The cloud forests of Monteverde are absolutely enchanting. Take a hike through one of the two main reserves found here at Santa Elena or the Monteverde reserve itself. Catch a glimpse of the splendid quetzal as you explore this natural paradise. See all kinds of nocturnal rainforest critters on one of the area’s night walks. Nature lovers and people of all ages and fitness levels are sure to love all the available tours and activities in Monteverde. We’ve put together this activity guide for those who are planning a visit to this unique and beautiful area.
Jeep Boat Jeep Arenal To Monteverde
Half Day Adults: $32.00Enjoy your transfer from Arenal to the Cloud Forests of Monteverde with this very scenic route! A van will pick you up at your hotel in Arenal and drive you to the Arenal Lake (this will take approx. 1 hour), then you will board a boat to cross the Arenal Lake (approx. 1 hour), upon the other side of the lake you will have a different van drive you to your hotel in Monteverde (approx. 1 hour). This is a shared transfer with other people in the vans and boat. Your luggage will go with you the entire time. This journey takes around 3 hours and 30 minutes total.
El Trapiche Coffee Tour
Half Day Adults: $37.00 / Kids: $12.00El Trapiche tour, is a great way to learn about Costa Rica culture and food! You will have a guided tour of the family farm and learn about the production of Coffee, Sugarcane, and Chocolate! You’ll also learn about other important Costa Rican crops that are grown on the family farm. You’ll learn about the coffee process, how they pick the coffee to various types of the coffee processing. Then enjoy learning (and tasting!) how chocolate is made! You’ll also have the chance to ride in a typical ox cart to the Sugar Cane Mill (El Trapiche). At the Sugar Cane Mill you’ll learn about how the sugar cane is transformed from a plant to a sweet treat, you’ll even have the chance to make your own sugar cane candy! At the end of your tour you’ll have the chance to try coffee, fresh pressed sugarcane juice, and picadillo de arracache (a traditional vegetable dish) – a true taste of Costa Rica and Monteverde!
Whats Included: Transportation and guide
Recommended Ages: All Ages
Tour Duration (approximately): 2.5 hours
What to bring: Rain jacket, sweater, closed toed shoes, money to buy coffee or chocolate in the gift shop.
Guided Hike Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
Half Day Adults: $84.00 / Kids: $72.00Founded in 1972, the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve is among the most famous reserves in the world for its biodiversity, conservation, contributions, and scientific researches. This 3,500 hectare of land holds 2.5% of the world’s biodiversity, and it is one of the most important private reserves in Costa Rica. Including 4 different ecosystems, this forest offers a home to hundreds of different wildlife species.
Whats Included: A/C round trip transfer from and to your hotel in Monteverde; entrance to the reserve; experienced bilingual guide accompanied by telescope; binoculars; informative guides.
Recommended Ages: 8 – 65 years
Tour Duration (approximately): 4 hours
What to bring: Comfortable clothes; tennis or hiking shoes; camera; binoculars; mosquito repellent.
Night Walk at the Wildlife Refuge Monteverde
Half Day Adults: $27.00 / Kids: $25.00This Night Hike is an excellent opportunity to see the vast biological diversity in Monteverde up close. You have the chance to see animals that come out only at night. The Wildlife Refuge in Monteverde is a protected area of 30 hectares of beautiful cloud forest. Before your hike begins you will meet your guide and he will tell you about the tour and explain that you are allowed to take pictures without using a flash. Your guide will then lead you along trails and point out wildlife with a normal and special UV flashlight. During the tour you may have luck and see sleeping birds (hummingbirds, bellbirds, and toucans), kinkajous, sloths, monkeys, snakes, tarantulas, frogs, and a variety of insects! (Animal sightings cannot be guaranteed).
What’s Included: Transportation, flashlight and guide.
Recommended Ages: 6 – 85 years
Tour Duration (approximately): 2 hours + transfer times
What to bring: Rain jacket, insect repellant, long pants, closed toed shoes. Although flashlight is included you’re welcome to bring your own.
Canopy Tour at Selvatura Park
Half Day Adults: $50.00 / Kids: $35.00Are you ready for this Canopy adventure in Monteverde’s cloud forest? Fly through the lush and diverse habitats on their 15 cables and 18 platforms with an optional Tarzan Swing at the end of your tour. Selvatura Park offers the only canopy tour located inside the Monteverde Cloud Forest! Adrenaline, fun and breathtaking views guaranteed!
