Full Day to Monteverde Cloud Forest from Guanacaste

Prepare for early morning pickup at your Guanacaste hotel in order to make the most of the day. Watch the landscape change dramatically during the roughly 4-hour drive into Puntarenas province. Depart the sunny, tropical rain forest of the coast and travel up steep, winding roads to reach the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, a protected area that sits perched at 4,600 feet (1,400 meters) above sea level. Stop along the way to stretch your legs and enjoy an included breakfast.

After arriving at the reserve, begin with a visit to one of the world’s largest live butterfly exhibits to learn about the amazing lifecycle of the butterfly and observe many native species fluttering around a natural habitat. Next, explore the cloud forest’s amphibious and scaled residents at an exhibit featuring lizards, geckos, frogs, and more than 30 different types of slithering snakes.

Get a bird’s-eye perspective on the towering trees of Monteverde while traversing 1.9 miles (3 km) of suspended walkways and eight different suspension bridges that criss-cross the forest canopy and hanging gardens below.

Relax on the return bus ride as you descend from the cloud forest back into Costa Rica’s central plains and coastal tropics. Stop for a late lunch of authentic Costa Rican fare on the way back to your hotel, where the tour concludes with drop-off in the evening.