Stepping Into The Cloud Forest

What Is The Cloud Forest

The Costa Rican cloud forest are created by vast trees and vegetation at elevations greater than 1,600 meters that help to produce a humid environment. These trees collect the mist from the weather being so humid and wet, which then creates the look of clouds. Hence, a delicate ecosystem is created. In addition, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is present to 2.5% of the worlds biodiversity, just within its borders.Want to know more about the area, then check out this website govisitcostarica.com.

What You Need To Know

Fee: Costa Ricans $7 Adult $4 Child (6-12 yo) $5 Student

Foreign $22 Adult $10 Child (6-12 yo) $10 Student

Hours of Operation: 7 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Elevation: ~5000-6000 ft

Best Season: Dry Season (Dec – May), but most expensive and crowded.

Second Best Time: Beginning of Wet Season (May – July) would work for you as well, just be prepared for wetter conditions.

Facts: Reserve was founded in 1972 after 328 hectares of land was donated and opened to the public in 1973. Now the reserve encompasses over 10,500 hectares. As a result, visitors can find numourous types of exotic birds to observe.

Official Website: cloudforestmonteverde.com

Map of Monteverde, Costa Rica

How To Get There

From San Jose Airport:

Driving:

Will need a high clearance vehicle.
87 mile
3 hour drive
Route 606
Fuel cost approximate: $13 – $19

Bus:

13 min by Bus, San José-Alajuela (Real Cariari)
- leaves every 10 mins
5 hours by Bus, San Jose-Santa Elena
- only twice daily
15 min by Bus , Santa Elena-Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
- 5 times a day
Fee: $6 – $15

Taxi/Shuttle:

5 min by Bus, San José-Alajuela
45 min by Bus to Naranjo
2 hr 20 min by Taxi Naranjo-Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
Fee: $142 – $182

Uber:

If you can find someone willing to uber you that far and they have a high clearance vehicle, then cheers!
Fee: $85 -$110

From Liberia Airport:

Driving:

Will need a high clearance vehicle.
64 mile
2 hr 10 min drive
Route 1, 145, 606
Fuel cost approximate: $9 – $14

Bus:

1 hr 20 min by Bus, Liberia – La Juntas
- 6 times a week
1 hr 9 min by Taxi, Las Juntas – Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
- 21.7 miles
Fee: $48 – $59

Taxi:

2 hr 10 min by Taxi Liberia-Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
Fee: $120 – $160

Shuttle:

3 hr 24 min by Shuttle, Liberia – Monteverde
- every hour
Fee: $45/person

Why You Should Take A Tour

Let me say, I have a Biology degree with concentration in wildlife, and honestly, I knew better than to assume I knew what to look out for. This forest is home to 161 species of reptiles/amphibians, over 91 species of birds, 6 species of mammals, 58 species of bats, and you get the idea. It would be in your best interest to hire a tour guide that will help you identify different species and vegetation in this lush landscape.

When hiring your naturalist guide, you should have the entrance fees included, as well as transportation. No you can not walk to the reserve. A guided tour will take about 3 hours. In addition, the guide will be equipped with binoculars and identification guidebooks.

In our experience, our guide was phenomenal. He was able to do various bird calls and was very dedicated to spotting organisms or fauna we would otherwise of passed up. In addition, you can choose one type of tour or all three, which would include the natural history tour, bird tour, and night tour.

If you prefer to just hike the trails and are not that intrested in identifying wildlife, then try downloading a self guided info and be your own tour guide.

Where To Find Your Guide

What To Bring

Hiking Shoes
Clothing for Hiking in
Raincoat
Insect Repellent
Waterproof Camera
Water
Snack
Cash for Tipping Guide

The Other Two Cloud Forest

Children’s Eternal Rainforest is the less crowed of the three cloud forest, yet it is the largest private reserve in Costa Rica. It’s Spanish name is Bosque Eterno de los Noños or BEN for short. In addition, its the most biodiverse and has 7 different life zones.

Santa Elena Cloud Forest is more wet and has more clouds since its at a high elevation. Due to the location you will be in, on a clear day you might be able to see the top of the Arenal Volcanoe.

Other Things To Consider

Monteverde Night Walk: There are many animals that are nocturnal, so the best time to see them is at night. Also, you have a chance to see a sloth, since they are nocturnal. We unfortunately did not see one on our walk, instead we had one fall into a river on us while staying at The Springs Resort. Some examples of animals we did see were a few Tarantulas, a Viper, ants, and a few sleeping Toucans.

To give you an understanding on trying to take a picture on the night walk. More of a seeing tour then photo tour.

Zipline Over the Cloud Forest: One of the best ways to see the cloud forest or part of Costa Rica is to take a zipline tour. It’s a great place to learn more about the habitat and it’s organisms while you get to see it from a different view.

White Water Raft the Sarapiquí: Another alternative to seeing what nature in Costa Rica means, is by rafting down a river while your surrounded by the rainforest and it’s sounds. This country has other great rivers to raft on as well, like the Pacuare River, which has been considered one of the best rapids in the world by many.

Hummingbird Garden: This garden is attached to the entrance of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. Great place to see or photograph some of the exotic hummingbird’s.

Monteverde cloud forest humming bird garden

SkyAdventures: This park is an eco-adventure park if you plan to stay in the area for a few days you should check it out.

Accomendations in the Area

Budget Hotels

Mid-Range Hotels

Monteverde Inn
Hotel Fonda Vela (we have personally stayed here and loved it)
Hotel Trapp Family

High End Hotels/Boutiques

Hotel Belmar
Los Pinos
Monteverde Lodge & Gardens
Tabacon Thermal Resort & Spa (it’s 13.7 miles from the reserve)

Have you hiked Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve? Did you enjoy yourself and would you recommend it to others? Have any other trails or places we should see, let us know in the comments section. Thanks for taking a look at our site and don’t forget to subscribe for future articles and tips.

The information on this website has come from research and by experiencing it ourselves. Opening hours, trail closures, prices, etc. are always subject to change. We try to keep up to date on any new information, or tips to help make your adventure more enjoyable.

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AdventuresofWifeSquared

My name is Shannon (37) and I grew up in the Los Angeles area, moved to Las Vegas for a few years and finally made my way to Phoenix, Arizona. This was the city, Camilla, lived in and thus, where we ended up living in. Since a child, I have had the pleasure to travel to 44 of the 50 States in the U.S. for summer vacations due to awesome parents who loved to travel.

From these trips, I grew a love of adventure and exploration. This increased to flying to different parts of the world when I met my girlfriend and future wife, Camilla.

With a B.S. in Biology (emphasis on environmental conservation), my wife and I try to travel with ecotourism and the protection of the countries environment being factor when choosing places. In the past I have worked with rescuing marine animals, like Horn Sharks to a juvenile Black Sea Bass from Power Plants to be rehabilitated and released. Another was hiking the hills of Griffith Park in Los Angeles, looking for the Western Grey Squirrel.

We would like to help other traveler's with inspiration and information on how to make unforgettable memories when exploring what the world has to offer. With over a decade of experience traveling, we can offer stories, advice, guides, and more. There is never a trip that doesn't involve some change of plans when you also have Tourette's Syndrome. Makes for a fun conversation or interesting changes of events.

Along with the travel blog, Adventuresofwifesquared.com, I shares as many photographs on Instagram, pins on Pinterest, and vlogs on YouTube. If you ever see us in the world, come say hi!