Whats Included: Transportation, guide
Recommended Ages: 4+
Tour Duration (approximately): 2 hours
What to bring: Sunscreen, insect repellant, comfortable clothing, closed toe shoes
Sky Trek & Sky Tram Monteverde
Half Day Adults: $84.00 / Kids: $58.00Experience the cloud forest from a bird’s-eye view while riding down the 8 zip lines on the Sky Trek. In between the rides observe all the fora and fauna on their wide steel platforms. You will be provided with a helmet, gloves, a harness and of course highly trained staff to guarantee your safety throughout the tour. You will have a totally different approach on admiring nature as well doing the Sky Tram. Enjoy the spectacular views on the rainforest while smoothly rising in their gondolas. There are 6 in total and allow people of all ages and even with some disability to explore the magical cloud forest.
Whats Included: Transportation and guide
Recommended Ages: 8+ (minimum height 4 ft. / 120cm)
Tour Duration (approximately): 3 hours
What to bring: Comfortable clothes; hiking or tennis shoes; camera; binoculars; mosquito repellent; some money for coffee or snacks.
Monteverde Sky Walk with Guide
Half Day Adults: $41.00 / Kids: $33.00On the Sky Walk you are able to use their trails and 6 bridges which extend over a distance of 2.2mi (3.6km). Start on the ground and continue your hike up in the treetops at a height of up to 5250ft. (1600m). Discover a rare habitat called the “canopy” with your guide and observe flora and fauna from different angles and perspectives.
Whats Included: Transportation and guide
Recommended Ages: All ages
Tour Duration (approximately): 2 hours
What to bring: Comfortable clothes; hiking shoes; camera; binoculars; mosquito repellent; some money for coffee or snacks
Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve Hike
Half Day Adults: $137.00 / Kids: $65.00Explore a huge variety of flora and fauna within this 310 hectares reserve located on the Tilarán mountain range. Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve was founded in 1992 and has been managed by the public high school board of directors since then. A certain percentage of the funds raised by this reserve is used in education for the youth in the community. You can find the water springs of Chiquito and Caño Negro rivers. Along with the Aguas Gatas they constitute a great amount of the water that feeds the Arenal hydroelectric power station. Get immersed in nature and discover the natural wonders that the cloud forest has to offer.
Whats Included: Transportation, guide and entrance fee
Recommended Ages: 4+
Tour Duration (approximately): 4 hours
What to bring: Comfortable clothes; hiking shoes; camera; binoculars; mosquito repellent.
Hanging Bridges, Butterfly & Hummingbird Gardens Tour with Selvatura Park
Half Day Easy Adults: $70.00 / Kids: $40.00Imagine over 100 beautiful hummingbirds flying cheerfully around you! That is what the incredible Hummingbird Garden has to offer you. The Selvatura Tree Top Walkways offer a 3 kilometers trail across the Monteverde Cloud Forest. There are eight different bridges with various altitudes between 50 and 170 meters. Each bridge has a capacity of up to 80 people making them both the longest and strongest bridge systems in the Monteverde Cloud Forest.
Whats Included: Transportation, entrance fee
Recommended Ages: All ages
Tour Duration (approximately): 3 to 4 hours
What to bring: Hiking boots or tennis shoes, shorts or pants, camera, sun block, insect repellant
Canopy & Hanging Bridges Tour with Selvatura Park
Half Day Moderate Adults: $80.00 / Kids: $65.00Selvatura Park is one of the longest Canopy Tours in Costa Rica with 15 cables, 18 platforms and an optional Tarzan Swing at the end of the adventure. Also, it is the only canopy tour located inside the Monteverde Cloud Forest. Selvatura’s Tree Top Walkways consist of a 1.9 mile (approximately 3 kilometers) trail that crosses the Monteverde Cloud Forest. You will walk on eight different bridges with various lengths ranging between 150 feet (50 meters) up to 510 feet (170 meters) and altitudes ranging between 36 feet (12 meters) up to 180 feet (60 meters). Each bridge has a capacity of up to 80 people making them both the longest and strongest bridge systems in the Monteverde Cloud Forest.
Whats Included: Transportation, entrance fee
Recommended Ages: 4+
Tour Duration (approximately): 4 hours
What to bring: Hiking boots or tennis shoes, shorts or pants, camera, sun block, insect repellant
Canopy, Hanging Bridges, Butterfly & Hummingbird Gardens Tour with Selvatura Park
Half Day Moderate Adults: $100.00 / Kids: $85.00Selvatura Park is one of the longest Canopy Tours in Costa Rica with 15 cables, 18 platforms and an optional Tarzan Swing at the end of the adventure.
Imagine over 100 beautiful hummingbirds flying cheerfully around you! That is what the incredible Hummingbird Garden has to offer you. Imagine over 100 beautiful hummingbirds flying cheerfully around you! That is what the incredible Hummingbird Garden has to offer you. The Selvatura Tree Top Walkways offer a 3 kilometers trail across the Monteverde Cloud Forest. There are eight different bridges with various altitudes between 50 and 170 meters. Each bridge has a capacity of up to 80 people making them both the longest and strongest bridge systems in the Monteverde Cloud Forest.
