Experiences and local guides in Monteverde

Nature

Monteverde, at 1,400 m in the Tilarán range, is the best-known cloud forest on the planet: 2,500 plant species, 400 birds, orchids, mosses and giant ferns in a permanent mist rolling in from the Caribbean. The reserve was founded by Quakers in the 1970s; today Santa Elena is the base town, and the resplendent quetzal, the most sought-after bird in the Americas, nests here from February to July.

Activities

• Monteverde, Santa Elena and Curi-Cancha reserves with naturalist guides, at dawn for the quetzal
• Hanging bridges at Selvatura, Sky Walk and the Forest Train, ziplines and the Tarzan swing
• Night walks: sloths, tarantulas, red-eyed tree frogs and olingos
• Coffee, cacao and sugar-cane farms with local families, horseback rides to the San Luis waterfall
• Butterfly garden, frog pond, Cerro Amigos trails and a bike descent to the Gulf of Nicoya

When to go

All year, with mist and wind in any season. December to April is drier and windier; February to July is the quetzal nesting season; May to November brings afternoon rain and a greener, quieter forest.

How to get there

From San José (SJO), 3 to 4 hours by shared shuttle or car on route 606, the last 30 km on gravel; public buses from San José (5 hours). From La Fortuna, jeep-boat-jeep across Lake Arenal (3 hours). From Liberia (LIR), 2 h 30. Santa Elena is the base town; the reserves are 10 minutes away by taxi or local bus.