Travel Tips for Your Monteverde Vacation by Monteverde Locals

The vision of the Ocote Boutique Hotel is to provide a stay in Monteverde that’s both authentic and luxurious. Every day, our team works to honor the hotel’s strong roots in the community and provide a fresh interpretation of what Monteverde can be.

That wouldn’t be possible without decades of experience both living and working in the area around the hotel, as well as a genuine love for all that Monteverde has to offer. 

For this article, we asked the Ocotea Group’s management team for some of their top recommendations and tips that only locals would know, and we’re passing them on to you.

What’s the Best Coffee Shop to Enjoy in the Area? 

There are a number of excellent coffee shops in the area that could be your favorite. Based on our experience, the top three our guests recommend most often are Café Orquídeas, Stella´s Café and Café Monteverde.

The Best Food to Make At Home

Our entire team agreed on the two Monteverde staples they love to make at home — for the cool evenings, olla de carne (meat stew) is a local favorite, and on the holidays, it’s very typical to make traditional chicharrones (fried pork). 

Favorite Thing to Do When It’s Raining?

From a local perspective, a quick rainstorm is an excellent reason to slow down and enjoy the place where you are, whether that’s finding a cozy spot to chat with a friend, sitting on a covered terrace to listen, etc. 

If you’re looking for activities, there are indoor experiences like the Sloth Sanctuary, Frog Pond, and Bat Jungle, you can enjoy any of the incredible restaurants around Monteverde, or set out for any day tour with a trusty poncho. Monteverde is really a place that can be visited regardless of the season and enjoyed no matter the weather outside. 

Fun Activities for a Friday Night

You won’t find loud music and nightclubs around Monteverde, but Friday nights are still a great time to get out into town and create memories. Whether you’re getting to know the area’s excellent local cuisine or sampling interesting, tasty cocktails, laid-back evenings around town are a wonderful way to appreciate Monteverde’s blend of locals, expats, and visitors. 

Most Excellent Way to Exercise in Monteverde

There are plenty of elite athletes who use the mountainsides of Monteverde as their training ground for long trail runs, mountain biking, or road biking. However, our team appreciates that you can get exercise simply by walking through town, venturing out onto the trails, or taking any number of tours. 

The most important element is getting out and enjoying the fresh, pure Monteverde air!

Favorite Activity for the Whole Family

This was another question that the team at Ocotea Group didn’t have a single answer for, since all activities in Monteverde are adjusted in some way for families. It doesn’t matter if your group has children or older adults traveling, there is always a way to adjust Monteverde's experiences so that everyone, no matter their age, can appreciate the cloud forest. 

Best Spots in the Area to Watch the Sunset

As the team at Ocotea explains, finding “the best” spot to watch the sunset is a bit of a trick question, as there are so many beautiful sunset spots that you can’t go wrong. For finding your own piece of paradise to savor the end of the day, the Ocotea team recommends first asking around where you’re staying. 

Many hotels and restaurants have viewing points on their grounds, and locals are usually willing to share a personal favorite spot if you strike up a conversation and ask nicely. There are also spots well-known in the area, like in front of the Cerro Plano service station, which is a public area frequented by locals for gorgeous sunsets.

What Surprises New Visitors to Monteverde the Most? 

Another question with many answers. The warmth of the people who live here. The attentiveness and enthusiasm you see in the customer service. The beauty of the sunsets and rainbows when the weather permits. The wonder of the night sky on clear evenings. The fact that locals enjoy everything that they do, with a true sense of gratitude and appreciation.

Animals That You See Most Often in Daily Life

The consensus answer here was birds, especially hummingbirds, which makes sense considering that there are more than 400 species found in Monteverde! Other animals that commonly wander through the trees and gardens around Monteverde are monkeys (howler and capuchin), sloths, butterflies, and a wide variety of fascinating insects. 

Biggest Event on the Yearly Calendar

In terms of importance and attendance, it’s hard to top the Monteverde Bird Count on December 14th, where forestry workers and volunteers from Monteverde and beyond come together to collect a census of local birds, which serves as a snapshot of the ecosystem’s health. 

From a cultural perspective, a few events have risen as must-attends on the Monteverde calendar as well. Far Corners Theater organizes a play or musical annually, with this year’s production of Mamma Mia set to premiere. There are also community festivals, like Monteverde Brilla, a festival for the Christmas season hosted in town on the first Thursday of December, and Santa Elena’s Patron Saint festivities on August 18th.

Locals’ Favorite Time to Be In Monteverde

This was the question that sparked the fiercest debate from the team at Ocotea Group, with each member arguing their own preferences for the best time to be in Monteverde. Answers included December for the gorgeous sunsets every night and shoulder seasons (between the dry season and rainy season) due to the refreshing breeze, but that wasn’t all.

Others argued for green season rainstorms (for the cool, quiet, cozy feeling that comes over town), while others made a case for clear nights when you can walk out and appreciate the stillness of the night. 

Seems like depending on who you ask, you can’t go wrong. 

Interesting Fact About People From Monteverde

The Costa Rican people have a global reputation for their laid-back, easygoing nature, but as the Ocotea team explained, that feeling of peace and pura vida has its own twist in Monteverde. The people here are warm and welcoming, and there is a strong connection with nature along with a sense of community. 

A bonus fun fact is that outside of tourism, which employs a great many people in the Monteverde community, there is also a vibrant community of artisans and creative individuals, who thrive in the peaceful world of Monteverde. 

Care to Come Visit? 

One unifying trait of many people who visit Monteverde is a sense of deep curiosity, and an interest in connecting with the real Monteverde, not just the one on the postcards. 

We hope that this article gives you a small taste of the vibrant community that thrives here in the mountains, and we’d love to invite you up to come visit with us sometime!