Monteverde Cloud Forest Tour
3 days / 2 nights

The Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve is situated along the Continental Divide in western Costa Rica, extending down both the Caribbean and Pacific slopes. The temperature and humidity change dramatically over relatively short distances because the altitude climbs from just under 2,000 feet to more than 6,000 feet above sea level. The vast difference in altitudes creates ideal environments for a great diversity of plant life, from wind-sculpted dwarf woodlands on exposed ridges to protected cove forests with majestically towering trees decorated with orchids, bromeliads, ferns, vines and thick mosses. Visitors can hike through several swamp forests, and along the trails may chance upon clear crystal streams tumbling along, with bubbling rapids and singing waterfalls.

Three days here gives visitors ample opportunity to explore all seven of the parks trails leading more than six miles through the forest. No more than 120 visitors are allowed on the trails at any given time, preserving the quiet beauty and serenity of the forest.

Clouds drift in continually and settle among the slopes, providing a constant source of moisture that feeds the lush vegetation and gives the cloud forest its name. This 26,000-acre wilderness is inhabited by more than 100 species of mammals, 120 species of reptiles and amphibians and 2,500 species of plants, including 420 different kinds of orchids living and reproducing endlessly. Some spectacular wildlife lives in the Monteverde Cloud Forest, including jaguars, ocelots, Barenecked Umbrella birds and the Resplendent Quetzal, a beautiful and mystical native Costa Rican bird.

Monteverde is a haven for bird watchers, with more than 400 different species recorded among the wilds of the forest.

Nearby, the Monteverde Butterfly Garden gives visitors a chance to view hundreds of tropical butterflies freely fluttering about inside an immense enclosed garden. A walk through the screened garden reveals every phase of the life cycle of a butterfly, from fat fuzzy caterpillars to hairy cocoons and finally, the emergence of beautiful winged creatures that fill the air with colors.

Above itinerary includes: Round-trip land transportation or rental car from San José; two nights lodging at the Hotel Fonda Vela or similar-quality lodge; guided tour of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve and visit to the Monteverde Butterfly Garden.

Optional tours: Guided horseback riding and the Rain Forest Canopy Tour. The unique tour allows you to explore the canopy of the cloud forest and witness up close the lush green garden of mosses, flowers, ferns and epiphytes that grows high above the forest floor. The Canopy Tour is a series of suspended bridges, platforms and traverse lines spanning nearly a third of a mile inside the cloud forest. The highly recommended Sky Walk portion of the tour gives visitors a completely different perspective of the Monteverde forest. Five suspended bridges towering 130 feet above the forest floor take visitors into the treetops to peer into a magical world.