5
Medium difficulty
No children
The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve Hike goes into the trails of one of the most famous preserved areas of Costa Rica.
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve covers 10,500 hectares (25,946 acres). Created in 1972, the reserve is a community effort to keep the abundant sources of water in the region, as well as its fantastic diversity.
Home to rare species like the Resplendent Quetzal and the Three Wattle Bellbird, cloud forests take their name from a very accurate reality.
As low mystical clouds float around the canopy, trees and plants find all sorts of shapes to attract and condense tiny raindrops into dripping water that travels from the higher branches to the ground roots.
This process creates a forest that, immersed in fog, resonates with fairy tales and epic adventures as it turns and twists in all sorts of funny shapes to reach
the little sunlight and water from the tops.
Eight distinct life zones create separate habitats for incredible diversity. In this reserve alone there are over 100 species of mammals, 400 species of birds including 30 types of hummingbirds, and more than 160 amphibians and reptiles including non-venomous and venomous snakes.
All this, together with more than 3000 types of plants, and, an unknown number of insect species (Discovering up to one per day during many years) makes Monteverde one of the most biodiverse areas in the World with 2.5% of its total life species. An internationally acclaimed refuge for nature and a top touristic destination.
The tour
You will start the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve Hike at the entrance of the where your specialized tour guide will give you a brief explanation of the area, the history of the community of Monteverde and their early conservation efforts.
As you walk in, you will discover that there are several pathways to take. Depending on the day, the possibility of watching wildlife, and the weather, your tour guide will decide for one or the other.
All tour guides in Monteverde carry prime optical gear so that when animals or birds show up, you can see them in detail.
Some of the usually visible animals that you may observe in the trails are the howler monkeys, white-faced capuchin monkeys, coatimundis, agouti pacas, black guans, and some of the birds mentioned above.
On the way out, try to pay a visit to the famous “Hummingbird Gallery” where you will delight in a buzzing crowd of these tiny iridescent birds.
Medium difficulty
No children
