8 Wonderful Things To Do In Monteverde, Costa Rica
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Monteverde was a shock to our system as it was our first destination in a while where we spent most of our time in trousers, jumpers and waterproofs. Although it has a slightly cooler climate what you will find here makes it more than worth it.
Located in the Puntarenas province of Costa Rica it’s often compared to the nearby La Fortuna, although I personally found the two offered very different experiences. I felt much more immersed in nature in Monteverde, even though I often thought I would blow away into the wind.
You’ll most likely end up staying in or nearby the town of Santa Elena, at first this really confused me and to be honest, I am still not 100% clear on which part was Monteverde and which part was Santa Elena. If you know feel free to share.
Obviously, Costa Rica (rich coast) is known for its beautiful beaches, however not making a trip inland means you’ll miss out on incredible adventures. So add Monteverde to your travel bucket list and keep reading to discover 8 wonderful things to do in Monteverde, Costa Rica.
Wander the Monteverde Cloud Forest
It would be a crime to visit Monteverde and not wander through a cloud forest, you never know what you might see in the mysterious forest. We visited the Monteverde Cloud Forest and hiked around all of the trails, which took us around 4 hours, including a quick stop off for us to scoff down some sandwiches.
With viewpoints, chances to spot all types of wildlife, a hanging bridge and even a waterfall it’s really a lovely place to get out into nature. I also felt really at home surrounded by the forest's moody vibe, if you know you know.
From Santa Elena, you can take a public bus or taxi but we opted for the shuttle which cost us $7 per person for a return journey, if you ask at your accommodation they most likely will be able to arrange this for you. The cloud forest is open 7 days a week from 7 until 4 and entrance costs $25 for tourists. It’s also possible to take a guided tour of the forest if you are interested in finding out more about the flora, fauna and wildlife that lies within the cloud forest.
Top Tip- For the best photos set your exposure a little lower amongst the cloud forest, it captures the feel of the forest much better.
Go zip-lining
Zip-lining through the forests of Monteverde is one adventurous way of exploring, you’ll find many tour operators offering ‘canopy tours’. With some also offering Tarzan swings, superman zip-lines, rappelling and hanging bridges it’s an activity for those who want a little more adventure in their trip.
It’s not a budget activity and for this reason, we opted out of zip-lining in Monteverde, that and the fact we don’t have the best luck when it comes to zip-lining.
To compare the different options for the ‘canopy tours’ in Monteverde, I recommend this blog post by Costa Rica Vibes.
Catch a sunset from a breathtaking viewpoint
The viewpoint was about a 40-minute walk outside of the town of Santa Elena. On a clear day, the views look over the Gulf of Nicoya and honestly, it’s a breathtaking view even when the sun isn’t setting.
As for its location, I struggle to find the exact spot, but this is close by. It’s on the main road so you can't miss it. Also, you’ll find this spot isn’t far from where you start the hike to the Monteverde waterfalls, so you could spend the afternoon at the waterfalls and time your walk back for sunset.
Hike to the Ficus Tree Bridge
A free activity for all you travellers on a budget is to visit this unusual tree, which has roots that are, you guessed it, shaped like a bridge. This activity doesn’t take too long as you will find these bridge-like roots only a short walk outside of Santa Elena town, see it on the map here.
The trail is quite steep and gets a little muddy after any rain, so just bear that in mind before starting the descent on the small trail.
Go waterfall crazy on the El Tigre Hike
I hadn’t heard anything about El Tigre until we got to our hostel and started flicking through the tours they advertised. You may be thinking tigers in Costa Rica, but surely not and you would be correct this place got its name from locals who used to have encounters with jaguars within the forest. Thankfully we had no encounters with jaguars.
They say this hike takes 4 hours, but with a few stops it only took us 3 and you will pass by many waterfalls and hanging bridges on this forest trail. It was a beautiful hike meandering through the forest wondering if that was the next waterfall you could hear. Some of the waterfalls were better than others, but to be expected. There was also a few swimming spots if you fancy taking a dip, but bring a jumper for afterwards, if it gets cold. The hike wasn’t too challenging until you get to the end, as it's a steep hike back to the start, however, if you don’t fancy taking on the challenge you can pay a little extra to get a 4x4 to drive you back up.
The Big Hike, which just includes entrance and a free drink at the end costs $29 per person, also as we didn’t have transport there was an extra fee of $10 per person for the shuttle from Santa Elena. You can also do horse riding and a bike zip line here if you fancy adding some excitement to the hike. Find all the information you need here —->
Take a tour of a Sloth Sanctuary
One of my favourite days in Costa Rica, as a first-time visitor and having only seen sloths from a far-off distance in La Fortuna, I couldn’t wait to head into the sloth sanctuary. We ended up visiting them at Selvatura Park in Monteverde and the sloths found here have been rescued for all sorts of reasons but unfortunately now can’t be reintroduced into the wild. So instead they reside here where they have created a sloth's natural habitat and allow tours to see sloths up close and learn more about them.
My only criticism about this tour was the size of the group, there were way too many people and it meant I didn’t hear a thing the guide was saying. However, I did get to see sloths up close and personal so I’m not complaining too much.
Not for the budget traveller as a tour here cost $39 per person (this included our transport) and only lasts 45 minutes, welcome to Costa Rica pricing. There offer different sorts of activities at Selvatura Park like canopy tours, suspension bridges and more if you want to make it more of a full-day trip.
Warm up with a hot drink at Café Monteverde
I love to find good cafes in new places, personally, I can’t stand instant coffee, I have my years working as a barista to thank for that. And also I can normally rely on good wifi and the ability to get some blogging done in cafes. There is just something about the clanging of plates and the coffee grinding noise that gets me to focus.
And Café Monteverde was the perfect spot just a few minutes walk away from our hostel in the town of Santa Elena. The hot drinks were delicious and there were some lovely cake and pastry options too. The coffee is locally grown and if you become a big fan you can even buy your own bag of their coffee, ground or beans.
But don’t worry if coffee isn’t your thing I can recommend their lovely hot chocolate to warm you up after a windy and cold day in the cloud forest. They also offer tours of their coffee farm, which would be a lovely activity if you had the time, so check them out here —>
Grab a bite to eat at Taco Taco
Before coming to Monteverde, I did my research, reading guides and travel blogs and I kept seeing Taco Taco being mentioned. It may come as no surprise to you Taco Taco is known for its delicious Mexican food and drink. We had a gorgeous meal here and I see why everyone tells you to stop by. The perfect stop for a dinner after a day of surviving the aggressive weather elements of Monteverde.
Honourable Mentions
Visit the Santa Elena Cloud Forest
Hike to Monteverde waterfall
Take a coffee farm tour with Café Monteverde
Grab a bite to eat or drink at the quirky treehouse restaurant (which literally has a tree in the middle)
Take a night time nature walking tour to spot creepy crawlies and nocturnal animals.
Just a quick little shoutout to our accommodation in Monteverde, it was called Hostel La Suerte. Although it was a hostel we had a private room and only shared our bathroom with one other room, even had a hot shower. It was only a 10-minute walk to Santa Elena town and the staff were super friendly and helpful. You can find my full review here, but for £25 a night, I highly recommend it.
I would choose to visit Monteverde over La Fortuna any day, it's the perfect place for those seeking adventure, avid hikers or even people who want to hide away in a gorgeous AirBnB overlooking the cloud forest. You may not have the tropical weather you expect from Costa Rica here but I highly recommend adding at least 2 days in Monteverde to your Costa Rica itinerary.
As always if you have any questions, feel free to ask away and if you have any great Monteverde tips let us all know in the comments below.
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