Monteverde Travel Guide

  Looking out over the Cloud Forest, on a...
by Tom_In_Madison
 
  • Looking out over the Cloud Forest, on a sunny day.
      Looking out over the Cloud Forest, on a...
    by Tom_In_Madison
  • The resplendent Quetzal
      The resplendent Quetzal
    by Tom_In_Madison
  • rainforest plant & our guide
      rainforest plant & our guide
    by Tom_In_Madison
  •   Things to Do
    by Snipernurse
  •   Monteverde
    by Snipernurse
 

Pro

frank_delargy profile photo

  Wonderful opportunity for rainforest activities 


Con

pollon profile photo

  colder weather than I expected... 


In a nutshell

BEETLE_VERTE profile photo

  So much to take in 

 

Explore Monteverde

Things to Do  

Sloth Sanctuary in Monteverde

Sloth Sanctuary in Monteverde, Monteverde

 MariusG Says:  Sloths are such cute animals, and these guys take care of injured animals or otherwise in need of help.The 1 hour tour starts with a short (10-15 minutes) video about the sanctuary history, followed by a 15 minutes explanation, and culminating with the view of some 10 sloths... 

Zip through the jungle!

Zip through the jungle!, Monteverde

 blueskyjohn Says:  Selvatura Park is one of the best places to try zip lines through the jungle. They have 15 cable zip lines and 8 suspension bidges as well as a tree swing. I have taken my students here twice and they had a great time. 

Monteverde Biological Reserve

Monteverde Biological Reserve, Monteverde

 Helga67 Says:  This cloudforest is a private nature park. It was founded by Quaker families that came from the US to Costa Rica back in 1951.At the entrance you will receive a map on which all the trails are indicated. There are trails ranging from a few hundred meters to several... 

Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve

Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Monteverde

 mim95 Says:  Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is the reason why ppl want to visit Monteverde. This famous reserve is actually not a national park, it is owned by a private, non-profit organization based in San Jose. At the entrance, there is a cafeteria that serves meals and snack. There... 

Guided walk in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve

Guided walk in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Monteverde

 mim95 Says:  There are numerous walking trails of various distance in the Monteverde Reserve. I highly recommand hiring a guide for a nature walk in the park. It is well worth the money as the guides have great knowledge of the area and can explain the fauna and flora, as well as... 

Ecological Farm Twilight Walk

Ecological Farm Twilight Walk, Monteverde

 mim95 Says:  I took a guided twilight walk in the Ecological Farm (Finca Ecologica). The view outside of the visitor center was truly amazing, as the sun was setting into the clouds. It was a two-hour guided walk along one of the four trails in the forest. It was very different from a... 

Learn Spanish while in Monteverde

Learn Spanish while in Monteverde, Monteverde

 dardila Says:  I recently traveled to Costa Rica with my College on a Latin American business environment trip. While we were there we took Spanish classes at Centro Panamericano de Idiomas (CPI). It was a great learning experience, not only from the Spanish classes but also from our... 

Animals in the trees

Animals in the trees, Monteverde

 frank_delargy Says:  When you are up near the canopy, you may see animals. You WILL see lots of vegetation. I heard somewhere that about 50% of the biomass is supposedly in the air plants alone!I think that because the zipline areas have more people (tourists) you are less likely to see larger... 

Night hike in the jungle

Night hike in the jungle, Monteverde

 blueskyjohn Says:  many tours can be found in Santa Elena for night hikes in Monteverde reserve. I found that Hidden Valley Trail is one of the best. Affordable with knowledgeable guides that know where all the animals are. It is an easy hike and flash lights are provided. Hikes usually start... 

Cloud Forest Reserve

Cloud Forest Reserve, Monteverde

 irinanyc Says:  A guided tour in the cloud forest was really a great experience. We have ordered a tour online through www.anywherecostarica.com/ website. The cost was $45 for adult. We have presented our vouchers at the entrance to the Reserve and were surprised it turned out to be a... 

Canopy Tours

Canopy Tours, Monteverde

 rhys55 Says:  This is a high-tech, high altitude, extreme and exhilarating version of the flying fox. Depending on the company you go with you traverse the forests at or above the tree-lines on nothing more than a harness and a cable (and good guides and instructors).This was the most fun... 

Hummingbird Garden

Hummingbird Garden, Monteverde

 Tom_In_Madison Says:  This is next to the Rainforest. There are always about 20 hummingbirds buzzing around. There is also a cafe here for a break. Lots of different types of hummingbirds. You can hear their wings beating, some 50 times a second if I recall...?Free of charge. 

