Monteverde Cloud Forest Tours: Why You Should Take One!
Should you visit the Monteverde Cloud Forest? Should you consider one of the Monteverde Cloud Forest tours?
Did you know only about 1% of the worlds woodlands are cloud forests? And despite that, nearly 15% of the worlds known species reside in them. Talk about biodiversity!
And the Monteverde Cloud Forest consists of 26,000 acres (10,500 hectares) where all of the critters and flora could be hanging out. This is where Monteverde Cloud Forest tours come into play.
Sometimes you learn things by doing something amazing (like our zip lining and white water rafting experiences) and sometimes you learn by not doing something.
This is something we learned by NOT doing.
While the Monteverde Cloud Forest is cool to see because, again, only a VERY small percentage of forests in the world are considered cloud forests, it is hard to get a full appreciation of it if you don’t know what to look for (like us!)
So here is everything you need to know about visiting the Monteverde Cloud Forest including our experience at the forest, the perk of Monteverde Cloud Forest Tours, which tour to take, cost, how to get tot he forest, how much time you need, what to bring with you, food options and more!
- About the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Preserve
- Best Monteverde Cloud Forest Tours
- Everything Else to Know Before Visiting the Monteverde Cloud Forest
- Final Thoughts on Monteverde Cloud Forest Tours
Work on Monday Travels is supported by readers and, at no cost to you, may earn commission when you book or purchase using our links. Full disclosure found here.
About the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Preserve
What makes a rainforest a cloud forest? While rainforests are prominent throughout the world, it takes a specific combination to make a cloud forest.
Elevation has to be high enough (2,500-10,000 ft) to drop the temperatures enough to create low-hanging clouds and mist or fog as it mixes with the high humidity. This creates constant moisture on the vegetation, even more-so than that of a typical rainforest.
While the cloud forest may not have as much wildlife diversity as that of typical, low land rainforests, they are home to many species that can ONLY thrive in areas like a cloud forest (which are decreasing by the decades.)
Therefore, many of the forests, like Monteverde Cloud Forest make efforts to conserve the forest and everything in it.
The dense canopy cover, ABUNDANCE of green moss and ferns, unique flora and wildlife make for a very unique experience!
Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve
The Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Preserve is located just on the outskirts of Santa Elena, Costa Rica, and as the name suggests, is a leader in wildlife conservation.
If you have started looking into visiting the Monteverde Cloud Forest, you may have noticed that it is expensive to visit, with a tour guide or not.
General entrance into the park is $26 USD per person. This ended up being one of the most expensive things we did other than zip-lining and white water rafting.
But, as you can probably guess by now, most of that money goes to the conservation efforts of the cloud forest.
Monteverde Cloud Forest has round 7.5 miles (12km) of trails that take you through different parts of the forest. Conveniently, many of them are a loop, so you can opt to take a shorter or longer loop, based on preference.
It also is home to hanging bridges, which you may have noticed are pretty popular in Costa Rica. The hanging bridges will get you a little more close and personal with the canopy of the forest (though they were closed when we visited 🙃)
Why Opt for Monteverde Cloud Forest Tours?
The cloud forest is one of the most biodiverse places in the world, so there are loads of different reptiles, birds, monkeys and flora that reside in the forest.
But it is a large place (over 26,000 acres, remember?), and if you don’t know where to look the experience is not the same.
If you are well-versed in the flora and wildlife of a cloud forest and have the time to walk slowly through the trails, you may be fine without a guide and still have a great experience.
However, if you are like me and don’t have the knowledge (or all day to look,) then a guide will SIGNIFICANTLY add to the success of seeing what the forest has to offer and the efficiency of doing it.
Our experience in the Cloud Forest WITHOUT a Tour Guide
Our experience wasn’t the best.
We opted to visit the forest on our own. And without a guide, it kind of felt like we were walking through the Smokey Mountains in Tennessee in some parts of the park.
Though we did, obviously, notice the very large trees that were moss-covered that are common in a cloud forest, we didn’t see any wildlife and probably a small percentage of the flora. We just didn’t know where to look.
We left feeling a little disappointed (especially since the price is so steep and the hanging bridges were closed when we went) and decided that we should have taken a guided tour through the forest if we were to do it again.
Best Monteverde Cloud Forest Tours
So, which guided tour should you take? As you know, we didn’t take one, but I’ve done research and have found the two options I would choose from if I were to do it again.
Guided tours to the Monteverde Cloud Forest are going to cost about $30-40 per person and that doesn’t include your ticket into the park. Right? Visiting the Monteverde Cloud Forest is a commitment.
Walking Guided Tour Through the Forest
One of the most popular guided tours is through Aventura’s Local Monteverde Travelers, which is around $30 per person.
With this tour, you purchase entry tickets either at the gate or online.
The tour is around 2.5 hours long with a guide who knows the forest and where to look. They also provide equipment such as telescopes that will allow you to see the birds better.