Whats Included: Transportation, entrance fee
Recommended Ages: 4+
Tour Duration (approximately): 4 to 5 hours
What to bring: Hiking boots or tennis shoes, shorts or pants, camera, sun block, insect repellant
El Trapiche Coffee Tour
Half Day Easy Adults: $37.00 / Kids: $12.00El Trapiche tour is a great way to learn about Costa Rica culture and food! You will have a guided tour of the family farm and learn about the production of Coffee, Sugarcane, and Chocolate! You’ll also learn about other important Costa Rican crops that are grown on the family farm. You’ll learn about the coffee process, how they pick the coffee to various types of the coffee processing. Then enjoy learning (and tasting!) how chocolate is made! You’ll also have the chance to ride in a typical ox cart to the Sugar Cane Mill (El Trapiche). At the Sugar Cane Mill, you’ll learn about how the sugar cane is transformed from a plant to a sweet treat, you’ll even have the chance to make your own sugar cane candy! At the end of your tour, you’ll have the chance to try coffee, fresh pressed sugarcane juice, and picadillo de arracache (a traditional vegetable dish) – a true taste of Costa Rica and Monteverde!
Whats Included: Transportation and guide
Recommended Ages: All Ages
Tour Duration (approximately): 2.5 hours
What to bring: Rain jacket, sweater, closed toed shoes, money to buy coffee or chocolate in the gift shop
Birdwatching Tour at Curi-Cancha Refuge with Desafio
Half Day Easy Adults: $126.00 / Kids: $54.00This tour starts in the lower part of a private farm in the pre-montane humid forest bordering Monteverde Cloud Forest. You are hiking along natural paths, with a variety of habitats. You have the opportunity to observe different birds in the secondary and primary forest. Frequently seen are Slathe-throated Redstars, White-eared Ground-Sparrows, Blue-Crowned Motmots, Orange-bellied Trogons, Keel-billed Toucans, Emerald Toucanets, Resplendent Quetzals, and Three-Wattled Bellbirds to name a few.
Whats Included: Professional guide; park admission; transportation; entrance fee.
Recommended Ages: 3 – 85 years
Tour Duration (approximately): 2 hours
What to bring: Comfortable clothing; walking shoes; binoculars; jacket.
Guided Hike in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve with Desafio
Half Day Easy Adults: $84.00 / Kids: $72.00Founded in 1972, the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve is among the most famous reserves in the world for its biodiversity, conservation, contributions, and scientific researches. This 3,500 hectare of land holds 2.5% of the world’s biodiversity, and it is one of the most important private reserves in Costa Rica. The 4 different ecological systems create the perfect home for hundreds of species wildlife.
Whats Included: A/C round trip transfer from and to your hotel in Monteverde; entrance to the reserve; experienced bilingual guide accompanied by telescope; binoculars; informative guides.
Recommended Ages: 8 – 65 years
Tour Duration (approximately): 4 hours
What to bring: Comfortable clothes; tennis or hiking shoes; camera; binoculars; mosquito repellent.
Birding Tour in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve with Desafio
Half Day Easy Adults: $138.00 / Kids: $116.00Observe the beautiful tropical bird species living in the Costa Rican cloud forests of Monteverde. From the famous Resplendent Quetzal to Three Wattle Bell Birds and Motmots. You will surely spot a few different species of the 400 known ones in Monteverde. Do not forget your binoculars!
Whats Included: Transportation, guide and entrance fee
Recommended Ages: 6 – 85 years
Tour Duration (approximately): 4 hours
What to bring: Comfortable clothes; hiking shoes; camera; binoculars; mosquito repellent; jacket
Night Hike at the Wildlife Refuge in Monteverde with Desafio
Half Day Easy Adults: $27.00 / Kids: $25.00This Night Hike is an excellent opportunity to see the vast biological diversity in Monteverde up close. You have the chance to see animals that come out only at night. The Wildlife Refuge in Monteverde is a protected area of 30 hectares of beautiful cloud forest. Before your hike begins you will meet your guide and he will tell you about the tour and explain that you are allowed to take pictures without using a flash. Your guide will then lead you along trails and point out wildlife with a normal and special UV flashlight. During the tour, you may have luck and see sleeping birds (hummingbirds, bellbirds, and toucans), kinkajous, sloths, monkeys, snakes, tarantulas, frogs, and a variety of insects! (Animal sightings cannot be guaranteed).
