Monteverde Cloud Forest: Skywalks and Biodiversity in Costa Rica

A narrow trail climbs into cloud. Moss hangs from every branch, orchids grow straight out of the tree trunks, and the loudest sound in the forest is dripping water. This is the cloud forest at Monteverde, Costa Rica, a protected forest in the Tilarán mountains, where mist rolls up from the lowlands and the trees live half in the air. This guide explains how a cloud forest works, how Monteverde came to be protected, what lives there, how to walk among the treetops and when to go, and it notes where Monteverde features on our Journey through Central America: Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Guatemala.

What is a cloud forest?

A cloud forest is a tropical mountain forest that sits in the clouds for much of the year. Moist air from the Caribbean side is pushed up the mountains, cools as it rises and condenses into mist, so the forest is bathed in moisture even when it is not raining. At Monteverde the effect is dramatic: the trees are shorter and more gnarled than in the lowland rainforest, and every surface is covered in mosses, ferns, bromeliads and orchids.

Those plants growing on other plants, called epiphytes, are the real signature of the cloud forest. They take their water from the mist and their nutrients from the debris that collects among their roots, and in Monteverde they are among the richest groups of plants of all. The area is known for the large number of orchids that grow in a single place, with more than 500 species recorded, a few of them new to science when they were found here.

Monteverde Costa Rica: a mountain community shaped by conservation

The name Monteverde means “green mountain”, and it refers to the plants that stay green through the year. The first residents were Costa Rican families who settled on the mountainside in the 1940s. In 1951 they were joined by a group of Quaker families from Alabama, who were looking for a peaceful place to farm, and who bought around 1,400 hectares on the ridge. They cleared pastures, built a school and meeting house, and in the early 1950s opened a cheese factory that is still working today. Importantly, they also set aside about a third of their land as forest to protect the watershed above the settlement.

In the 1960s biologists began to notice the extraordinary richness of the forest, and in 1972 the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve was founded. Over the years it has grown to about 10,500 hectares, and its mix of local people, scientists and conservation groups working together is often cited as a model for community conservation. Today Monteverde is a small mountain community, its main town the village of Santa Elena, whose economy rests on conservation, dairy farming and nature travel.

The Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve

The reserve covers six life zones along the Continental Divide, and about 90 per cent of it is virgin forest. It is home to more than 2,500 species of plants, about 100 species of mammals and more than 400 species of birds, and it was the home of the golden toad, a small orange frog that was last seen in 1989 and is now believed to be extinct. Trails run through the forest at about 1,600 metres, in air that is cool, humid and often misty, and walking them is as much about the sound and the smell of the place as about what you see.

Many travellers combine the reserve with one of the private reserves nearby, which offer different experiences. A guide is a real asset in forest like this, because most of what lives here is heard or half-seen first, and a trained eye makes the difference between a walk through green and a walk through a living landscape.

Walking among the treetops

The most distinctive way to see Monteverde is from above. Several private parks near Santa Elena have built networks of hanging bridges and walkways that carry visitors through the canopy at treetop level, where the epiphytes, birds and monkeys are at eye height instead of far overhead. They are slower and gentler than zip-lines, a quieter way to see the canopy. Selvatura Park is one of the private parks with treetop walkways, and its Treetop Walkways give long views across the cloud forest.

Beyond the forest: cheese, coffee and crafts

Monteverde is more than its trees. The cheese factory started by the Quaker settlers still stands on the road between Santa Elena and the reserve, and its dairy products and ice cream are a familiar stop. Coffee farms on the surrounding slopes welcome visitors, and women’s artisan cooperatives in Santa Elena sell local crafts. The Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve and the Children’s Eternal Rainforest are two other protected areas worth knowing about, each with its own trails and its own character, so the district rewards a stay long enough to see more than one side of it.

Will you see a resplendent quetzal?

Not with any certainty, but the best chance is during the breeding season, roughly from February to June, when the birds are most visible, usually early in the morning. The male resplendent quetzal, with its emerald plumage, red breast and tail streamers up to about 65 centimetres long, is the bird most visitors hope to see, and it was sacred to the ancient Maya. It is not the only bird to look for: the reserve is also known for the three-wattled bellbird, for trogons and motmots, and for hummingbirds of every colour.

Hummingbirds are easier to see than most of the forest’s birds. Many of the gardens and lodges around Santa Elena put out feeders and plant nectar-rich flowers, so you can watch several species hover at close range, even when the cloud is too thick to see far into the trees. For lowland wildlife of a different kind, Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast at Tortuguero is the place to go.

When is the best time to visit Monteverde?

The dry season, from about December to April, is the most popular time and gives the clearest skies and easiest trails, although it can be windy. From May to November the green season brings afternoon showers, thicker mist and fewer visitors, and the forest is at its lushest. The cloud forest is wet and misty in every season, so a waterproof jacket is a sensible addition in any month, and early morning is generally the best time for birds.

How cold does Monteverde get?

Cooler than the lowlands, but rarely cold: days are typically mild, in the low to mid 20s Celsius in the dry season, and nights can fall to around 15°C. The mist and wind can make it feel cooler than the thermometer suggests, especially on exposed bridges, so layers work better than a single heavy coat.

How much walking is there at Monteverde?

Expect uneven ground: trails in the reserve and the parks are often muddy, with roots, steps and slopes, and hanging bridges can be slippery when wet. On our itinerary the daily level is three to five hours of activity, the equivalent of walking or hiking up to 8 kilometres on uneven ground, and the altitude, the damp and the steps can make a walk here feel harder than it looks on a map, so a steady pace and shoes with good grip are the sensible approach.

How many days do you need in Monteverde?

Two days is a good length of stay. One day can go to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve and the next to a canopy park with hanging bridges, and a guided night walk, which reveals frogs, insects and other nocturnal animals, fits in between if you have the energy. A single day means choosing one or the other.

Getting to Monteverde

The roads up to Monteverde are steep and winding, so many visitors arrive with a driver or on an organised transfer rather than driving themselves. From La Fortuna, one popular route crosses Lake Arenal by boat and continues by road, a journey that combines a lake crossing with views back to Arenal Volcano. From the capital, San José, the drive takes several hours.

Seeing Monteverde with a small group

If you would rather see the cloud forest with a small group, Days 11 to 13 of our 27-day Central America tour are spent in and around it. On Day 11 the group crosses Lake Arenal after breakfast to reach Monteverde, and Day 12 is given to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve, which the itinerary describes as founded in 1972 and sitting at about 1,600 metres. Day 13 visits Selvatura Park and its Treetop Walkways, with lunch included, before the group drives on to San José. The itinerary is graded Activity Level 2, which means three to five hours of physical activity a day, and a Tour Specialist can talk you through the days before you book.

The group is small, with up to 16 travellers, and solo travellers are welcome. Monteverde is one stage of a longer journey, and our guide to the whole Central America route shows where it fits. However you come to the cloud forest, take your time: stand still on a bridge, let the mist move through the trees, and wait for the forest to come to you.