4 Days in Monteverde, Costa Rica
Santa Elena is a small but popular town due to the tourist draw of the Monteverde Cloud Forest. We enjoyed our time here. It was relaxing and very fun. In the main area, there are many restaurants, stores, and places to book tours. There are a few great coffee shops and an amazing bakery that sadly, I can’t remember the name of. The few things we decided to do were very fun and cheaper than we thought they would be. If you decide to visit Monteverde, Costa Rica, you will not be disappointed!
Where We Stayed
Brett and I stayed 3 nights in Santa Elena/Monteverde at the Sloth Backpackers Hostel. It cost us $85 total for a private room. This hostel was small but quite nice. There was a kitchen we could use during certain hours, free coffee and tea, and filtered water. The best part was the amazing free breakfast! Over the three mornings, we had an omelette, pancakes, and scrambled eggs each served with toast and fresh fruit! The only downside of the hostel was the lack of space to hang out and relax outside of the room.
We booked our tours and shuttles through our hostel. It was very convenient since that meant transportation right from our hostel. Brett and I compared the prices here to other hostels and tour places but everything was basically the same price.
Famous Ficus Tree
One night we decided to visit the famous Ficus Tree. This tree is special since it is completely hollowed out so you can climb INTO it and reach the top! Brett was brave enough to climb all the way to the top! It took us about 20 minutes to walk there. You can find where to go by searching it on Google Maps or asking anyone from Santa Elena. You have to walk for a while on the rocky road to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Lodge. The path is on the left hand side if you are walking up the hill but can be hard to spot. If you can’t find it, ask anyone you see in the area and they will point you in the right direction. This is a must do especially since it is FREE!
100% Adventura - Canopy Tour/Zip Lining
Brett and I booked a canopy tour that was recommended to us by our hostel called 100% Adventura. We had so much fun! For just $50 each we got to do 10 cables/zip lines, a rope bridge, rappel, a buggy ride, 2 superman cables, and a mega Tarzan swing! One of the superman cables was 1590m long – the longest and highest in Latin America! The mega Tarzan swing was so fun but also a bit scary! It was 45m high with a few seconds of free falling at the beginning! The tour took about two hours plus travel time. We were picked up from our hostel (transportation included) at 10:40am and dropped off around 2:00pm. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone visiting and don’t chicken out of the Tarzan swing!
Monteverde Cloud Forest
We caught the 7:30am bus to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. The ride took about 20 minutes and cost $1.50 each. Thankfully we had pictures of our school IDs so we got into the park for $9 each instead of the regular $22! We spent the whole morning hiking the beautiful trails. This was one of the first times we really felt like we were in the rainforest! At the higher elevations, we were walking through the clouds. We got to stand right on the Continental Divide at one of the lookout points! There were a few waterfalls to explore also. During our hike we saw 3 coatis, a snake, a giant ground hog, a toucan, and many other birds. Brett and I completed almost all of the trails in 3 hours. This included a 30 minute break to have lunch at the small restaurant there. Make sure to ask for a map!
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