By air
San José (SJO) or Liberia (LIR), ~3.5 h
North America · Costa Rica
Monteverde, Costa Rica
A misty cloud forest
Getting there
Best time to visit
December to April — dry season
Don't miss
The Monteverde and Santa Elena reserves
The hanging bridges
A coffee farm
Things to do
Hanging-bridge walks
Ziplining
Birdwatching for the quetzal
Where to eat
What to pack
Layers, a rain jacket
A quieter corner
A night walk for sloths and tarantulas
Questions travellers ask
What's the best season for Monteverde?
December to April, the dry season. Pack layers and a rain jacket.
How long does it take to reach Monteverde?
Fly into San José (SJO) or Liberia (LIR), then allow about 3.5 h to get there.
What should I do in Monteverde?
Walk the Monteverde and Santa Elena reserves and the hanging bridges, go ziplining, and birdwatch for the quetzal. Visit a coffee farm too.
Can I see wildlife at night in Monteverde?
Yes — a night walk for sloths and tarantulas is the hidden gem. Round off the day with local coffee and cheese.
About Monteverde
- Forest
- Mountains
Where it is
Monteverde lies high in the Tilarán mountains of north-western Costa Rica, in Puntarenas province, straddling the Continental Divide, where moist trade winds from the Caribbean side sweep over the ridge and feed the cloud forest.
History
In 1951 several dozen Quakers from Alabama settled here to farm, and later set aside part of their land to protect their water sources. That land became the core of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, founded in 1972, and the Children's Eternal Rainforest, paid for by schoolchildren around the world, followed.
People
Monteverde is a small community of Costa Rican farming families, descendants of the Quaker settlers, and scientists and guides drawn by the forest, and both Spanish and English are spoken. The Quaker meeting and the Monteverde Friends School are still active, and coffee, dairy farming and ecotourism support the area.
Known for
- Cloud forest reserves
- Resplendent quetzals
- Hanging bridges and ziplines
- Night walks for sloths and frogs
- Coffee farms and Monteverde cheese
Did you know?
The golden toad, which lived only in a tiny patch of cloud forest north of Monteverde, was last seen in 1989 and was declared extinct in 2004.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.