De Monteverde offers daily tours of their coffee farm. You can see the whole process of how coffee goes from an unassuming berry to a hot cup of smoldering caffeine.
https://cafedemonteverde.com/reserve-a-farm-tour
Wander Around
All the activities above cost money. Sometimes a lot of money. That’s literally the price you pay for visiting one of Costa Rica’s top tourist destinations. Thankfully, one of my favorite things to do in Monteverde is completely free: walk around. The town of Santa Elena itself is nothing special, but there are all sorts of lonely dirt roads that crisscross the surrounding countryside. The area is quite safe and you might stumble across an amazing view across the mountains. At the very least, you’ll breathe in some fresh air and get some exercise. Pick a random direction and go.
Final Thoughts on Monteverde
Yes, Monteverde is crowded and developed. Yes, even some of the things I mentioned above are a bit touristy. Monteverde is one of Costa Rica’s most popular tourist destinations, it’s going to have tourists and touristy stuff. But sometimes destinations are popular for a good reason.
Monteverde is a prime example of what makes Costa Rica so special. There are few places in the modern era where wilderness is so accessible. Where you can lose yourself in the magic of the natural world without, you know, actually getting lost.
Standing in the middle of the cloud forest, surrounded by mist and almost overwhelmingly thick vegetation as the songs of birds echo out from the undergrowth, the other tourists won’t matter. You’ll feel the ephemeral magic that draws in so many visitors here.
If you want to explore more of Costa Rica’s magic, check out our guide here: Come to Costa Rica: A Travel Guide to the Tourist Hotspot I Still Love
