How Your Visit Works — At a Glance

Your visit follows a carefully designed system that protects wildlife, maintains trail serenity, and ensures a safe, meaningful experience for everyone.

Step 1 — Park at the Visitor Center

All visitors park 1 mile (1.5 km) below the Preserve to minimize vehicle impact inside the forest. Parking is free and secure.

Step 2 — Take the Shuttle to the Preserve Entrance

A complimentary shuttle takes you from the Visitor Center to the forest entrance — a short ride that helps preserve the quiet and ecological integrity of the forest.

Step 3 — Begin Your Scheduled Walk or Tour

Entry to the trails follows scheduled time slots, ensuring limited numbers on the paths at any given time. This preserves tranquility and prevents overcrowding.

Step 4 — Enjoy the Forest with Respect

Move quietly, stay on marked trails, and follow guidance from naturalist staff. Your behavior helps safeguard the forest’s health.

Step 5 — Visit the Restaurant or Shop After Your Activity

Raíces Restaurant and the Gift Shop are located next to the Preserve entrance. To help manage trail capacity, we recommend enjoying them after your activity, before taking the shuttle back down.

Step 6 — Return to the Visitor Center

After your walk or tour, the shuttle brings you back to the Visitor Center — the end point of all visitor experiences.

A Model of Sustainable Management

The Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve operates under a science-based management plan developed by the Tropical Science Center — Costa Rica’s first environmental NGO.
Since 1972, every decision — from trail placement to visitor limits — has been guided by ecological data.
This system of adaptive management integrates conservation, research, and sustainable visitation to ensure that protecting the forest also sustains the people and knowledge connected to it.

Plan Your Visit

Balancing Conservation and Experience

The cloud forest thrives in a delicate equilibrium, and our visitation model mirrors that balance.

To preserve the serenity and integrity of the ecosystem, the Preserve welcomes a limited number of visitors per day and restricts the number of people on the trails simultaneously.

This isn’t about exclusivity — it’s about responsibility.

Limiting visitation protects wildlife, prevents erosion, and ensures that every guest enjoys the forest in silence and safety.

For this reason, we strongly encourage booking online in advance to guarantee your entry and help us maintain a peaceful experience in the forest.

Science at the Core

Our management practices are grounded in more than five decades of continuous research and environmental monitoring.
From microclimate sensors to biodiversity surveys, every trail, bridge, and time slot is informed by data collected within the Preserve itself.
This approach allows us to adapt to changing conditions — from climate variations to visitor patterns — while maintaining the forest’s resilience.
It’s science not as theory, but as daily practice.

Visiting Responsibly

Visiting the Monteverde Cloud Forest is an act of conservation. To keep the forest healthy and the experience meaningful, we ask every guest to follow simple guidelines rooted in respect for nature and science

Move quietly and stay on marked trails

The forest listens as much as it speaks.

 

 

Avoid feeding or touching wildlife

Observation is participation.

 

 

Carry out everything you bring in

Leave only footprints, take only memories.

 

 

Stay aware of weather changes

Conditions can shift quickly in the high mountains; dress accordingly.

 

Support responsible visitation

Visit Raíces Restaurant or the Shop after your activity to help us manage trail capacity smoothly.

Community Connection

Behind every visitor experience stands a network of local guides, rangers, educators, and researchers.

Through employment, training, and collaboration, the Preserve strengthens the region’s social fabric — making conservation a shared effort.

Monteverde embodies the mission of science-based conservation: a living example of how protecting nature can empower communities, generate knowledge, and inspire change.

Our Commitment

Operating sustainably is not a slogan — it’s a daily commitment.

Every shuttle ride, every entry limit, and every educational tour reflects a model proven by time: that conservation and experience can coexist, if guided by science and respect.

When you walk our trails, you’re not just visiting a forest — you’re contributing to its protection.

Plan Your Visit

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know for a smooth, meaningful, and responsible visit.

Planning Your Visit

Yes. The Preserve has daily visitor limits and scheduled time slots to protect the forest. Booking in advance is strongly recommended.

Open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Night Walk operates exclusively after dark.

  • Comfortable closed-toe shoes
  • Rain gear or a waterproof jacket
  • Water bottle
  • Layers (temperatures change quickly)

Umbrellas are not allowed at any time, as they compromise trail safety and visibility.

Getting Here & Getting Around

All visitors check in at the Visitor Center, located 1 mile (1.5 km) below the Preserve entrance. Free parking is available.

To reduce noise, congestion, and ecological stress near the forest. Parking at the Visitor Center and using the shuttle protects wildlife and trail conditions.

A complimentary shuttle transports all visitors from the Visitor Center to the Preserve entrance. Private vehicles cannot go up to minimize ecological impact.

Shuttles run continuously and in sync with scheduled time slots.

Reservations & Tickets

Each visit is assigned a specific entry time. This ensures limited numbers on the trails at any moment and maintains forest serenity.

We will do our best to accommodate you in the next available slot, but entry cannot be guaranteed due to capacity limits.

100% refund for cancellations made 48 hours in advance. If severe weather or force majeure requires a cancellation, we will contact you to reschedule or refund.

Only if capacity allows, which is not always the case. Online booking is the safest option.

Trails & Experiences

The Preserve offers a range of easy to moderate trails. None of the trails are wheelchair accessible, but some are suitable for older adults with limited mobility.

Yes. Many families visit the Preserve. However, children should remain close to adults and follow quiet trail etiquette.

Yes — the Cloud Forest Walk is self-guided. Guided experiences are available through the Natural History Walk and Night Walk.

Sightings vary, but Monteverde is exceptionally biodiverse. Guided tours increase your chances of observing wildlife.

Facilities & Services

Raíces Restaurant is located at the Preserve entrance area. It offers meals, hot drinks, and panoramic views.

No. To maintain time slots and visitor flow, we ask all visitors to eat after their walk or tour, not before.

Yes — at both the Visitor Center and Preserve entrance.

There are no restrooms inside the trail system, so visitors should use facilities before starting their activity.

Safety & Responsible Visiting

To protect wildlife, reduce erosion, and maintain a quiet, immersive forest experience — one aligned with the Preserve’s scientific management plan.

To reduce noise, congestion, and ecological stress near the forest. The shuttle system is part of the Preserve’s conservation strategy.

  • Walk quietly
  • Stay on marked trails
  • Avoid feeding or touching wildlife
  • Carry out all personal waste

No. Pets disturb wildlife and are not allowed.

No. Drones disrupt wildlife and visitor experience.

Plan Your Visit