Costa Rica

Monteverde Activities

Aerial Tram

An aerial tram tour is ideal for visitors that wish to experience the forest canopy at a slow pace, or for those who have trouble negotiating the cloud forest’s rugged trails. For a slower journey, one local tram travels almost one mile through forest canopy, offering both day and night tram tours. The cars hold up to two individuals and may be stopped at one’s pleasure. The area’s more thrilling tram trip offers a bit more adventure, fantastic views and a little less nature, traveling up to one mile high on almost 5,250 feet of cable.

ATV Tours

After a brief practice session, the Monteverde ATV tour sets out on a two-hour, 12.5-mile journey along private trails and public roads. Adventurers enjoy fantastic views, glimpses of wildlife and a good dose of high-adrenaline fun.

Bird & Wildlife Watching

Monteverde’s private reserves, which include cloud forest, rainforest and pine forest, are superb for wildlife watching. Common sightings include hummingbirds, white-faced monkeys, coatimundis, three-toed sloths, agoutis, tree frogs and myriad insect species. The resplendent quetzal, one of the country’s most coveted birds, is most easily spotted in March and June, during its mating season.

Guided hikes offer the best birding and wildlife viewing in the area – trained naturalist guides are experts at locating animals hidden in the trees. The Monteverde Cloud Forest, Santa Elena Reserve, Hidden Valley trails, Cerro Plano Ecological Reserve and Children’s Eternal Forest are the best attractions for expertly-guided tours.

Canopy Tours 

Costa Rica’s first canopy tour was founded in the Monteverde area, and today, the region is dotted with many other exhilarating zip-line adventures. Wildlife is hard to spot on these tours – most creatures shy away at the sound of excited screams and buzzing cables – but flying through the treetops provides excellent views of the Nicoya Gulf and the surrounding landscape. True adrenaline junkies should book a tour that includes a Tarzan swing.

Canopy tours come in all shapes in sizes – some are big on adrenaline, while others incorporate the landscape into the day’s events. Monteverde’s canopy tours each offer 14 to 16 platforms, cable lengths reaching 2,250 feet, speeds up to 40 mph and rappels up to 90 feet. Several offer Tarzan swings, which range from mildly terrifying to heart-stopping. One tour even has an easy rappel through a giant strangler fig.

Coffee Tours

Before the cheese industry arrived, Santa Elena residents thrived on the coffee industry, which still employees many today. Two area coffee tours offer visitors a glimpse into the fascinating coffee process, following a red coffee fruit on its journey from the plant into the cup. Along the way, visitors enjoy sun-dried, dark-roasted and light-roasted coffee samples. 

Day Spas

After a long hike or a challenging canopy tour, your muscles may cry out for a bit of rest and relaxation. Several spas, in addition to a few on-site hotel spas, provide  pampering treatments like deep-tissue massages, mud masks and seaweed wraps.

Hanging Bridges

Three companies offer tree-top hanging bridges, allowing visitors to explore the forest canopy as never before. Bridges vary in length and height – the highest reaches almost 200 feet and the longest stretches for more than 500 feet. All promise fantastic opportunities to view the cloud forest’s wildlife, including sloths, monkeys and many birds. 

Hiking

Monteverde is full of hiking trails, mostly located in the area’s private reserves. The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve has eight miles of groomed trails; a map is included in the entrance fee. For a comprehensive park overview, take the trail triangle – a link between the Cloud Forest Trail, The Road, and Swamp Trail – for three and a half miles of animal sightings and pretty waterfalls.

Not to be outdone, the Santa Elena Reserve has seven and a half miles of rugged trails, each with varying lengths and difficulty levels. The reserve also provides a few handicap-accessible trails. The park’s knowledgeable guides can find even the best-camouflaged animals hidden amid the cloud forest.

Located between the Santa Elena Reserve and the Monteverde Cloud Forest, the Children’s Eternal Forest dwarfs both in size: at 54,000 acres, it's the largest reserve in the area. The forest is criss-crossed with hiking trails ideal for day and night (guided only) walks. The two-mile Jaguar Canyon Trail is well suited to bird watching, and is an easy hike.

Several other reserves dot the Monteverde area, including the Cerro Plano Ecological Sanctuary, the Hidden Valley Trail and the Tranquil Path Reserve. Each offers trails through primary and secondary forest, and several pathways lead to scenic overlooks, waterfalls and impressive strangler fig trees.

Horseback Riding

Tackling Monteverde’s rocky terrain is no easy task, and until recently, riding horseback was the transportation method of choice. Today, taxis and rental cars more commonly move visitors along the dirt streets and bumpy back roads, but horseback riding is a great way to enjoy the sights and sounds off the beaten path. Several established companies rent horses by the hour and offer guided tours. Horseback excursions to the nearby San Luis waterfall are particularly popular.

Night Tours

Many forest dwellers are nocturnal, so the best way to see a fully active cloud or rain forest is to visit during both the day and night. Luckily, all of the area’s private reserves offer night tours in addition to their daytime walks. As dusk falls, prepare to see frogs, owls, slumbering birds, porcupines and plenty of insect species. 

Trainforest Railroad

The Monteverde Trainforest takes visitors on a beautiful, four-mile journey through pristine cloud forest. On a clear day, riders will also enjoy scenic vistas of Lake Arenal and the magnificent Arenal Volcano in the distance. 90-minute train tours depart every hour between 7  a.m. and 5 p.m. Birding tours are available with prior reservations. (Located three miles north of Santa Elena's public school. 2645-5700.)

Trapiche Tour

A unique Costa Rican experience, this hands-on tour of an old sugar mill is run by a local family. Guests will explore their small farm, learn about coffee and sugar production, feed their tilapia, and take an ox cart ride. Learn the traditional ways of cultivating bananas, avocado and macadamia nuts, and finish off the tour with a homemade meal and sugar cane lemonade along with delicious coffee.

Monteverde Travel Guide