The Hiking Trails of Monteverde

Monteverde has an impressive network of fantastic trails that range in intensity from universal access, paved, and easy walking paths, all of the way up to strenuous trails with steep climbs and lots of stairs in the best of cases, and roots and mud in the worst. And they’re all surrounded by majestic clouds and rainforests!

But before I go any further with all my hiking passion, probably the most important question to ask here is: what is the purpose of your visit? 

To Hire a Tour Guide or Not?

If you are into really seeing the forest, the wildlife, the amazing birds and understand a bit of this fantastic life system, we absolutely suggest you ask Ocotea Tours and Transfers for a tour guide and their guided tours. Either personalized and private or shared with other people, a naturalist will take you to the core of the cloud forest. They know where everything is and how it works.

They will show you the tarantula holes and the Resplendent Quetzal sighting hotspots. And they know about the ecosystem, its delicate relationships, and all its interconnected nature better than anyone. They walk these paths every single day, and they love to show them off. 

Tour guides are not only knowledgeable local experts and great naturalists but they also carry great optical gear, and whenever they find a bird like the Three Wattled Bellbird, which usually perches up at the peak of the trees, will point their telescopes for you to see the breathtaking bird in all its might. 

So yes! Hiring a tour guide for Monteverde is a good idea. 

What to Bring? 

Whatever you do, my biggest recommendations to bring to your hike in Monteverde are: 

• Good hiking shoes
• Fresh breathable clothing
• A rain poncho
• Hat
• Binoculars
• Energy bars
• A lot of water
• Candy

Extra Tips for Solo Hikers

Plan your hike! Please check the maps I am enclosing here (Under each preserve) and plan your hike before getting into the reserves so that when you enter, you already know what you are doing. 

The reason I recommend this is so that you can inform the people of the preserve where you are going to be, especially if you are hiking solo. This is a universal safety precaution, and it means you can settle in and focus on exploring!

Snacks: 

I always take a Tupper with chopped fruits and another one with a green salad. It is a great pleasure to take the time to sit anywhere in the preserve and have a mid-morning snack or even lunch. 

Note though: be careful not to leave anything behind, and don’t feed the wildlife. As tempting as it may seem, if monkeys, coatimundis, or agoutis show up, please keep the food in your bag. They’ve got delicate digestive systems, and it’s also important to keep them independent and wild!

Don’t Look for Wildlife, Let It Come to You 

And even though these forests are teeming with wildlife, my recommendation as a tour guide and local hiker is not to waste time looking for it. I mean it. Sometimes we race into breathtaking forests looking for animals and we miss the magnificent show in front of our eyes. 

Wildlife in Monteverde is elusive. These preserves are huge, and the creatures of the forest know better than staying around the sometimes noisy paths. 

Plus, they blend in the landscape. You may walk parallel to a big animal and never notice it in the dark greenness of the cloud forest. 

Instead, I recommend taking it slow. See everything, take in the trees, the small plants, the fungi, and the moving clouds above the canopy with the same sense of wonder. Then, be as silent as you can and relax. 

Wildlife is much faster and much more experienced at staying hidden than you are at looking. But if you’re patient, it may appear right in front of your eyes when you are less expecting it. 

Don’t Rush Through Beauty

Stop frequently to take in the place. 

Imagine you are in a museum, taking a stroll inside of one of Van Gogh’s works… 

The moment that we all look for is that one spot where we stop to catch our breath. There, if you take time to look around in perfect silence, and the wilderness is there, almost smiling, impressive, and yet somehow innocent. 

Old dark trees are covered by layers and layers of vegetation. Huge arborescent ferns, disconcerting bright flowers with weird shapes, and the humid and chilly air coming in our lungs as if it was filling our souls. When it’s windy, it feels like the entire forest is dancing with the light. 

The Main Four Preserves of the Region 

The main preserves we’re going to touch on are the Monteverde Cloud Forest, Santa Elena Cloud Forest, The Children’s Eternal Forest, and the Curi-Cancha Preserve. 

And as a bonus, I’d like to mention El Tigre Waterfalls, as it is absolutely worth the distance to get there. 

They are all magnificent. They all have primary and secondary forests, enormous trees, and breathtaking landscapes. Which is the best? 

Well, it actually depends on your preferences. 

Monteverde Cloud Forest

Of course, the Monteverde Cloud Forest is the symbol of the region. This preserve started all, and the whole place is made to be appreciated. 

But precisely because of that is the place where you will find more people, especially on the weekends when Costa Ricans also come to hike in Monteverde. 

The trails are in excellent condition, very well marked, and there are both short and easy loops and strenuous trails. 

In the Monteverde Cloud Forest, you will find 9 trails in total. However, there are two that right now are closed (including the hanging bridge path) for maintenance. 

On the longest loop, the distance is 7.7 Km | 4.7 Mi. But you can find shorter loops that may take only 2 kilometers on paved easy trails.

