A perfect stay in Monteverde in Costa Rica: how many days and must do’s!
The best tips on traveling to Costa Rica: how to have an authentic experience in the Cloud Forest Reserve Monteverde in 2023
More than just hanging bridges and ziplining! Whether you have a 5 day Costa Rica itinerary or a 14 days itinerary, the Cloud Forest Reserve Monteverde is one of the best destinations in Costa Rica for not only wildlife and nature lovers, but also for those looking for authentic off-the-beaten path experiences too!
Where is the Monteverde Cloud Forest in Costa Rica?
What travelers think of the destination Monteverde in Costa Rica, is actually composed of three regions: Santa Elena, Monteverde and Cerro Plano. All experiences, lodgings and restaurants that are considered in the tourism niche to be “in Monteverde” are scattered throughout all three regions.
The Cloud Forest Reserve Monteverde is located between the Puntarenas and Alajuela provinces, in the center-north part of the country. When planning a Costa Rica trip, it’s best to pair up with other destinations such as Rio Celeste, La Fortuna (not off-the-beaten-path but very popular amongst tourists), Rincón de la Vieja or beaches in Guanacaste or the Nicoya Península (Sámara is one of our favorites!).
What is Monteverde in Costa Rica known for?
Mostly known for being the most famous Cloud Forest in Costa Rica (and perhaps in the world!). It’s mostly visited for birding, hiking, hanging bridges, ziplining and spotting wildlife in Costa Rica.
According the Wikipedia the Cloud Forest Reserve Monteverde alone “consists of over 10,500 hectares (26,000 acres) of cloud forest. It draws roughly 70,000 visitors a year. The Reserve consists of 6 ecological zones, 90% of which are virgin forest.[2] A high biodiversity, consisting of over 2,500 plant species (including the most orchid species in a single place), 100 species of mammals, 400 bird species, 120 reptilian and amphibian species, and thousands of insects, has drawn both scientists and tourists alike.”
However, it’s not the only reserve or cloud forest in Monteverde…and it’s actually not the biggest either! The Children’s Eternal Rainforest is a privately owned reserve measuring 22,000 hectares with a very captivating foundational story.
If you want to know about all the reserves and hiking spots there are in Monteverde, and how to choose the one that’s best for you, check out our Monteverde CoolGuide, with over 50-pages worth of tips for traveling in Costa Rica (Monteverde-specific) and special discounts to save hundreds of dollars on your next Costa Rican vacation!
Is there more than hanging bridges and ziplining in Monteverde?
From culinary adventures (Monteverde’s history started out with dairy farms), brewery tours, farm tours, wellness and healing experiences, coffee farms and ceremonies, cacao tours,...Monteverde is much more than the home of the longest zipline in Latin America!
When we went there to curate all the off-the-beaten-path experiences in Monteverde for our CoolRides Guide, I initially went for two weeks and didn’t have time to cover everything, so I had to return for another two afterwards! It’s crazy how much there is to do and how little information there is out there (which is one of the main reasons for CoolRide’s existence).
I want to see as much biodiversity and wildlife in Costa Rica as possible: what are your best tips on traveling to Costa Rica?
If you want to have the best possibility of seeing wildlife in Monteverde, then the #1 thing you have to do is to hire a guide.
However, not every guide out there is the most fitting, as some only specialize in birdwatching, others in flora, others in snakes/amphibians, etc. It’s actually quite hard to find a guide that has built his career by studying a mix of everything that Monteverde offers you- and that is Jorge, our CoolRides resident expert guide in Monteverde. You can find his contact information in our Monteverde CoolGuide.
I’ve heard about travelers doing a night tour in Monteverde. Should I hire a guide for the Cloud Forest in Costa Rica?
Besides hiring a guide in Costa Rica, the the #2 thing you will want to do if you want to spot as much out there is to go on a night tour, as 80% of Monteverde’s wildlife is seen at night.
All of the reserves offer night tours as well as other companies that offer specialized night tours only, but be careful who you choose because there’s a few that have been known to carry out ill-practices (such as strategically “placing” animals for travelers to “find”).
Tips for travel to Costa Rica: What to pack for the Cloud Forest
One of the main mistakes we constantly see travelers do when they come to Costa Rica is to not pack anything warm.
Yes, you’re coming to the tropics,..but given that we’re one of the most biodiverse places on the planet, this means that we have microclimates and diverse landscapes. In Monteverde’s case, you’re immersing yourself into the cloud forest and this means five words: humidity, rain, fog and lower temperatures (and sometimes lots of wind!). You will most likely get wet and at some point get cold, sometimes both. Pack a rain jacket, long pants and/or leggings, close-toed hiking shoes or boots, layering clothes (maybe a long-sleeve shirt and/or sweater) and dri-fit clothes galore!
How long to stay in Monteverde? How many days should I spend in the Cloud Forest in Costa Rica?
In our Monteverde CoolGuide detailed sample itinerary, we recommend that the perfect stay in Monteverde is 2 nights, 3 days. It’s the perfect amount of time to get to experience Monteverde’s essence and leave with a happy heart and full camera roll!
Having answered the question before, when we developed and curated all the experiences there were to do in Monteverde for our Monteverde CoolGuide, we did spend four whole weeks over there and we always found something to do. So if you feel attracted to the area and you actually want to stay for longer, we do recommend that you purchase the guide and explore everything there is to do over there and it’s really hard to find in normal Google searches or TripAdvisor recommendations. Most of what we found was through local research and off the beaten path experiences.
What are the hotels in Monteverde like? What other accommodation options are there?
From luxury hotels, glamping, ecolodges, treehouses and AirBnB’s, finding the best accommodation in Monteverde might get overwhelming.
The first thing you might want to sort out is what type of activities you’d like to do, and we’d recommend going into Google Maps and placing your chosen experiences and your list of preferred accommodations to see which ones are closer. Some lodging options may be further away than expected, and if you’re not renting a car in Costa Rica, or having your own driver, then it might be tricky to move around.