We are in the country that, according to National Geographic, has the most beautiful and pure nature on our entire planet. If you are looking for untouched jungle in ‘the wild’, then Costa Rica is an unimaginable paradise. With ten world-famous national parks, nature lovers can indulge themselves here. For me the highlight of Costa Rica: Monteverde.
This little squirrel monkey is already a reason to walk onto the balcony in the morning and be amazed. Yes indeed, I saw this one walking by on the balcony with at least twenty of his friends!
Best time to visit Monteverde, Costa Rica
With all that green, it is clear that it can rain a lot and heavily in Costa Rica. The country is subject to a fairly wet rainy season, which runs from May to November. As you can see in the table, it rains bizarrely more than in the other months. So you can enjoy nature optimally between December and April. Compared to the warm tropical coast, Monteverde offers a fresh breeze and it is also a bit cooler in the temperate interior.
The oldest natural park in the world
The jungle is my favorite place on earth. The sounds of the tropical rainforest are already a reason to pause and enjoy. It is always difficult to spot the animals and it is quite a challenge to sneak through the forest as quietly as possible. For me, this view alone is amazing, even without animals.
Monteverde National Park is one of the places you should not miss in Costa Rica. But why? The answer to that question is simple: this is the jungle of Costa Rica. As early as the 1950s, the founders recognized that the jungle needed to be protected, making Monteverde National Park the first privatized nature park in the world.
A few facts about Monteverde, Costa Rica
- Of the 9,000 plant species that occur in Costa Rica, you will find 3,000 here. There are as many as 400 bird species flying around, about 100 different mammals and another 120 species of reptiles and amphibians.
- Monteverde is located exactly between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Costa Rica, right on the so-called ‘Great Divide’ that runs from Alaska to South America. It therefore lies on two continental plates!
- National Geographic described this nature reserve as ‘The jewel in the crown of cloud forests’, the most famous of its kind.
- Originally Monteverde was only 328 hectares in size, but today the park covers 10,500 hectares of pristine jungle.
The famous jungle bridge
We walk over the famous footbridge in this oldest and most important nature reserve. The entrance fee is $25 and there are only 160 visitors allowed in the park at any time. This is so as not to disrupt the precious eco-system. In our case, in low season, it is not a problem at all; there are only a dozen people today.
Paradise for hummingbirds
Then there is something else you should go to Costa Rica for: birds. About 900 bird species occur here, including a large number of colorful hummingbirds! It is not difficult to spot them in Monteverde National Park; taking a photo is always a challenge. These animals are a lot of busy! Every now and then they sit down for a while and then my camera said: click!
Capturing a sitting hummingbird is already quite difficult, but I also wanted to photograph a flying hummingbird. You can hardly see its wings, because it can make up to 80 beats per second. This ensures that you hear a kind of helicopter sound when they are nearby. Very strange!
Special trees and plants
Suus and I have already seen many jungles: in Southeast Asia for example, or in Australia. However, the jungle in Costa Rica is very different. In Monteverde, we find a jungle that has no equal. Have you ever seen tree leaves like that? It is not without reason that scenes for Jurassic Park were filmed here; a bizarre piece of nature.
Walking routes through the park
If you go to Monteverde for a day, I recommend that you walk as much as possible through this magnificent jungle. There are several walking routes, but by combining them you can pass everywhere. You will pass gigantic forest giants, a canopy walk and various viewpoints over the pristine jungle of Costa Rica. We walked up through the middle and back along the bottom: you will walk between 5 and 10 km in a day.
This is what a tree in Costa Rica looks like. The original tree is barely visible; it is completely overgrown with other plants. This forest is an attraction in itself, highly recommended!
You quickly feel one with nature. So when it starts to rain I have already found my shelter. Let’s hope there isn’t a poisonous snake or tarantula here.
Wild animals in Monteverde, Costa Rica
When you go looking for wild animals in the jungle, you always have to have a bit of luck. In addition to the many monkeys and colorful hummingbirds, we saw even more special animals up close: coatis! In Costa Rica they call this animal the coati, but in the Netherlands we know it as the white-nosed coati. You encounter them in groups in Monteverde, when they dig through the dredged material with their noses in search of food.
Bus traffic in Costa Rica is not very good. You have to change often and the connection is downright worthless. That’s why you spend a day on the bus. An advantage is that you see animals everywhere, so you never have to be bored. This large monitor lizard crawled right past my feet while I was waiting for the bus.
Where to stay in Monteverde, Costa Rica
Monteverde National Park is about a 15-minute taxi ride from Santa Elena. The more budget-friendly option takes a little longer, but there is a bus that runs from several stops to the park entrance. The village of Santa Elena is of course equipped to provide accommodation for all travelers. We stay in Sleepers Sleep Cheaper Hostel, on the edge of the village, for the equivalent of nine euros per person (including an extensive breakfast).
Early in the morning we immediately see two squirrel monkeys sitting on an electricity cable in front of our hotel. It is a beautiful sight when a whole bunch of these funny animals suddenly pass by in the morning.
What does it cost?
You can of course make a stay as expensive as you want. If you stay in Santa Elena, it will be a lot cheaper than right next to the Monteverde Cloud Forest. Costa Rica is, partly due to its difficult accessibility and sparse population density, a lot more expensive than other countries in Central America. Yet we could easily spend a few days in these beautiful surroundings on a small budget. The costs at a glance:
- Entrance to Monteverde Cloud Forest: € 22
- Taxi to Cloud Forest: € 10
- Bus to Cloud Forest: € 1,50
- Overnight stay in hostel per person: € 10
- Meal in restaurant: € 15
- Bottle of water: € 1
- Half liter beer: €2,50
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