1.5 Days in the Monteverde Cloud Forest, Costa Rica

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On my trip to Costa Rica in February 2020, I crammed as much into a 9 day visit as I could. This meant taking early morning bus rides between places and only spending 1 – 2 days per town. Surprisingly, even with this limited time, I feel like I managed to see and experience so much! One of the places that I visited was the Monteverde Cloud Forest. I was pleasently surprised at how much I saw in only 1.5 days.

Located just outside the town of Santa Elena, the Monteverde Cloud Forest is a protected reserve of 26,000 acres that is home to a huge variety of plant and animal life. The Cloud Forest gets its name from the layer of clouds that usually hang low in the sky, at the canopy level of the trees. I had thought the would only be visible in the morning but they were in the afternoons as well.

Day 1 – Arrival and Town Exploration

I arrived in Santa Elena in the afternoon, after taking a morning shuttle from Tamarindo. Knowing that I only had 2 nights in the region I signed up for an evening Cloud Forest tour the evening I arrived. After my tour was booked, I spent some time wandering around the town of Santa Elena.

The hostel I stayed in was located in a small central area so this was the area I wandered, even though there was more to the town. The central area is a large square with a lot of little shops, restaurants and murals. My first stop was in local eatery, called a soda, for a lunch of meat, rice, beans and veggies. Then I peaked into the local shops for souveniers and admired the beautiful artwork on the walls.

That evening I went on my night tour of the Cloud Forest. This was a blast and a fun introduction to the area. I was picked up from my hostel by the tour and provided with a flashlight. When we arrived in the reserve, we began walking as our guides told us some history of the region, like how the first settlers were quakers from the USA who moved to the area to avoid the draft, and mentioned some common animals that come out at night.

The first animal we spotted would have been so easy to miss without a trained eye from the guide looking. All I saw was a green blob in a tree. It turns out it was actually a sleeping toucan! Throughout the evening we saw numerous other birds but no other animals. I guess they were all resting so we could see them in the morning!

Day 2 – Cloud Forest Reserve and Hanging Bridges

The following morning I woke up early and headed to the Cloud Forest to explore during the daylight. I bought my entrance ticket and signed up for a guided tour when I arrived. This could be arranged in advance but I had no trouble joining a tour leaving a few minutes after I arrived. This tour was great and so informative! Our guide led us down the Tosi Trail and pointed out some different plants and birds along the way. We saw a humingbird building a nest along with other forest birds and so many green ferns and other plants. This trail ended at a small waterfall where we stopped to take pictures.

Our guide heard that there was a rare bird back near the start of the trail so we turned around and hurried to get back. Sure enough, when we arrived we found a large group of people all gazing up at the trees. The guide set up a telescope and spotted the bird right away before pointing it out to the rest of us. Lo and behold, perched in a tree above us, was a beautiful and rare Resplendent Quetzal. Apparently these birds have a certain season when the visit the reserve and we weren’t in the right season. This was my first time seeing (or even hearing about) this bird and it was such a special experience.

After this guided tour was over, I took off on my own to see even more of the Cloud Forest Reserve. One thing I didn’t want to miss was the famous red hanging bridge that I had seen in so many pictures. On the trail to the bridge, I spent so much time admiring the massive trees, ferns, and other plants that I passed. I also saw a tarantula, my first awake toucan and so many other birds. As I neared the bridge, I saw what I thought was a monkey scampering down the trail. At closer look I realized it wasn’t a monkey, but instead an animal I had never seen before – a coatimundo! After spending the majority of the morning bird watching this was a very exciting animal to spot. He eventually crossed the bridge and disappeared into the forest on the other side.

After I finished this hike, I headed back into town to catch another shuttle to one last nearby destination. In an effort to see as much as possible in my day and a half in Santa Elena, I booked an afternoon tour at the Sky Adventures Park in Santa Elena. This park was in a different part of the Cloud Forest so a shuttle ride was necessary to reach it.

Once at the park, I opted to take a self-guided hike of the the hanging bridges. There was also a zip lining course that looked very popular but I skipped it. The trail is about 1.5 miles long and crosses over 6 hanging bridges of various lengths and heights. Like in Monteverde, the trail winds through the Cloud Forest so I took my time bird watching and checking out all the amazing plants. Since I was alone I got to spend as much time as I wanted in the park. I definitely took my time, especially on the hanging bridges! You could feel them swinging as you crossed. The view from the middle of each bridge was breathtaking. All you could see were trees upon trees upon trees, with brids chirping everywhere.

And that was the end of my time in Santa Elena and the Cloud Forest! After the Sky Adventures Park, I returned to Santa Elena to grab dinner and go to bed. The next morning I got up early and hopped on a shuttle to my next destination. My 1.5 days in the area was quick, but I had plenty of time to see everything I wanted to in the area. I loved the Cloud Forest and all of the animals I saw so much!! When I return to Costa Rica in the future, I truly hope another visit to this area will fit into my schedule.

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