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Sun on the horizon behind layers of mountains seen from Monteverde.

Costa Rica · Monteverde

Monteverde’s cloud forest reserves

The area’s protected reserves, from the most famous to the quietest, with trails to do on your own or with a guide.

6 places

  1. Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve1

    Photo: Haakon S. Krohn, CC BY-SA 3.0

    NatureOpen

    Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve

    End of the Cerro Plano road, about 6 km south-east of Santa Elena3.2 km from the centre

    Entry
    $25
    Hours
    7:30 to 16:00
    Booking
    Not stated

    Private reserve on the Continental Divide, run by a science non-profit, with three self-guided trails of 1.4 to 4.1 km, a hanging bridge and lookouts.

    Source: Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve – Visit the preserve (oficial) · 2026 · +2

    Practical details and sources
    Entry
    Each trail is paid separately; check the current price on its website (2026 sources give $25 to $29 per adult).
    Hours
    Daily 7:30 to 16:00.
    Booking
    Timed tickets online: arrive 15 minutes early. Full refund if you cancel 48 h ahead.
    Time needed
    Essence (1.4 km), about 1 h; Heart of the Forest (2.8 km), 1.5 h; Continental Divide (4.1 km), about 2.5 h.

    Tip: Free parking is at the visitor centre, 1.5 km below, with a free shuttle to the entrance. The preserve says none of its trails are wheelchair accessible, although some suit older adults with limited mobility.

    Nearby: Hummingbird Gallery (0.1 km) · Night walk at the Monteverde Reserve (0.9 km) · Curi-Cancha Reserve (1.4 km)

    Sources: Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve – Visit the preserve (oficial) · Wikipedia – Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve · Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve – How we operate

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  2. Santa Elena Reserve2

    Photo: Cephas, CC BY-SA 4.0

    WildlifeOpen

    Santa Elena Reserve

    About 6 km north-east of Santa Elena, next to Selvatura5.8 km from the centre

    Entry
    ₡10,000
    Hours
    7:00 to 16:00
    Booking
    Not needed

    Community-run cloud forest reserve with about 12 km of trails, an observation tower and an orchid garden; you can visit on your own without booking.

    Source: Reserva Santa Elena – Reservaciones y tarifas 2026 (oficial) · 2026

    Practical details and sources
    Entry
    ₡10,000 regular adult, official rate valid 1 January to 31 December 2026 (students ₡7,000; children 8 to 12 ₡5,500). Guided walk: ₡20,000 per adult.
    Hours
    Daily 7:00 to 16:00; last entry at 15:00.
    Booking
    The self-guided visit needs no booking; the guided walk (2.5 h, groups of 10) does.

    Tip: The ticket includes the observation tower and the orchid garden.

    Nearby: Monteverde ziplines (0.3 km) · Selvatura Park: hanging bridges and canopy (0.3 km) · Selvatura sloth sanctuary (0.3 km)

    Sources: Reserva Santa Elena – Reservaciones y tarifas 2026 (oficial)

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  3. Curi-Cancha Reserve3

    Photo: Cephas, CC BY-SA 4.0

    WildlifeOpen

    Curi-Cancha Reserve

    Cerro Plano, on the left just before the cheese factory2.1 km from the centre

    Entry
    $25
    Hours
    7:00 to 15:00
    Booking
    Recommended

    Private reserve with nine short trails (about 8 km in total), pastures and cloud forest; it is one of the quieter ones and known for quetzals and birds.

    Source: Two Weeks in Costa Rica – Curi-Cancha Reserve · 2026 · +1

    Practical details and sources
    Entry
    2026 sources disagree: $25 per adult and $15 for ages 5 to 20, or $20 and $12 according to another. Group guided tour $40 + 13%.
    Hours
    Daily 7:00 to 15:00.
    Booking
    Booking is advisable in the dry season (December to April). Bring photo ID.

    Tip: The guided tour leaves at 7:30 and lasts about 3 h: the best time for birds.

    Nearby: Monteverde Cheese Factory (0.2 km) · CASEM women’s craft cooperative (0.5 km) · Caburé chocolate tour (0.5 km)

    Sources: Two Weeks in Costa Rica – Curi-Cancha Reserve · Trip.com – Curi-Cancha Reserve

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  4. 4

    NatureOpen

    Children’s Eternal Rainforest – Bajo del Tigre

    Road to the Monteverde Reserve, about 2 km before it1.3 km from the centre

    Entry
    $18
    Hours
    Not stated
    Booking
    Not needed

    Visitor sector of the country’s largest private reserve, with 4.5 km of trails in transition forest, two lookouts towards the Gulf of Nicoya and a learning space for children.

    Source: ACM – Bajo del Tigre (oficial) · 2026 · +1

    Practical details and sources
    Entry
    Self-guided entry $18 per international adult; guided day walk $43 (rates exclude taxes).
    Hours
    Opens daily at 7:00.
    Booking
    Self-guided visits need no booking; guided ones do (minimum 2 people).

    Tip: It is lower and drier than the high reserves, so the weather is often better; fees fund patrols and reforestation.

    Nearby: Twilight walk at Bajo del Tigre (0 km) · CASEM women’s craft cooperative (0.3 km) · Caburé chocolate tour (0.4 km)

    Sources: ACM – Bajo del Tigre (oficial) · ACM – Rates and reservations (oficial)

  5. 5

    WildlifeOpen

    Valle Escondido Reserve and night tour

    Cerro Plano, 50 m south of the butterfly garden1.2 km from the centre

    Entry
    $40
    Hours
    17:30 to 19:30
    Booking
    Recommended

    A 17-hectare reserve with trails, a waterfall and a lookout, whose night tour was one of Monteverde’s first; at night you look for frogs, tarantulas, snakes and mammals.

    Source: Valle Escondido – Night tour (oficial) · 2026 · +1

    Practical details and sources
    Entry
    Night tour: $40 adults, $30 students, $25 children, under 5 free; private $80.
    Hours
    According to the official site, 17:30 to 19:30, or 18:00 to 19:45 from November to April.
    Booking
    Book ahead: places are limited and there is a 2-person minimum. Transport is not included.

    Tip: Part of the daytime trails is wheelchair accessible, according to the reserve.

    Nearby: Monteverde Butterfly Gardens (0 km) · Jeep-boat-jeep to La Fortuna (0.7 km) · Children’s Eternal Rainforest – Bajo del Tigre (0.8 km)

    Sources: Valle Escondido – Night tour (oficial) · Valle Escondido Nature Reserve (oficial)

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  6. 6

    WildlifeOpen

    Monteverde Wildlife Refuge

    Calle Los Camachos, north of central Santa Elena3.2 km from the centre

    Entry
    from $38
    Hours
    Not stated
    Booking
    Not stated

    A 55-acre property of forest and gardens with guided day, birding and especially night walks, where sloths, coatis and olingos are common.

    Source: Wildlife Refuge Monteverde (oficial) · 2026 · +1

    Practical details and sources
    Entry
    Night tour from $38; natural history from $40; birding from $70; private night tour from $80 (official site).
    Time needed
    Night tour of about 2 h, flashlights included.

    Tip: Some reviews say several groups overlap at the same time; the private tour avoids crowds.

    Nearby: Santamaría’s Night Walk (0.3 km) · Kinkajou Night Walk (0.6 km) · Don Juan: coffee, chocolate and sugar cane (0.8 km)

    Sources: Wildlife Refuge Monteverde (oficial) · Two Weeks in Costa Rica – A night tour in Monteverde

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