Tours in Monteverde

Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve: Wind-sculptured elfin woodlands on the exposed ridges are spectacularly dwarfed, whereas protected cove Monteverde rainforests have majestically tall trees festooned with orchids, bromeliads, ferns, vines, and mosses. Poorly drained areas support swamp forests, while parts of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, dissected by deep gorges, have numerous crystal clear streams tumbling over rapids and waterfalls. The variable climate and large altitudinal gradient has helped produce an extremely high biodiversity. Spectacular wildlife includes the Jaguar, Ocelot, Baird´s Tapir, Three-wattled Bellbird, Bare necked Umbrella bird and Resplendent Quetzal.

Departures 7:00 am
Duration 4 hours
Frequency Daily
Facilities Restaurant, souvenir shop, art gallery. No restrooms on trails.
Recommended walking shoes, long pants, light jacket, binoculars, and camera
Includes transportation, tour guide, and entrance fee.

Santa Elena Rain Forest Reserve:
Located high on the Caribbean slopes of the Cordillera de Tilarán (5, 600 feet, 1,700 m), the Continental Divide of Costa Rica, the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve is one of the first community managed reserves in the country. With the help of Youth Challenge International, a Canadian Non-profit Organization, the Costa Rican government, and the Santa Elena Community, the Reserve officially opened in March 1992. With over 8 miles (12 km) of trails, 3 overview points, and an observation tower, The Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve makes for an exceptional hiking experience. Since wildlife is more active in the morning, it's best to arrive early.

Departures Trails are open from 7:00 am until 4:00 pm everyday.
Duration 4 hours
Frequency Daily
Facilities Restaurant, a visitor center with interpretive exhibits made by students and souvenir shop.
Recommeded rubber boots, ponchos, and binoculars.

Horseback riding: A delightful way to get to know the area with a local guide. Witness the marvelous views of the Gulf of Nicoya, waterfalls, and the San Luis valley.

Monteverde Butterfly Garden:
The Monteverde Butterfly Garden is located in the scenic Tilaran Mountains of Monteverde Costa Rica, with incredible views of the cloud forest and the Gulf of Nicoya. It was founded in 1991 by biologist Jim Wolfe and his wife Marta Iris Salazar. The focus of this Monteverde project is environmental education, and thousands of butterfly enthusiasts each year visit the Nature Center and four enclosed butterfly gardens. The staff raise about 50 local butterfly species by hand to keep their gardens blooming with life. The friendly and helpful staff of naturalist educators enhance their international reputation! In the Nature Center, all guests learn about the complexities and nuances of the butterfly life cycle, and can see live eggs, caterpillars, and chrysalids. As a bonus, you will get to see demonstrations of other live, local insects with interesting histories! The Center also stroll through the four enclosed gardens, admiring the adults flying, feeding, and mating. On the way, you can expect to see the flashy Blue Morpho Butterflies, the most famous in Costa Rica, and the huge Owl Butterflies, the largest in the country. Always, visitors are encouraged to take photographs, ask questions, and remain after the tour for as much time as they like.

Schedule The Butterfly Garden is open 365 days a year, from 9:30am - 4:00pm. The best time to visit is in the morning or when the weather is sunny, since the butterflies are most active.
Duration 2 hours.
Recommended camera, comfortable shoes, and light jacket.

Orchid Garden in Monteverde:
As you peer through your magnifying glass, you will see perfection in the tiny flowers and gain insight into the amazing diversity of plants in the tropical forest of Monteverde canopy. The garden contains more than 400 species including the national flower of Costa Rica, the Guardia morada (Cattleya skinneri). Larger and showier flowers include Maxillaria, Epidendrum, and Oncidium species. The smallest known orchid species in the world, Platystele jungermannioids is found in this greenhouse. Your visit helps support the scientific goals of the Monteverde Orchid Conservation and Research Project. The plants you see are our study material as they create a biological catalog and attempt to learn the distribution, habitat, flowering season, and pollinating agents of all the orchid species found in Monteverde Located on the main road to Monteverde Reserve, seven kilometers from the village of Santa Elena.

Schedule open from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday thru Friday.
Duration 2 hours
Recommended comfortable shoes, light jacket and camera.

Sky Walk: Allows a vision of the forest from a different perspective. It combines trails through the forest under story with suspension bridges that also let you explore the unknown world of the cloud forest canopy. It allows different observational levels to admire the flora and fauna starting at the forest ground and ending at the tree tops. The Sky Walk consist of seven suspension bridges. The highest being 46 meters (150 ft) and the longest being 300 meters (984 ft).

Tour available with or without transportation from Monteverde area hotels from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm.

Duration 2 hours
Frequency Daily
Recommended walking shoes, long pants, camera, and binoculars

Sky Trek:
Sky Trek It is a secure system of trails and zip lines, in the Monteverde Cloud Forest that offers visitors the opportunity to observe and appreciate the nature from different vantage points. Dangling from a cable an harness, you traverse from platform to platform, high off the ground, via a combination of pulleys, cables and suspension bridges that hurtle you through the treetops. Sky Trek is similar, in a way, to other canopy tour in Costa Rica, but incorporates some significant differences, such as being of larger scale, with more zip lines and platforms, longer trails, and suspension bridges. Further, the construction is of the highest quality, utilizing protective and secure materials, including metal platforms with mesh-covered steel rails which prevent falling or sliding.

Departures 7:30 am, 8:30 am, 9.30 am, 10:30, 11:30, 1:30pm, 2:00pm, 2:30 pm and 3:00 pm. Tour available with or without transportation from Monteverde area hotels.
Duration 4 hours
Frequency Daily
Recommended walking shoes, long pants, and camera.
Includes transportation, tour guide and entrance fee.

Shopping at CASEM:
In 1982, eight women from the Monteverde community organized and began CASEM which stands for Comite de Artesanas de Santa Elena y Monteverde. Since 1982 CASEM has grown from 8 women to 140 artisans, 10 of them men. Many of the artisans live in the communities surrounding Monteverde. The goal of CASEM is to create an environment where the associates can work in their homes for the ecological, social and economic development of their families and the community as a whole. Many of the associates say that CASEM has helped to build their self esteem, assist the family with extra income, and is a place to make new friends. By purchasing from CASEM you are helping to support the community and you now own an original piece of craftswomanship! The women appreciate your support and hope you enjoy your purchase for many years.

Schedule open from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday thru Friday.
Duration It depends on you.
Recommended comfortable shoes, and light jacket.

Monteverde Frog Pond:
At the Monteverde Frog Pond, you can admire more than 20 species of frogs and other amphibians. Walk with our guide and learn about species that are unique to the tropics of Costa Rica. See extraordinary frogs such as the colorful Poison Arrow Frog, the marine Toad and the famous Red Eyed Tree Frog. Frogs and toads are undergoing a massive global decline. Part of the proceeds from ticket sale goes to conservation and research efforts. Part of the goal is to educate and inspire others to take an interest in the conservation of amphibious life and nature in general.

Schedule Open from 9,00 am to 8,30 pm
Duration 1 and a half hours
Recommended comfortable shoes, light jacket and camera.

Hummingbird Gallery: In this interesting place you will learn about the natural history of the region and admire the colorfulness, the speed and unequaled beauty of the Costa Rican hummingbirds. Also enjoy a slide show and an exhibit of photographs by famous photographers like Michael and Patricia Fogden. Schedule Open from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm Duration It depends on you. Recommended comfortable shoes, light jacket and camera.