Monteverde’s cloud forest
reserves

How to use this guide

For anyone coming to Monteverde to walk in the cloud forest who has to choose between several reserves. The best known is the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, on the continental divide, with three self-guided trails, a hanging bridge and viewpoints. The community-run Santa Elena Reserve has about 12 km of trails and an observation tower. Curi-Cancha Reserve is one of the quietest and is known for its quetzals. Bajo del Tigre, the visitor sector of the Children's Eternal Rainforest, is lower and drier. Valle Escondido and the Monteverde Wildlife Refuge are known above all for their night walks.

Walk the reserves in the morning, and one per morning is plenty. Curi-Cancha and Santa Elena open at 7:00 and the Monteverde Reserve at 7:30, with timed tickets; Curi-Cancha closes at 15:00, and Santa Elena has last entry at that time. At Monteverde, pick a trail to match your time: Essence (1.4 km) takes about 1 h, Heart of the Forest (2.8 km), 1.5 h, and Continental Divide (4.1 km), about 2.5 h. With two days, do the Monteverde Reserve on one and Santa Elena or Curi-Cancha on the other, and keep an evening for Valle Escondido or the Refuge.

If the day starts with fog or rain up high, switch to Bajo del Tigre, which often has better weather and two viewpoints towards the Gulf of Nicoya. If money is tight, Bajo del Tigre ($18 self-guided) or Santa Elena (₡10,000, with the tower and orchid garden included) give more for your money than the Monteverde Reserve, where each trail is paid separately. If you want birds and quiet, stick with Curi-Cancha.

Tips

• At the Monteverde Reserve, arrive 15 minutes before your slot. Free parking is at the visitor centre, 1.5 km below, with a free shuttle to the entrance, and cancelling 48 h ahead gets you a full refund.
• At Curi-Cancha, the guided tour leaves at 7:30 and lasts about 3 h, the best time for birds. Booking is advisable in the dry season (December to April), and you need photo ID.
• At Santa Elena the self-guided visit needs no booking; the guided walk, 2.5 h in groups of 10 at ₡20,000 per adult, does.
• With a wheelchair: none of the Monteverde Reserve trails is accessible, although some suit older adults with limited mobility; at Valle Escondido, part of the daytime trails is.
• At Bajo del Tigre, guided walks need booking and a minimum of 2 people; the fees fund patrols and reforestation.