Learning about Cloud Forests in Beautiful Monteverde Costa Rica
Costa Rica is home to an astonishing number of national parks, biological reserves and forestry areas for such a small country, but for good reason. This country hosts some of the world’s most beautiful and unique rainforest environments, and they take their responsibility to preserve them seriously.
One such preserve is the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Preserve. Tucked into the mountains of Costa Rica’s Punta Arenas province, the Monteverde biological preserve was started in 1972 as an effort to protect a small portion of the incredible cloud forests in this area. Since then it has grown considerably, and now it covers over 35,000 acres of land!
Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Preserve
Distance from:
La Fortuna – 3hrs
San Jose – 3hrs
Hours:
Everyday 7 am – 4 pm
Tickets:
Foreign Adults: $25
Foreign Children $12
Foreign Students $12
Website:
cloudforestmonteverde.com
Phone:
+506 2645 5122
Parking
A quick note on parking: While there is free parking on the side of the road just outside the park, we chose to park at the official parking area just down the road. It costs around 5 dollars for parking in a guarded parking lot and includes the 3 minute shuttle ride to the entrance of the park itself.
What is a Cloud Forest?
Cloud Forests are high altitude forests located within the tropics that are known for their dense cloud coverage. A typical cloud forest is almost always covered by clouds, and the plants and animals within them are often adapted to the cooler, darker environment that causes.
The leaves from cloud forest trees actually pull water from the surrounding clouds and drip it to the ground, increasing the amount of water the trees can access and adding to the generally damp feeling of the forest. Odd fungus and moss species are prolific, often taking shapes that wouldn’t feel out of place in a coral reef.
Cloud forests, while less biodiverse than other tropical rainforests, are often filled with plant and animal species not found elsewhere, and are important havens for these species.
Monteverde is home to a whole host of unique animals, including all 5 species of Costa Rican wild cats, Howler and Capuchin monkeys, and more than 50 species of bats!
Cloud Forests are known for being particularly damp places. That doesn’t mean that ponchos are an absolute necessity. It rained while we were there and the trees were thick enough that it didn’t bother us.
Still, having the option to put on a poncho if it starts to pour is worth it, especially if you have a phone that isn’t waterproof. (Ziploc baggies are also great for that)
Why Should You Visit?
Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Preserve was one of the most beautiful and unique places that we had the opportunity of visiting during our time in Costa Rica. The cloud coverage gives the whole area an other-worldly feel, as you walk through swirling mists and listen to the calls of forest birds.
It makes an excellent place to visit with kids, thanks to it’s low difficulty trails, cool temperatures and fascinating sights.
Trails
The main draw to the area is the variety of walking trails through the forest. The preserve has 9 trails in all, ranging from the super short George Powell trail, named after one of the park’s founders, to the 2km ‘El Camino’ trail.
Some trails can be more difficult than others, but none of them are too bad. Most kids should be fine on whichever trails you choose. With kids, I’d suggest checking out the ‘El Rio’ trail or the ‘Sendero Roble’ trail. El Rio ends with a waterfall, giving the kids a destination to work towards, and Sendero Roble includes a hanging bridge with a great view!
Should I get a guide?
At the entrance to trails there were a number of guides offering their services. Deciding on whether or not to get a guide can always be a difficult decision, but depending on your goals for the trip, it could be worth it.
The trails themselves are well maintained, and there is little chance of getting lost, but if you want to see as much animal life as possible during your trip, a guide can help. Since they know the area well, they often know where the animals spend their time. They know what the animals look like and can spot them more easily than someone who doesn’t. And they have telescopes, which help with seeing the animals up close and getting great pictures!
Those telescopes make a really big difference when trying to see the animals close up. Check out the two pictures below. Both pictures were taken with the same kind of phone, Google’s Pixel 4a, from roughly the same distance. But the first was taken through a guide’s birding telescope on a tripod, while the second was taken with just the phone itself.
Needless to say, I prefer the picture we took through the telescope, and I ordered my own from Amazon later that day.
Gosky 20-60×60 HD Spotting Scope and Scope Adapter
I chose this telescope specifically because it has an attachment to hold my phone in place. I found it helpful for keeping my phone lined up correctly with the lens, so I wouldn’t miss great shot I don’t want to have trouble lining everything up and miss it.
UEGOGO 62″ Camera Phone Tripod
The telescope comes with a tripod, but it is a particularly short one. Grabbing a light-weight tripod with enough height to actually be useful is an excellent idea.
Las Raices Restaurant
It is quite easy to spend the better part of the day wandering the trails and admiring the forest’s beauty, but that much walking tends to make people hungry!
Near the entrance to the park, Las Raices offers some excellent food without having to trek back to town. We actually grabbed some coffee and cookies here before we hit the trail, and grabbed some seats on their back balcony that overlooks the forest.
If you want a taste of authentic Costa Rican cuisine, be sure to try their casados! Casados are a very typical Costa Rican dish made up of beans, rice, fried plantains and your choice of meat. The fish ones were my favorite!
Hummingbirds
Just outside the preserve’s gates is a small hummingbird viewing area and gift shop that you should definitely check out before leaving. There were a ton of hummingbirds there, including a few different species! I was able to stand only a few feet away and watch them eating without any problem.
Looking forward to beating the Costa Rican heat by heading for the clouds? I’d love to hear about your trip!