It is worth mentioning the outlook at the Continental Divide. Up there, you can see both sides of Costa Rica — the Pacific area takes you in the distance to the Pacific ocean and the Nicoya Gulf and islands. Meanwhile, on the Caribbean side is a huge and very impressive forest that starts with an elfin forest, and goes for miles in the distance. 

Also worth mentioning is the waterfall. There is a small area where you can sit and enjoy a small fall framed by the most impressive cloud forest wall you can imagine. 

Santa Elena Cloud Forest Preserve

This reserve is owned and managed by the high school of Santa Elena. The trails are narrower than the ones in the Monteverde Cloud Forest, and I feel that Santa Elena Reserve is wilder than Monteverde. 

In Santa Elena, there are some spots worth mentioning. 

The Youth Trail. Easy to walk. It has universal access. 45 minutes at a steady calmed pace. 

The Platform A three-story structure with a 360° view out across Arenal Volcano, its lake, and the Volcanic Mountain range of Guanacaste on a clear day. 

The Shinrin Yoku Forest Bath

This trail is part of the Bajo trail in Santa Elena, and as you start, it will guide you to take time to breathe the cloud forest, its sounds, aromas, and sights.

Whether you call it a fitness trend or a mindfulness practice (or a bit of both), what exactly is forest bathing? The term emerged in Japan in the 1980s as a physiological and psychological exercise called shinrin-yoku (“forest bathing” or “taking in the forest atmosphere”). The purpose was twofold: to offer an eco-antidote to tech-boom burnout and to inspire residents to reconnect with and protect the country’s forests.

The Japanese quickly embraced this form of ecotherapy. In the 1990s, researchers began studying the physiological benefits of forest bathing, providing the science to support what we innately know: time spent immersed in nature is good for us. While Japan is credited with the term shinrin-yoku, the concept at the heart of the practice is not new. Many cultures have long recognized the importance of the natural world to human health. (01)

Children’s Eternal Forest

This is the biggest private reserve in Central America. When you walk in the trails of the Children´s Eternal Forest, you find that amazingly; it is a very different ecosystem. 

This is one of the very few unique rain shadow forests (02) in Costa Rica.  

Despite being within a mile from the Monteverde cloud forest, the drier environment of this region means that many of the plant and animal species here in the area (sometimes known as Bajo del Tigre) are unique. 

Only roughly 40 km2 of Costa Rica’s unusual “rain shadow forest” are protected!

The trails in this preserve have been made to suit especially families and children. As it is drier and the trails in certain areas are sandy and rocky, I highly recommend taking shoes with good traction. 

In the depths of the forest, you’ll find the Bajo del Tigre Station, which has a sizeable community of soldier ants, and you will spot them on the trails often.

Pay attention to what happens around these ants! These great ant columns a whole range of wildlife to eat the ants or whatever jumps out of their way. So, usually, wherever the ants are, look up, there may be toucans, several types of antbirds, motmots, and more. 

Curi-Cancha

Curi-Cancha is the smallest of these preserves. The Lowther family bought this property in 1970 and named it Curi-Cancha, which means “Golden Enclosure” in Inca. The land was roughly half meadow and half pristine rainforest. Over the next 45 years, the Lowthers cleared no land and allowed most of the pastured land to revert to woodland.

The site was legally designated a Refugio de Vida Silvestre under MINAE in 1997 and opened to visitors in 2011. 

Curi-Cancha Reserve is located very close to the Cheese Factory (you will notice the signs). It protects 83 hectares (205 acres) of land that is 50% virgin forest, 45% secondary growth, and 5% open grassland. 

Visitors can explore the flora and wildlife of the tropical cloud forest over seven kilometers of natural trails. (03)

A Note on Curi-Cancha

The amazing fact about having such different environments as open pasture areas in recovery and small ponds is the variety of birds grows exponentially. So, this is the perfect place for birdwatching. 

As well, it has benches to sit on and take it easy while you take in the place's beauty. 

One of my favorite spots in Curi-Cancha is the Continental Divide outlook. Although it is not as impressive of a landscape as the one in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, it is also breathtaking. This outlook is at the intersection of the Puma (longest loop) trail and the Leo trail. 

Another great stop is at the River outlook. A quaint little place to hear the sounds of water and marvel at the dark forest in this part of Curi-Cancha. 

And finally, if you take the Alondra Trail, you will see some giant strangler fig trees. You can actually walk in one of them!

El Tigre Waterfalls

And for my bonus addition, El Tigre Waterfalls is actually a bit away from Monteverde, on the way to Tilarán. It takes about a half-hour from downtown Santa Elena to get there.

However, I wanted to mention it because it is one of the most beautiful and pristine rainforests of Costa Rica and a wonderful day trip.

El Tigre Waterfalls is one trail, very well-marked and simple to follow. The hike can go from 5.4 km to 8 km long, and it is from moderate to difficult.

From the trail ahead, it goes down to a canyon where you will see 4 breathtaking waterfalls amid a luscious primary rainforest.

There are 9 bridges (hanging bridges and natural tree bridges). Some of them have rails, although some just have a rope to hold on to. It is important to acknowledge this because it feels quite adventurous once you are there!