Monteverde National Park Overview

Welcome to ground zero for Costa Rica’s ecotourism—and biodiversity. Reserva Biológica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde, the country’s famous cloud forest, is home to 2,500 species of plants and animals (including 400 types of orchids and about the same number of birds). What makes the place so rich? A varied climate over a small area, fostered by warm trade winds that rise from the Caribbean and form cool clouds—and a heritage of conservation that was kicked off by Quaker settlers who wanted to protect their watershed in the 1950s. Even today, only 160 people are allowed into the park at a time. The upside? You’ll have a better chance of spotting resplendent quetzals (one of Central America’s most beautiful birds), shimmering blue morpho butterflies, and toucans, all living among thick mosses, strangler figs, and ferns some 30 feet high.

Hiking
There are 13 kilometers of trails in Monteverde, and your best bet for a longer loop is to start with El Triangulo—the triangle—along the eastern edge of the park, made up by the Sendero Bosque Nuboso (with lots of strangler figs), the open El Camino (good for spotting butterflies), and the Sendero Pantanoso (the “swamp trail”), which crosses the continental divide. Take the 1.8-kilometer (a little over one mile) Chomogo to the park’s highest accessible point—and for a quick taste of what it feels like to be in the canopy, head for the big suspension bridge on Wilford Guindon. You’ll miss a lot without a guide, so book a natural history, night, or birding tour (from $15, not including the $15 park entrance fee)—which often fill up days in advance.