Monteverde is a cool, misty ridge on the far side of Lake Arenal, home to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve. This guide is for you if you are staying in La Fortuna and wondering whether to see it in a day. It covers the length of the day, how entry to the reserve works, the months for quetzals, what to wear and when a night there makes more sense.
Be honest about the length of the day
This is the longest of our days from La Fortuna. You leave at 07:00 and are back at about 19:00, with roughly three hours on the road in each direction. The route goes past the Arenal dam and along the north shore of the lake, then climbs into the mountains. The lake road has many tight bends, and the last stretch up to Monteverde is unpaved and bumpy.
The lake helps. Lake Arenal is the largest lake in Costa Rica, a reservoir created when the dam at its eastern end was finished in 1979. Two villages, Arenal and Tronadora, were moved to higher ground when the water rose. Steady winds blow across it from November to April, and on those days kite surfers and windsurfers gather at the western end. There is a viewpoint stop on the way up and a coffee stop in a village on the shore on the way back, so the drive comes in pieces.
If you get carsick, take something before you leave. If a twelve-hour day sounds like too much, it probably is. See the last section on staying the night.
How entry to the reserve works
The Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve is run by the Tropical Science Center. It was set up in the early 1970s and is open every day of the year, from 07:00 to 16:00.
The reserve has changed the way visitors arrive. You check in at the visitor centre, about a kilometre before the protected area. Private vehicles cannot drive on to the reserve itself, except for people on the guided bird-watching or night walks. From the visitor centre an internal shuttle runs in both directions every 10 to 15 minutes.
Tickets are sold at the visitor centre or on the reserve's official website, and nowhere else. The tour reaches Monteverde at about 10:15, so book an entry time from 10:30. You may be refused entry if you are late for your slot. Rules here have been changing, so check the official site before you go.
Three hours in the cloud
The reserve has around 13 kilometres of trails. Fog forms at about 1,600 metres, and the trees are hung with moss, ferns and orchids: more than 420 species of orchid have been recorded here, and some 200 ferns. Your three hours give you time for a loop that includes the hanging bridge, at an unhurried pace.
A guide is not included, and it is worth thinking about. On your own you will see the forest. A naturalist knows the calls and the usual perches, which matters when the birds are high in the canopy and the mist is down.
After the walk you have lunch in Santa Elena, the small town on the edge of the forest, before the drive back through Tilarán and round the lake.
When to go, and the quetzal question
The resplendent quetzal is the bird most people hope for. Sightings are commonest in the first half of the year, when the birds breed. Local guides agree that February to April falls inside the breeding season, and the quetzals feed on the fruit of small wild avocado trees in the reserve. From about September to November they move away and are seen far less. Early morning is usually the best time of day, so on a day trip that arrives mid-morning, treat a quetzal as luck rather than a promise.
The weather follows the same pattern. In the dry months the ridge is often windy with little rain. In the rainy season expect to get wet and to find the trails muddy. The early part of the day is often the driest.
What to bring
The cloud forest is cool, damp and often misty, so pack for a different climate from the one you leave in La Fortuna.
- A warm layer, such as a fleece or a long-sleeved top.
- A rain jacket, and waterproof trousers in the rainy season.
- Walking shoes or boots with grip. The trails can be muddy and slippery.
- Binoculars, even a small pair, for the birds high in the canopy.
- Something for travel sickness if you need it, taken before you set off.
- A card or local cash for the reserve, lunch and coffee.
A day trip, or a night in Monteverde
There is a shorter way across from La Fortuna: the jeep-boat-jeep crossing of Lake Arenal used by shuttle companies. This tour goes by road all the way, so that you have your own vehicle, can stop where you like and come back the same day.
A night in Monteverde makes everything easier. You can be at the reserve when it opens, which is when the birds are most active and the visitors fewest. We can drop you there and collect you on another day. Message us for a price.
Who it suits, and who should think twice
It suits travellers who will not stay in Monteverde but want to walk in a real cloud forest, and who do not mind a long day in the car to do it.
- Young children, or anyone who gets carsick easily. Six hours of winding and unpaved road is hard going. The hanging bridges and Lake Arenal half day gives you rainforest canopy only half an hour from town.
- Short stays in La Fortuna. If you have one day, the waterfall, hanging bridges and volcano is the better use of it.
- Groups of more than 16. Two vehicles travel together on one booking. Message us and we will price it.
Our guide to day trips from La Fortuna sets this beside the other four.
Questions people ask
Can we choose the trails?
Trails are assigned when you check in at the ticket window. Tell the staff how long you have and what you want to see.
Can we cancel?
Yes. Cancel up to 24 hours before pick-up and you are refunded in full. Your reserve ticket is bought separately and has its own rules. See our cancellation page.
Booking the day
Book a reserve entry time from 10:30, pack a warm layer, and decide whether a night in Monteverde would suit you better. The timings and what is included are on the Monteverde Cloud Forest private day trip page, where you choose the size of your group and book.
