Cloud Forest at Monteverde

All About Monteverde – Costa Rica

Monteverde Cloud Forest area is one of the most famous and most visited places in all of Costa Rica. Situated in north central CR, just south of Arenal Lake and Arenal Volcano, Monteverde is famous for its outdoor adrenaline adventures, hiking in cloud forest reserves and trying to spot wild jungle animals.

Considering how popular Monteverde is, it’s amazingly difficult to reach. And that’s intentional. The residents and caretakers of the region have tried to hold at bay massive tourism and resulting problems by intentionally not paving the long winding mountain roads that run up to Monteverde from various directions.

rough bus trip to Monteverde

Getting to Monteverde

No matter whether you head to Monteverde from Liberia and Tilaran in the north or from Puntarenas / San Jose / San Rafael to the south / west or across Lake Arenal from La Fortuna, all visitors must endure several hours of rough, bumpy unpaved mountain roads to get there.

Once you reach the primary petite town of Santa Elena, it’s immediately apparent that the rough roads have not actually succeeded in warding off tourism. Santa Elena is buzzing! It’s packed with hotels, hostels, trendy restaurants & cafes, tour offices and, of course, loads of western tourists all clambering to head out on their cloud forest adventures.

Top outdoor adventures include zip lining and canopy walks high over the cloud forest, night walks to search for animals and hiking trails in several forest reserves in the area.

Monteverde Cheese Factory – started by Quakers

Brief History of Monteverde

Ironically, Monteverde was actually initiated in an entirely different manner, which very few visitors seem to know about. In the 1950s an intrepid group of Quakers from the USA, refusing to participate in the American war on South Korea, searched overseas for new homes and finally settled on a very remote, very difficult to reach, forest area in central Costa Rica.

After an incredibly arduous trip by ox carts, they cleared the land and started dairy farms, producing primarily cheese, and thus creating a new cheese industry in the country.

Seventy years later, aka now, their cheese factories in Monteverde are still producing a variety of cheeses. In fact, travelers can visit the main cheese factory and store, located just 2 km / 1.2 miles outside of Santa Elena. They can even tour the factory to learn how to produce fine cheese if they’re so inclined.

But it seems very few visitors even know about the cheese factory, nor the Quaker history and presence in the area. International visitors are primarily gung-ho about the cloud forest and adrenaline adventures.

armadillo

Things to do in Monteverde

Adventure tours in Monteverde demand international prices, ranging from about $35-100 US. And entering any of the cloud forest reserves cost about $16 US. It is not a cheap destination!

However, there are actually many equally amazing, interesting free things to do in the Santa Elena / Monteverde area, for anyone who makes even a little effort to find them.

These include hiking to the top of Cerro Amigo, the highest mountain peak in the area; visiting the aforementioned cheese factory/store; checking out the Children’s Eternal Rainforest Reserve, artists’ cooperative, coffee shop, whole foods store, intensivo; climbing through a huge hollow fig trees and spotting animals on the roads and/or during the mountain hike.

Next week I’ll publish a full article on free things to do in Monteverde to help out the many budget travelers who visit.

Information Board about the Children’s Eternal Rainforest – Monteverde

Weather

Be forewarned! You’re probably in for some terrible weather! For me, Monteverde posed the absolute worst weather I’ve ever experienced in my whole life!

First off, you’ll be surprised to learn that it’s generally very cold up there. Considering Costa Rica is only 8 degrees north of the Equator, Monteverde’s cold weather is actually rather unusual.

It’s all due to its somewhat high altitude (1300-1800 M / 4300-6000 ft) and its wet cloudy weather. As the name implies, it is IN the clouds. And clouds are, after all, condensed moisture. It’s almost always perpetually drizzling / misting up there. Be prepared to be wet. Chilly wet.

Then there’s the strong, cold blasting wind. It’s often gusting and constantly changing directions, blowing the tree tops over sideways. In fact, walking can be rather difficult!

In direct contrast to the misty air and cold blasting wind, but simultaneously, the sun is often out in full force midday. Bright, direct, intense sun that will quickly burn any unprotected skin. After all, it is just 8 degrees from the Equator. And at an elevation where the air is a bit thinner than at sea level.

artists’ cooperative outside Santa Elena – Monteverde

Accommodation in Monteverde

One fortuitous result of Monteverde’s huge popularity is the high competition between hostels and hotels, which keeps the prices relatively low. In fact, thus far I’ve found Santa Elena to have some of the cheapest hostels in the country. The going rate for dorm beds is about $12 US per night, but you can find beds as low as $6 US, which is cheap for Costa Rica.

Summary

While Monteverde is one of Costa Rica’s most popular destinations, it is not easy to reach and visitors should expect cold, windy wet weather. The area is truly inside the clouds.

Monteverde’s popular and varied adventure tours and park entry fees are at international prices, but Monteverde also offers many interesting free things to do for those on a budget or those who want to do more than only adrenaline adventures.

Happy trails!

You might also find the following articles on Costa Rica useful-

Beautiful Playa Samara

All About the Arenal – La Fortuna Area

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