Monteverde became famous when National Geographic named it as one of the best places to see the Resplendant Quetzal in the world and since that well deserved title, tourists from all over the world come to experience its amazing birding, exhilarating ziplining and incredible cloud forest. This little farming town’s unique history and community dedication to protecting the extremely vulnerable tropical cloud forest has shaped it into one of the top tourist destinations in Costa Rica.
This destination is ideal for birders, nature and hiking lovers, couples, families and students.
How to Get to Monteverde
Adobe Transfers offers door to door, nationwide private shuttles to Monteverde, including international and domestic airport pick ups and drop offs. All private services include one stop along the way.
Below are average prices of a private shuttle to Monteverde. Prices are quoted in USD, per way and up to 8 passengers plus luggage.
San Jose International Airport – Monteverde: $210, 3 hours
Liberia International Airport – Monteverde: $190, 3.5 hours
La Fortuna – Monteverde: $185, 4 hours
Jaco – Monteverde: $150, 2.15 hours
Samara – Monteverde: $210, 4 hours
Tamarindo – Monteverde: $205, 3 hours
Papagayo Peninsula – Monteverde: $210, 3 hours
What to Do in Monteverde
Visitors on average spend 1-3 nights Below are the must do’s.
Hike in the Cloud Forest Reserves
The two most popular cloud reserves, Monteverde and Santa Elena are one of Costa Rica’s “must see” places.The first on the list is the most popular reserve for visitors, it is easy to get to with well maintained trails for all people. Walk through this cloud forest pass a hanging bridge and to view points of both the Caribbean and Pacific slope.
The Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve offers a more natural experience as it is the highest one in elevation, always in a constant light mist. Visitors can hike the many trails in the reserve to view points and points of interest.
Guides are not required to accompany visitors in the reserve but hiring a guide will help guests understand the true importance of the cloud forests and the incredible rich biodiversity it holds.
Walk the Hanging Bridges
See the cloud forest up close and personal by walking through the hanging bridges, elevated up in the tree tops. This is not for the faint of heart scared of heights as one of the highest bridges are 70 meters (230 feet). But visitors will be left with an unforgettable memory of their intimate encounter in the extraordinary tropical cloud forests.
Ziplining
Monteverde is the home of ziplining in Costa Rica as workers used to send their lunch via a cable while they worked in the tree tops. Nowadays, visitors can test their nerves and surpass their fears on a thrilling ziplining tour through the cloud forest. See the jungle from a bird’s eye view, fly through tree tops like Superman and let our your inner child on a thrilling tarzan swing!
These zipline tours are perfect for adrenaline junkies and adventure lovers as cables reach up to 1 kilometer in length (3280 feet) and 100 meters (328 feet) in height and up to speeds of 70 kmph (44 mph).
Birdwatching
Birders can tick one prized bird off their list – the Resplendant Quetzal. Book a birding tour at one of the cloud forest reserves or the Curi-Cancha private reserve. Bird lovers will will love the variety of birds that can be seen in one tour: toucans, hummingbirds and the Resplendant Quetzal are just a few of the many spectacular birds that can be seen.