Created in 1972, the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve is one of the most famous in the world and one of the most important private protected areas in Costa Rica, with an area of 3,500 hectares. It was chosen in 2007 as one of the Seven Wonders of Costa Rica. Monteverde is a sanctuary for over 500 bird species, a paradise where the main stars are the majestic quetzal and three-wattle bellbird. The geographical, topographic and climatic conditions of the Monteverde Reserve have conditioned the surprising biodiversity found there. In its forests are present four ecological "Zones of Life", which give rise to different ecosystems inhabited by hundreds of species of mammals, birds, butterflies, amphibians, reptiles, insects and spiders, diversity of mosses, epiphytes, lianas and other plants and typical trees of the Cloud Forest. NOTE: This activity could be done by night. Includes: transport, bilingual guide, entrance fee.
The Monteverde Trapiche tour is run by a local family whose mission is to teach not only about sugar cane but also a little more about Costa Rican culture. The tour also demonstrates how coffee is produced and you will learn about other crops grown on the farm. The tour will allow you the opportunity to pick coffee (when in season), ride in a traditional ox-cart, make chocolate and sugar candy to take home, then visit the family house for a local snack with lemonade and coffee- a unique Costa Rican experience! The tour takes place on a beautiful farm located two kilometers outside of Santa Elena, Monteverde. The two hour tour involves a walk along an easy trail with a bilingual guide and at the end of the tour you get a chance to sample some local snacks. On clear days there is a spectacular view of the Gulf of Nicoya. Learn about coffee production. You can help pick coffee, see how the coffee is dried, and see the machines that process and roast the coffee beans. After the tour, visit the ¨Family House¨ to taste a traditional Costa Rican snack with coffee and lemonade sweetened with sugar cane. Includes: transport, snacks, bilingual guide.
The Ecological Sanctuary is a Wildlife Refuge. Is located in Cerro Plano and is managed by a Costa Rican Family that offers short and long trails through a forest with beautiful viewpoints, two large waterfalls and plantations of coffee and banana and opportunity to find many species of birds and many species of mammals such as coatis, agoutis, porcupines, sloths and many more. The Sanctuary was born in 1992 with the idea of conserving 30 hectares of forest located in the Pacific Slope of Monteverde, for being a place that has primary and secondary forest in transition owns great biodiversity in plants and animals. Currently, the activity on the farm is ecotourism, with the entrance fee the place is maintained, and conservation projects are carried out, with the purpose of preserving and regenerating the forest and achieve living in harmony with nature. Includes: transport, bilingual guide, entrance fee.
In Costa Rica there are more bats than birds, and there is a type of bat that simulates a hummingbird’s movement. This and many other interesting facts are part of this extraordinary experience, which goes through the bat’s world on a guided walk in approximately 45 minutes to an hour. This tour is very educational and the first of its kind in Latin America, where besides specifying on these mammals behavior and habits, it also deeply details in an entertaining way about their biology, importance and impact in nature and to human beings. The exhibition has eight bat species that conform a total of 85 bats, rescued in the Monteverde area. This place also has a special recording and speaker system to listen to the real live sounds emitted by bats known as “echolocation”. Also, one of the main interests of this tour is to promote a critical thinking about the ecological importance of bats, so that it may help in the conservation of all species around the world. Includes: transport, bilingual guide, entrance fee.
The Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve becomes an exceptional place to walk in a tropical cloud forest. It has 4 trails, 3 viewpoints and a 1 observation tower to the beautiful Arenal Volcano. The Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve is located in the Cordillera de Tilarán, with a height of approximately 1700 m.s.m. (5600 ft). The Cloud Forest is characterized by having almost 100% relative humidity of the environment throughout the year. In the reserve the trade winds of the northeast arrive loaded with humidity, when they run into the Central mountain range they ascend and cool condensing and forming clouds that bathe the Forest with a soft and constant fog. The cloud forest plays an active role in the process described above by the evapo-transpiration of the plants, constituting a water cycle that regulates the water flows favoring the accumulation of moisture in such a way that if rainfall were lost it would decrease the resource of Water. The most characteristic feature of the Cloud Forest is the abundance of epiphytes (plants that grow on other plants), which reach their greatest diversity in this environment.
Sky Walk uses trails and a series of suspension bridges for a more relaxing introduction of the flora and fauna of the forest canopy. It allows a vision of the forest from a different perspective which starts with a hike on the ground and then taking you to explore the treetops, a hardly discovered habitat called the “canopy” with a naturalist guide. 90% of organisms in the forest are on the top of their trees, through which you will be walking. This activity allow you to appreciate Costa Rica’s magnificent biodiversity walking and admiring nature in our various trails, and admire the forest from unique viewpoints. Sky Walk’s bridges span across canyons and bring visitors face to face with the upper level of the forest canopy. Includes: entrance and guide.
Sky Trek or Canopy is a thrilling zip line circuit that’s located in both of our parks, Monteverde and La Fortuna. Your tour will start riding an open-air gondola from the ground to the heights where you’ll be dropped off at an observation area for fantastic views. From this area, you will start riding down on a zip line track stretching across canyons and in between treetops, the exhilarating adventure of zip lining down the mountainside begins; ultimately returning you to the starting point at the main building. This is the most thrilling zip line in the country. The activity also includes the Sky Tram Tour. Important restrictions:
-High intensity activity not recommended for people with any kind of health problem.
-Minimum height 120 cm (3’11’’).
-Maximum weight 136 kg (300 lb.).
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