Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Preserve

Beautiful place! Must include when visiting Costa Rica. Well maintained and clear hiking trails. They have posted signs at various locations to educate you on local flora and fauna. I’d recommend Hiking shoes or shoes with non slippery soles.

Absolutely worth the trip up the winding, dirt roads to this ecological wonder. I didn’t do a guided tour, opting instead to hike and tour the grounds by myself. Interpretive trails still provide lots of information along your path. I spent about 3 hours exploring the trail system, listening for birds and observing the diverse array of nature that makes up the rare Cloud Forest. I would gladly go again and spend much more time here. Admission is $26 and parking is $5, unless you arrive early enough to park along the road.

We bought our tickets very early morning so we would have the whole place to ourselves. Took many great photos and the clouds looked like fog. The greenery was great and the red bridge fit perfectly in photos. Highly recommend getting tickets early morning. Also, there was a restaurant that had hummingbird feeders and we got many good pictures of hummingbirds.

We spent a wonderful wet and cloudy day in the reserve. We walked virtually all of the trails ( about 13km) and hardly saw any wildlife at all!

Seriously, it was the perfect way to experience the Cloud Forest. Whilst some blue skies and a view of the Continental Divide would have been ideal, it was just amazing to be able to spend a day walking through the lush, green forest and ferns, and experience one of the rarest habitats on earth.

We did see some spider monkeys very briefly and caught a glimpse of a pair of Resplendent Quetzals, but other than that, just greenery.

If you really want to see wildlife, you maybe disappointed, especially if it's raining. Go to experience the forest.

We got their early (7.30am) and paid at the reception to get in. ( Didn't need to book in advance) We didn't use a guide.
The trails are really easy to follow and we'll signposted so it's very hard,if not impossible, to get lost. There are some less popular narrow and steep trails where we felt alone and very peaceful. We loved those!

Your entrance receipt means you can go in and out as many times as you want in a day. So if you want to walk some trails, then come out and have lunch in the cafe, and go back in, that is allowed. The cafe has humming bird feeding stations so you can watch them while you drink your coffee!

In all honesty I did not choose to do a guided tour of this forest. I’m on a budget and therefore I did a self guided tour and it was excellent. I didn’t see many animals but the hike was lovely. Great viewpoints and a nice 6km route

The highlight of my trip was this fabulous park. We went on the Historical Walk through the park reservation system with a guide. The guide gives a lot of information about history, plants, wildlife. They bring a scope so you can see close up of wild life. What was really special was seeing the Resplendent Quetzal!

Absolutely beautiful lush green cloud forest to walk in! Get a guide to see the most. We actually saw the Quetzals. Amazing! Make sure to go see the hummingbirds too… they fly right by you!

Beautiful tropical forest. We were able to see some animals while in the trails.
Off street parking was easy on a weekday. Tickets are sold per day so worth going and spending the full day there.

We took a guided tour and it was worth the extra $25US per person. We learned a lot about the growth of the forest and saw birds that we would not have spotted on our own. After the tour, we stayed in the forest and took the trail up to the continental divide. We were in the clouds and couldn't see anything but it was a great experience. There's also a hummingbird garden that is free and worth visiting. There are many varieties of hummingbird. Make sure you bring a raincoat: you'll need it.

The trails are well marked, not too difficult even for beginner hikers. Make sure you go early to get in as we arrived at 7:08am and there was already a line to buy tickets. Definitely see the waterfall and go to the observation deck!

These forests are so interesting and easy to navigate. Well maintained accessible paths lead you into another world. The canopy is teaming with life. Maybe, if you arrive early enough, you might catch a glimpse of the elusive camouflaged wildlife. Or just enjoy the diverse flora and fauna all around you.

One of the most magical parks of Costa Rica. We walked the Sendero Roble which was tough but great. Secluded and more lush. A ton of elevation change so probably not ideal for smaller children or seniors with mobility issues.

Absolutely amazing place. DEFINITELY get a guide - they know where everything is and spot things you never would in a million years. We saw some truly incredible wildlife and plants.

We had an amazing time at the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Preserve. We stayed at the Casona Lodge and reserved an historical day tour as well as a night tour. Three meals per day are included in the lodge reservation. The food options are all traditional Costa Rican dishes with fresh juices. The biggest benefit of staying at the lodge was seeing the animals that showed up right outside! We saw a Coati, white-faced monkey and a green parrot just outside of the lodge!

The accommodations were exactly as described on the website. We learned the hard way that you cannot flush toilet paper. The sign said no flushing paper towels or trash, but it meant toilet paper. There is also a hummingbird area within a two minute walk where we saw a ton of hummingbirds. The service at the restaurant was superb. The Preserve tours were a really great experience. We also received free passes into the Preserve to hike around without a guide.

I recommend this location for the tours and if you're looking for onsite accommodations. We stayed for three nights and that felt perfect. The drive up the mountain is a little nuts but so beautiful!

Definitely worth a visit! It lived up to it's name, lots of neat trails to walk. We visited the Waterfalls, suspension bridge and of course, got to see the cloud forest. Sunny and clear on the way up and a comfortable 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the clouds. You can stand on the viewing deck as the clouds roll over you!

Best nature hike that we experienced in Costa Rica, one of the best we had around the world. True cloud forest!
There are many trails that you can take, with different levels of difficulty.
We managed to do literally all trails within one day, carrying our 2 year old in the backpack. We entered 3 times thru the day to do different hikes.
Careful with „Sendero Roble“ this one is moderate to high difficulty, basically 1km of climbing - we enjoyed it!

Very interesting place! Even though (but maybe because) it was raining towards the end when we visited, the experience walking thru the forest with its very specific vegetation was great. The suspension bridge is a pretty cool place, walking high up above the ground. Really likes it.

We were probably rushing, but completed most of the trails ( waterfall, bridge and the deck with a view) within 2.5 hours. I recommend spending way more time in this beautiful reserve, but if you are short on time you'll still see a lot of cool things.

A very enjoyable hike we did one morning on our honeymoon. You have to park offsite and take a shuttle to the entrance.
We thought we'd only be able to do a couple of the trails, but we ended up knocking most of it out in a couple hours. Super pretty scenery. We ran into a couple who just spotted a Quetzal with their guide.
It was very foggy so we couldn't see the continental divide, sadly. But enjoyable nonetheless.

The restaurant was a low key highlight - stunning view for a quick little lunch, and the food was delicious too.

25$ is expensive, but is is a unique forest. Nice hike and trails. Beautiful waterfalls and views. Moody atmosphere. No animals though.