), birds, insects (camouflage of walking stick insects is amazing), spiders (in particular a BIG tarantula in her nest) and millipedes that thrive in the cloud forest. It was so full we had to park down the road! It is privately run by the Santa Elena Technical Professional High School and protects over 300 hectares (741 acres) of land. We wish all travelers and fellow world citizens much health — Be SAFE and have serious FUN (at home!
If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. The first entrance is on a concrete path (for the handicap friendly) and it ends when you get deeper into the forest.The Encantado Trail didn’t have that many view points but the scenery was gorgeous.The trail led us through the cloud forest surrounded by moss covered branches and a beautiful array of towering trees. If you’re very lucky, you can see the Resplendant Quetzal which are abundant in Monteverde the months of February – July. It was gorgeous but crowded.Keep in mind that we visited in March, one of the busiest times of the year.
The Monteverde Cloud Forest does have some more facilities such as hanging bridges, an observation deck, a lodge and there is a waterfall.Santa Elena doesn’t nearly receive as many visitors as Monteverde. Both reserves share some common borders.
You can take the shuttles to both reserves or book a tour that includes transportation.The best time to visit would be in dry season. The Santa Elena Reserve is situated a little more towards the Atlantic and has large areas at high elevations. There are also benches on the trails making it extremely friendly for visitors of all ages.We didn’t see any animals when we were there but we heard lots of birds. You can read more about the Both reserves are easily accessible. We spent most of our time enchanted by the beauty of the cloud forest!The trails were easy to walk on and because we did a guided walk at Curi Cancha, we didn’t feel like it was necessary for Santa Elena.But if this one is the only hike you’re doing and you want to learn more about it, then I recommend doing the Santa Elena Cloud Forest guided tour. But after it stopped raining and we warmed up from walking, my feet were fine.You don’t need mosquito repellent since there are not really any mosquitoes that high in elevation.Mytanfeet LTDA Copyright© 2013 - 2020 - Thank you for supporting our Travel Blog!Mytanfeet is full of local tips, detailed guides, photos, videos and maps to help you plan the perfect trip to Costa Rica.You can start by downloading our free Costa Rica travel tips eBook and joining our newsletter which is a great first start to your trip planning! You can read more about You will reach a parking lot and you can purchase tickets at the entrance office. When we visited in September, it would start raining hard by 11 AM every day.We recommend wearing long hiking pants, closed toed hiking shoes and a comfortable shirt that wicks away moisture. The In 2014 Desafio Monteverde Tours donated 2 hidden cameras to the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve - So what is the difference between the two main Cloud Forests? The Santa Elena Reserve is only a 20 minute walk from the Selvatura Canopy Zipline tour so if you want to do a guided walk in the park in the morning and a canopy tour in the afternoon - they are conveniently located near to each other.Desafio Monteverde offers a guided package that includes an English-speaking, qualified naturalist guide (only the best ones are chosen - tried and tested! I wore closed toed hiking sandals and my feet were cold, I wish I had wore socks with them no matter how silly it looked! Many people don’t realize there are actually three cloud forest reserves in The Santa Elena Cloud Forest is higher in elevation at 1600 meters (5250 feet) and has 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) of well maintained trails with beautiful view points and scenery. That will be necessary!When we visited in March, I was very cold, especially as it was raining.
There were times when we had to step aside as the trail didn’t fit everyone! Since the cloud forests are so high up in elevation, it rains considerably more and it can start pouring by 10 AM. Even in March, one of the hottest and driest months of the year and it rained on us! If you drive, Monteverde does require a high car as the roads are in poor condition. The parking lot was absolutely packed with large tour shuttles and rental cars. Raindrops glistened from every leaf and branch, shining brightly all around us.We loved our hike in Santa Elena.
In rainy season, make sure to bring your rain jacket and a waterproof backpack or a rain cover. We did not see big animals, but discovered the amazing diversity of plants (so many orchid species!
The bus costs $2 per person.Remember to rent a high car or a 4×4 when visiting Monteverde! We ran into only 3 small families during our entire time in the reserve and for a couple hours, it was just us and the trees.Monteverde was a different story.