Hotels  

Los Pinos - Cabanas y Jardines

 223 Opinions

Hotel Belmar

 168 Opinions

Restaurants  

Soda Mary's: Gest Gallo Pinto I Had

Soda Mary's: Gest Gallo Pinto I Had, Monteverde

 MStars Says:  As guests at the Cabinas Pueblos Hostel, the lady recommended to us to go to a certain soda up the hill. We went there, and didn't exactly enjoy it. Turns out from the guidebooks, it's her mother's soda. For our next breakfast we decided to try Soda Mary's, right next door... 

Morphos: Good local cuisine

Morphos: Good local cuisine, Monteverde

 Tom_In_Madison Says:  Nice restaurant designed around a butterfly theme. Upstairs just across from the big supermarket. Meal was very good, a veggie casado of salad, half a fried plantain, steamed veggies and of course rice & beans. I also had a very tasty lemonade. The bill includes the 10%... 

Transportation  

GPS in Costa Rica

GPS in Costa Rica, Monteverde

 irinanyc Says:  When arrived we have rented a 4-wheel car (which is absoluyely a must in Costa Rica) with GPS. It turned out to be hard to use. The map of Costa Rica was not complete and lacked a lot of distanations. Take into account that there are no precise addresses over there. A... 

Getting to the coasts without going thru SJ

Getting to the coasts without going thru SJ, Monteverde

 Tom_In_Madison Says:  Everything seems to go to or from San Jose. I didn't want to spend all day on the road going back there and then on to the Pacific coast. The local cheap buses would have taken up at least a day, maybe more. Flying back would have taken 2 days because of the timing. So I had... 

Warnings Or Dangers  

Canopy tour

Canopy tour, Monteverde

 mim95 Says:  I personally don't like the canopy tour, in which you whizz from one platform to another above the rainforest using a cable system. It is mainly for those who love the thrills. Keep in mind that you can't truly enjoy nature this way as you zip quickly across.Accidents do... 

have I got a room for you!

have I got a room for you!, Monteverde

 Tom_In_Madison Says:  Beware. When taking the jeep-boat-jeep to Monteverde(actually Santa Elena), the driver will arrive in Monteverde and pull over. An ‘owner’ of a local hotel will probably be there, and give you a great deal on a few rooms she has left. For one, it probably isn’t her hotel,... 

Tourist Traps  

Beware package deals from Flora and Fauna

Beware package deals from Flora and Fauna, Monteverde

 asheon Says:  The tour desk at Hotel Helicona was very pleased to sell us outrageously overpriced package tours that we were impossible to even take. For example, despite my numerous skeptical inquiries, they assured us that we could complete both a zipline tour, a canopy skywalk tour,... 

Off The Beaten Path  

Hotsprings in Monteverde!

Hotsprings in Monteverde!, Monteverde

 spintobecca Says:  Okay, so you need to take a 45 minute shuttle to get to them.. but they are owned by a Monteverde Hotel...?? Sooo worth it, nothing but virgin forests and pools of different water! Call the Hotel El Sapo Dorado for an excursion, they don't smell either! The attendant fed us... 

The Place

Plan a Monteverde vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Monteverde locals

Experience Monteverde
  •   198 Tips and Reviews
  •  401 Photos
  •  2 Videos
  Share your Travels  
Map of Monteverde
 

The People

3 Members Live Here
 
Our Members Say
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 Our first night in Monteverde/Santa Elena was horrible. This was like a warm bath to us.For a double room with private bathroom (warm water) and balcony we paid... 

3 members live in Monteverde

 

Questions and Answers

roamer61 profile photo

Q:  Hi. I am planning for a trip to Costa Rica for next year. What would be the ideal number of nights for the Monteverde/Arenal... 

roamer61 profile photo

A: Have u been there Pedmar? I dont generally work with US companies if it can be avoided as they jump up the prices. Looking to hear from people who have been there. 

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Top Monteverde Writers

1

Cloud Forests of Monteverde and Santa Elena

zrim profile photo

 I've got some interesting experiences in Monteverde. I'd love to share with you the 17 tips I've written, the 31 photos uploaded, and 2 travelogues I've created. 

2

Cloud Forest

grandmaR profile photo

 I've got some interesting experiences in Monteverde. I'd love to share with you the 12 tips I've written, the 18 photos uploaded, and 0 travelogues I've created. 

3

Green Mountain

Tom_In_Madison profile photo

 A small tourist boomtown. Lots of hotels, restaurants, bars and 4x4’s. You come here for the Cloud Forest or the zip-lines. The Cloud Forest is a half day to a full day. You can see birds, monkeys,...... 

4

Rainforest in the clouds = Cloud forest

Helga67 profile photo

 M O N T E V E R D E is located in the northern central part of Costa Rica and famous for its cloud forest. This part of Costa Rica is difficult to reach. Roads are very bad and will take you long to... 

5

Monteverde, beautiful cloudforest...

BEETLE_VERTE profile photo

 They say that the Monteverde area was first created by Quakers leaving the United-States, trying to avoid the conscription. They removed trees on their newly bought lands with the intention of... 

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