What’s Included: Transportation, flashlight, and guide.
Recommended Ages: 6 – 85 years
Tour Duration (approximately): 2 hours + transfer times
What to bring: Rain jacket, insect repellant, long pants, closed toed shoes. Although flashlight is included you’re welcome to bring your own
Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve Hike with Ocotea Tours
Half Day Easy Adults: $137.00 / Kids: $65.00Explore a huge variety of flora and fauna within this 310 hectares reserve located on the Tilarán mountain range. Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve was founded in 1992 and has been managed by the public high school board of directors since then. A certain percentage of the funds raised by this reserve is used in education for the youth in the community. You can find the water springs of Chiquito and Caño Negro rivers. Along with the Aguas Gatas they constitute a great amount of the water that feeds the Arenal hydroelectric power station. Get immersed in nature and discover the natural wonders that the cloud forest has to offer.
Whats Included: Transportation, guide, and entrance fee
Recommended Ages: 4+
Tour Duration (approximately): 4 hours
What to bring: Comfortable clothes; hiking shoes; camera; binoculars; mosquito repellent
Guided Sky Walk with Sky Adventures
Half Day Easy Adults: $41.00 / Kids: $33.00On the Sky Walk you are able to use their trails and 6 bridges which extend over a distance of 2.2mi (3.6km). Start on the ground and continue your hike up in the treetops at a height of up to 5250ft. (1600m). Discover a rare habitat called the “canopy” with your guide and observe flora and fauna from different angles and perspectives.
Whats Included: Transportation and guide
Recommended Ages: All ages
Tour Duration (approximately): 2 hours
What to bring: Comfortable clothes; hiking shoes; camera; binoculars; mosquito repellent; some money for coffee or snacks
Sky Tram & Sky Walk with Sky Adventures
Half Day Easy Adults: $70.00 / Kids: $48.00On the Sky Walk you are able to use their trails and 6 bridges which extend over a distance of 2.2mi (3.6km). Start on the ground and continue your hike up in the treetops at a height of up to 5250ft. (1600m). Discover a rare habitat called the “canopy” with your guide and observe flora and fauna from different angles and perspectives. You will have a totally different approach on admiring nature as well doing the Sky Tram. Enjoy the spectacular views on the rainforest while smoothly rising in their gondolas. There are 6 in total and allow people of all ages and even with some disability to explore the magical cloud forest.
Whats Included: Transportation and guide
Recommended Ages: All ages
Tour Duration (approximately): 3 hours
What to bring: Comfortable clothes; hiking shoes; camera; binoculars; mosquito repellent; money for coffee, snacks
Sky Trek & Sky Tram with Sky Adventures
Half Day Moderate Adults: $84.00 / Kids: $58.00Experience the cloud forest from a bird’s-eye view while riding down the 8 zip lines on the Sky Trek. In between the rides observe all the fora and fauna on their wide steel platforms. You will be provided with a helmet, gloves, a harness and of course highly trained staff to guarantee your safety throughout the tour. You will have a totally different approach on admiring nature as well doing the Sky Tram. Enjoy the spectacular views on the rainforest while smoothly rising in their gondolas. There are 6 in total and allow people of all ages and even with some disability to explore the magical cloud forest.
Whats Included: Transportation and guide
Recommended Ages: 8+ (minimum height 4 ft. / 120cm)
Tour Duration (approximately): 3 hours
What to bring: Comfortable clothes; hiking or tennis shoes; camera; binoculars; mosquito repellent; some money for coffee or snacks
Sky Walk, Sky Tram & Sky Trek with Sky Adventures
Half Day Moderate Adults: $104.00 / Kids: $72.00On the Sky Walk you are able to use their trails and 6 bridges which extend over a distance of 2.2mi (3.6km). Start on the ground and continue your hike up in the treetops at a height of up to 5250ft. (1600m). Discover a rare habitat called the “canopy” with your guide and observe flora and fauna from different angles and perspectives. You will have a totally different approach on admiring nature as well doing the Sky Tram. Enjoy the spectacular views on the rainforest while smoothly rising in their gondolas. There are 6 in total and allow people of all ages and even with some disability to explore the magical cloud forest. Experience the cloud forest from a bird’s-eye view while riding down the 8 zip lines on the Sky Trek. In between the rides observe all the fora and fauna on their wide steel platforms. You will be provided with a helmet, gloves, a harness and of course highly trained staff to guarantee your safety throughout the tour.
Whats Included: Transportation and guide
Recommended Ages: 8+ (minimum height 4 ft. / 120cm)
Tour Duration (approximately): 5 hours
What to bring: Comfortable clothes; hiking shoes; camera; binoculars; mosquito repellent; some money for coffee or snacks
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