The quieter of the two cloud forest reserves at Monteverde, and the one our trips use for the guided quetzal morning.
It was founded in 1992, and the public high school board of directors has managed it ever since. It is 310 hectares, more than ten times smaller than the main reserve next door, and still holds more than 800 types of trees, hundreds of bird species and 140 reptile and amphibian species. A naturalist guide walks you through the cloud forest and points out what you would otherwise walk past.
So, of our three Monteverde pages: the main reserve is the big name, Curi-Cancha is the farm edge, and this is where we go for a calmer morning on the trail.
The Resplendent Quetzal, which is what the guided morning is for. With a guide, all year.
Our trips that bird here name the Three-wattled Bellbird, a regional endemic, and the Collared Trogon in the same cloud forest.
| English | Scientific | Spanish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resplendent Quetzal | Pharomachrus mocinno | Quetzal | |
| Three-wattled Bellbird | Procnias tricarunculatus | Campanero Tricarunculado | Regional endemic |
| Collared Trogon | Trogon collaris | Trogón Collarejo | |
| Spangle-cheeked Tanager | Tangara dowii | Tangara Vientricastaña | Regional endemic |
| Prong-billed Barbet | Semnornis frantzii | Barbudo Cocora | Regional endemic |
The reserve is 5 kilometres from the village of Santa Elena, and our trips reach it from the Trapp Family Lodge. Getting to Monteverde from Arenal is jeep, boat and jeep across Lake Arenal.
All year. Tell us your dates and we will plan the morning around them.
Three of our lodges: the Trapp Family Lodge, above Santa Elena, the closest hotel to the main reserve; Monteverde Lodge & Gardens, whose activities page names this reserve among its three; and Senda Monteverde, with naturalist guides on its own staff.
Photo: Monteverde Lodge & Gardens
Monteverde
A place perched in the mountains with infinite things to do for nature lovers and discerning travelers!
★★★
A cloud forest lodge with gardens at Santa Elena that sends guests to three reserves: the Cloud Forest Reserve, whose page names 400 bird species, Curi Cancha, with open ground for spotting birds and a limit of 40 visitors, and Santa Elena. Guided hikes and a night walk.
Photo: Senda Monteverde Hotel
Monteverde
Visit the Senda Monteverde Hotel and experience nature like never before!
★★★
A boutique hotel at Monteverde with naturalist guides on staff, where the Three-wattled Bellbird and the Resplendent Quetzal are named on the lodge's own pages.
Photo: Trapp Family Lodge
Monteverde
An Intimate, Welcoming Chalet in the Heart of Monteverde
★★★
The closest hotel to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, with trails from the property that lead straight into it, so the reserve is a walk and not a drive. Six of our 45 recent birding itineraries sleep here, level with Arenal Observatory for the most.
A few minutes on the form, and one of our Costa Rica specialists comes back to you personally with a first itinerary: the Highlands in the right order with whatever else is on your list, and how many nights each stop really needs. That first version is just a place to start.
Or call us: 1 (800) 996-1139 from the US and Canada, +506 4052-2140 in Costa Rica.
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