Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve

Monteverde > Tours > Cloud Forest Hikes > Monteverde Reserve

Monteverde Forest Costa Rica Cloud Forests

The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve was founded in 1972 by George and Harriet Powell and is the best known forest in the Monteverde Zone. In 1975 the initial 328 hectares of this Monteverde Forest reserve were increased with the addition of the Quaker communities 554 hectare water shed preserve.

The reserve now covers around 10,500 hectares. Elevation ranges from 600 meters above sea level to 1800 meters on isolated peaks. This reserve, under the administration of the Tropical Science Center, is known world wide for its biodiversity and is visited each year by many tourists and scientists. What is a Cloud Forest? Click here.

Guided Hikes in the Monteverde Reserve

Monteverde tours offers a package that is SEMI-PRIVATE (no struggling to hear what the guide is saying or long waits to see though the scope). Tours include an English-speaking naturalist guide (only the best ones are chosen - tried and tested!), transport to and from hotel and entrance fees. The guides bring scopes and relevant reference books so you can really learn about the forests.

The tour pick-up time is at approx. 7.00am or 1.00pm every day. The semi-private tours are no more than five people. The walk is relatively easy at a slow pace and takes about 2.5 - 3 hours. There are frequent stops to observe wildlife through the special scopes the guides bring. There is a restaurant at the park if you want to buy snacks and drinks.

The hikes include a visit to the Hummingbird Gallery where you will see dozens of hummingbirds very close up!

More about the Monteverde Reserve

Trails are in excellent condition with railings on the steps and in some cases slices of tree trunks or concrete bricks creating paths to keep people from walking through mud.
In the highest peaks of the tourism season (such as Christimas week) the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is very popular and the Park restricts the number of people accessing the park at one time
Hours: Open 7:00am - 4:00pm everyday.
- Restrooms only at entrance of park
- Free Hummingbird Gallery near the entrance
- There is a coffee shop and a gift store at the entrance

Ecology and Monteverde: A Series of Articles

The Fascinating Relationship Between Hummingbirds and Flowers. click here
Why Trees in a Wet Cloud Forest Get Thirsty! click here
The Case of the Disappearing Frogs or Why Cloud Forests Need Clouds AND Forests click here
Leaf-cutter Ants the most effective farmers of Monteverde? click here
Wild Cats of the Cloud Forest - yes they are out there! Click here

Private Birding Tours

We can also arrange early morning birding tours, please contact us for details

For a really fantastic guide to birds in Costa Rica, check out: The Birds of Costa Rica: A Field Guide (Zona Tropical Publications) by Robert Dean and Richard Garrigues (Second Edition 2014).

What to Bring?