Secure a Guided Tour ⬇️
Guided Monteverde Cloud Forest Tour + Entrance Ticket
Or, if you don’t want to purchase your own tickets, the same company offers tours that include entry tickets. However, the price ($69) ends up being higher (convenience pays, right? 🙃)
Again, this tour is lead by the same company and is also 2.5 hours long. It provides the same equipment as well, so the only difference is that the entry ticket to the forest is included in the ticket price.
Secure a Guided Tour + Entrance Tickets ⬇️
Everything Else to Know Before Visiting the Monteverde Cloud Forest
If you really have an interest in crazy, unique flora and/or wildlife like birds, monkeys, etc you will love the cloud forest. Here is everything you will need to know about visiting including how to get there, how much time you will need, what to wear and pack and more!
How to Get the Cloud Forest
Drive Yourself: I’ll stand on the hill that the best way to get around Costa Rica is to rent a car, especially if you plan to visit more than one area of Costa Rica.
Zoom (Carefully 🤪) Around Costa Rica!
We visited Monteverde as well as Manuel Antonio and the Arenal/La Fortuna area so we opted to hire a car. It was a GREAT way to get around!
However, I understand some people aren’t comfortable with driving in another country, so you have other options.
Shuttle from Santa Elena: Some hotels will help reserve a shuttle from the hotel to the cloud forest (not sure how much this will cost; probably varies per hotel.)
Taxi: You can find a taxi in Santa Elena that can take you directly to the entry as well. According to Rome2Rio, this will cost around $11-14.
Bus: This is definitely the cheapest option. Buses run several times a day from Santa Elena to Monteverde Cloud forest for only $1-2.
Tour: If you don’t want to find your own ride, you can opt to take a guided tour that offers hotel pick-up and drop-off from Santa Elena. This tour is around $85 per person.
Parking Situation
The Monteverde Cloud Forest now has its own designated parking lot. As with many things in Costa Rica, this comes with a small fee (around $5.)
However, there is a shuttle that will take you from this parking lot to the entrance of the Monteverde Cloud Forest.
If you don’t want to pay the $5 fee to park in the parking lot, you may be able to find parking on the side of the road near the entrance. However, these spots are limited so you need to get there early to secure one.
And know, it can be a little hard to get in/out of these spots, especially during the busy times.
How Much Time to Allot for Monteverde Cloud Forest Tours (Guided or not)
You can really spend as much time as you prefer in the cloud forest. However, I would plan to be there for no less than 3 hours.
The Monteverde Cloud Forest tours are around 2.5 to 3 hours as well, plus factoring in the time to get there early to meet the guide.
The Monteverde Cloud Forest is open from 7am to 4pm, so ensure that you get to the park in time to finish seeing it before it closes! (I wouldn’t get there past 1 or 1:30 pm.)
Food Options at the Monteverde Cloud Forest
There are a couple of restaurant/cafe options at the entrance to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve.
Raices Restaurant: A restaurant that offers larger meals such as traditional Costa Rican cuisines, quesadillas, sandwiches and more. It has an outside portion with a view of the forest.
Cafe Colibri: More of a coffee shop that offers coffee, tea, and smaller snacks like pastries, sandwiches, etc. The cafe sits just beside the Monteverde Hummingbird gallery where you can step outside and see lots of hummingbirds enjoying the feeders as well a gift shop.
What to Wear and Pack for the Day
The weather in the Monteverde Cloud Forest can be moody. It may feel warm and humid at times, then become more cloudy and cool and then start raining. So be prepared for anything.
Like the rest of Costa Rica, you should wear breathable material. Whether you need to wick sweat or rain, you don’t want to hold onto moisture.
Breathable Bottoms: Either a breathable short like Columbia shorts or an athletic material like compression shorts are good options.
Top Layer: Some kind of light layer you can slip on if it cools off, especially if you plan to visit during rainy season or early in the morning. A button up shirt or thin athletic material pullover will work well (my sweater was too thick.)
Rain Jacket: There is a pretty good chance of running into rain, even if its brief. During rainy season I recommend a rain jacket, but during dry season a small umbrella may be better. Marmot has great rain jackets (I used an Anorak version), but you can also find cheaper Amazon brands as well.
Waterproof Hiking Shoes: The trails within the forest are well-maintained, but dirt nonetheless. And if it rains, they are a bit muddy. The Columbia Newton’s are highly rated.
Small Backpack: If you don’t want to wrap your layers around your hips, bring a small backpack to carry your layers and goodies. I like the Osprey Daylite packs because they are lightweight but still have the chest and hip straps for comfort.
Shop
Final Thoughts on Monteverde Cloud Forest Tours
While, in all honesty, visiting the cloud forest wasn’t at the top of our “favorites” list (it had hard competition since there are so many amazing things to do in Costa Rica!) I do think we didn’t get the most out of it due to our lack of knowledge about the cloud forest.
If you really are interested in the biodiversity of the Monteverde cloud forest, I recommend having a guide with you, especially for your first time!
Something you NEED TO DO while you are in Monteverde is going zip lining! Monteverde is the BEST place in Costa Rica to do it! Here is everything you will need to know about zip lining in Monteverde!
Save Pin for Later!
