The drive from the Costa Rican coast up into the cloud forest of Monteverde brings you, via stunning scenery, to a totally different world of verdant green shrouded in cloud. There is plenty to do in the surrounding area, including a huge array of opportunities to hang above/zipwire through the cloud forest. Here is an itinerary for a pleasant, white knuckle free few days in Monteverde.

Getting There

We drove to Monteverde as part of a three week road trip. As long as you check Google isn’t sending you the shortest route(!), it’s a fairly easy drive. Although you’ll probably want to stop a few times to admire the view.

Getting Around

The main attractions are a few miles out of town. We drove so we didn’t have to stick to a schedule, but there are regular buses from Monteverde to the Cloud Forest Reserve and transportation is included in the ticket price for Selvatura. Monteverde itself is compact and walkable although, unless you’re based right in the centre, it is rather steep. Car parking in town is free but limited.

Where we Stayed

We stayed at the Hotel Santa Fe, which is conveniently located, has a great view and includes parking and breakfast. But it had a very small double bed, which made me grumpy.

Itinerary

Day 1	Drive to Monteverde Accommodation – Hotel Santa Fe x 3 Wander round Monteverde
Day 2	Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve Monteverde Cheese Factory Dinner from Panadería el Hornito de Pilo
Day 3	Selvatura Park Dinner at Tree House Watch the Sunset from Mirador Valle Escondido

Attractions

1	Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
2	Monteverde Cheese Factory
3	Selvatura Park
4	Mirador Valle Escondido

Day 1

Drive to Monteverde

Today we drive from the coast to the cloud forest of Monteverde. Google has a last minute change of route, resulting in a 78 mile drive which will take (allegedly) 3 hours. It’s pigging hot and I’m torn between drinking enough to avoid dehydration and the fact that there are no service stations (I’ve already seen two snakes today so I won’t be peeing in a bush).

The first 20 miles is on good roads and the next 31 miles is motorway. That leaves us with 27 miles and an ETA of 85 minutes – that’s an average of 19 MPH. We actually take almost 2 hours – so about 14 MPH. It’s narrow and bumpy and windy and steep, with a lot of bridges with no guard rails, and a lot of cows. Not the best 2 hours of my life. There’s also a lot of ascent and descent – mainly ascent.

After a while, the combination of gradient and terrain mean the old man has to turn the A/C off as the engine can’t cope with both. We are now 1400 metres above sea level and it’s so windy we have to make an emergency stop when the old man’s hat blows off. Finally, as we approach the edge of town, we spot tarmac. I didn’t realise I could get excited about the sight of tarmac!

Accommodation – Hotel Santa Fe

With great relief, we reach our destination; Hotel Santa Fe. It’s very steep and our first attempt at parking fails when the hand brake can’t cope and the car starts to roll back down the hill. Luckily, the hotel provides wedges to stick behind the wheels and we get safely parked.

We purchase supplies from a nearby supermarket for lunch. It’s been a stressful journey and a couple of tins of beer are in order. We have lunch on the bench outside our hotel which offers a great view across the valley.

Walk round Monteverde

After a little rest, we take a walk into town. We’re a mile above sea level and there’s a fierce wind. We only progress a few metres before deciding jumpers are in order. The walk into town is down a steep hill.

After a look around at the various cafes, bakeries and souvenir shops, we heave ourselves back up the hill again. It’s been a long day. Time for an early night before a trip to the cloud forest reserve in the morning.

Day 2

Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve

After breakfast, we head to Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. It’s only two miles away, but a few hundred metres higher in elevation, which brings us up into the clouds.

The car park is a kilometre away from the reserve, opposite the Selina Hotel. The parking fee includes a shuttle bus to the entrance. At the entrance, we wait in a long queue to purchase tickets, then a member of staff shows us a map. Although here are a number of trails, several are inaccessible as the hanging bridge has collapsed and isn’t likely to be repaired for some time.

Sendero Nuboso

We select the Sendero Nuboso. This 2 km long trail takes you right through the heart of the cloud forest with lush green vegetation on either side and leads to the Sendero la Ventana.

Sendero La Ventana

The Sendero La Ventana is short but steep. From here, we are promised a viewpoint across the Continental Divide (water on one side of the line flows into the Pacific Ocean and on the other side, into the Atlantic/Caribbean). When we reach the viewpoint, it’s so cloudy there’s little to see.

We wait a while and are eventually rewarded with a partial view of the Continental Divide.

Sendero Camino

The return to the entrance you can either retrace your steps or take the Sendero Camino. This will make around a two hour round hike if you stop to take as many pictures as I do!

Quebrada Cuecha

Once back at the entrance plaza, we head in the opposite direction along the Qurebrada Cuecha. This short (approximately 600 metres) trail brings you to a waterfall.

Sendero Tosi

You can then return via the Sendero Tosi (approximately 800 metres). You could work your way round some of the other trails avoiding the closed section by the bridge, but we were cold and wet and decided that we’d had a sufficient cloud forest experience by then, and headed back into town.

Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is open daily from 7 am until 4 pm. A day pass costs $25 for foreigners (plus an extra $5 per vehicle for the car park/shuttle bus). A range of guided tours are available, starting from $23. If, like us, you choose to go it alone, there is a member of staff on duty to provide information and a trail map for you to photograph for future reference. You can actually stay in a lodge by the entrance, but that would leave you several miles from anything other than the reserve.

Monteverde Cheese Factory

On the way back into town, we stop at Monteverde Cheese Factory. This used to be a locally owned factory which provided tours of the cheese making process. Now it is owned by a multinational company and just the shop remains accessible to the public.

The old man has ice cream, which he eats in the pretty courtyard, and I buy some locally produced cheese (Monte Rico) for lunch.

Dinner from Panadería el Hornito de Pilo

Back in Monteverde, we stop for further provisions at Panadería el Hornito de Pilo, which sells delicious pizzas, empanadas, cakes, bread… Then we return to our hotel for a picnic on the bench outside our room, while watching a rainbow emerging from the clouds. We are the only guests at the hotel, so at least it’s quiet – apart from the howling of the wind.

Day 3

Selvatura Park

This morning is a toss up between another cloud forest reserve and Selvatura Park for a 3 km treetop walkway consisting of 8 bridges, the longest being almost 200 metres long. I’m terrified of heights and very much prefer to have my feet firmly on the ground, so my choice would be the cloud forest. So, we set off for the Treetop Walkways! My fear of heights is not helped by the ferocious wind. Why anyone would want to walk across 8 rope bridges at all is beyond me. Let alone when it’s blowing a gale!

We opt not to take the free transport, as that restricts you to how long you have to stay at the park. It’s only a short (6 km) drive from Monteverde to Selvatura Park, but after the first couple of kilometres, you leave the paved road and the rest of the journey is along rather bumpy tracks. Google Maps told us it would be 20 minute drive. Google Maps was being a little optimistic! At the end, there is ample free parking. Once you have paid $86 for the privilege of being scared witless, you can set off along the 3 km long Treetop Walkways trail towards the first of 8 bridges.

Bridge 1

We start, not surprisingly, with Bridge 1; at a mere 65 metres long and 17 metres high, it is just a warm up for the main attraction. It’s going OK until a third of the way across, when I suddenly encounter a snake lying on the bridge with its head reared up towards me. And I thought my fear of heights was the biggest obstacle I had to face today! I’m stuck half way across a bridge with a snake in my path. It’s like something out of a nightmare. I finally summons up the courage to pass the snake, cross the bridge and move onto the next bridge.

Bridge 2

Bridge 2 is 82 metres long and 19 metres high. It’s like they’re gently cranking up the fear factor. At least this one is reptile free.

Bridge 3

Bridge No 3 is 115 metres long and 34 metres high. This one has an added obstacle; there is a German couple sitting cross legged in the middle taking artsy selfies of each other. I take a look down – the ground is way too far away – and barge through the photo shoot onto solid ground.

Bridge 4

On to number 4; this is the the biggest bridge at 157 metres long! (And 31 metres high). You can’t even see the other end. It must only take a couple of minutes to cross, but it’s like being stuck in a bad dream with the end never seeming to get any closer. The old man says something ridiculous like ‘wow look at the view’. That’s exactly what I’m trying not to do as the view is a very long way down.

Bridge 5

After that, the bridges start to decrease in length again with bridge No 5 being a mere 120 metres long and 28 metres high. I can even stop to admire the view.

Bridge 6

Bridge 6 is a breeze at 57 metres long and 18 metres high.

Bridge 7

Bridge 7 in 90 metres long and 25 metres high.

Bridge 8

Finally, bridge 8, at 90 metres long and 20 metres high, brings the ordeal to an end. Once you have completed the full 8 bridge trail and returned to main entrance, there are other attractions on offer; a zipwire, sloth trail, butterfly garden and reptile exhibition.

Selvatura Park is open daily from 8.30 am until 4 pm. Entry to just the Treetop Walkways costs $43. This can be booked online or via your hotel. The cost of tickets includes hotel pick up. If you opt for hotel pick up, there are 4 x daily time slots: (8.30, 11.00, 1.00 or 2.30) and the bus will pick you up around 30 minutes before your selected start time. The other attractions are priced separately or there are a range of packages available. The All Day package, which includes everything, will set you back $146.40.

Dinner at Tree House

We drive back into town and stop for dinner at Tree House; a restaurant built around a 100 year old fig tree. It’s a novel dining experience (reflected in the price) but the food is very good.

We opt to skip dessert and instead pick up some guava strudels from el Hornito de Pilo on the way back to the hotel.

Watch the Sunset from Mirador Valle Escondido

After a break to get over the trauma of our treetop walk, we head out again in the evening to watch the sunset from Mirador Valle Escondido which is just outside town. Follow route 620 towards the Cloud Forest Reserve for 1.5 km to reach the viewpoint. Here, you can see across the mountains all the way to the ocean, so it’s a great spot to watch the sun setting. We are obviously not the only ones with this idea; as we approach our destination, we can see dozens of pedestrians, cars, even tour buses descending on the same spot. Despite the clouds (and the crowds), it’s quite a sunset and a pleasant way to round off our last evening in Monteverde.