Monteverde Cloud Forest Guided Nature Walk with Local Naturalist
Recommended by 94% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Monteverde, Costa Rica
- 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
What's Included
- optic gear
- naturalist tour guide
- Visit to the Hummingbird Gallery.
- Entrance fee can be Included with the selected rate option.
- Admission Fee - Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve$29.00 per person
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve, Parking Lot./TICKETS852W+3CM, Puntarenas Province, Monteverde, Costa Rica
The front desk is located within the parking lot, where you can purchase entrance fee tickets and meet your guide for a minibus ride to the trail entrance. This process may add 20 to 30 minutes to your schedule. If you arrive by car, please park in the reserve's official parking lot.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
Monteverde Hummingbird Gallery
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
2
Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve
2 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 8 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Puneet_N
Juan Carlos is a dedicated guide! You can't control nature and which animals you'll come across but he does his best to make sure his group is able to see as much as possible. He's knowledgeable, patient and very passionate. Highly recommend his tour!
Reviews
4.8
based on 120 reviews
Natasa_R, Mar 2026
Wonderful guide and very knowledgeable with the reserve and its wildlife. Saw the quetzal 3x, what a treat, and many other species of birds and wildlife. Not disappointed:-)
Puneet_N, Feb 2026
Juan Carlos is a dedicated guide! You can't control nature and which animals you'll come across but he does his best to make sure his group is able to see as much as possible. He's knowledgeable, patient and very passionate. Highly recommend his tour!
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thanks a lot for your Review. We keep working donig our Best for you. Pura vida
Nicholas_E, Jan 2026
Booking was easy with Viator just the day before. I then booked immediately the entry pass which you need to ensure both times match within 15 minutes of each other. We booked the 0730 guided tour and 0745 entry pass…no issues. Our guide was Roy and he was awesome! Highly recommend requesting him…very professional, easy to work with, and passionate about his job…true professional. Easily linked up with him and the car park, then met him at the entrance to the park via transportation the park provides with your entry ticket. We ended up seeing 4x Quetzals, with the last incredibly close. Roy was so excited to see these birds as much as we did and he’s been doing this for 20 years! He told us a ton of ecological knowledge, saw other birds and animals in the forest. This isn’t his job…it’s his calling and life. Overall, hands down request him and you won’t go wrong!
Daniel_A, Jan 2026
Deyver was an excellent guide! He was incredibly knowledgeable about the flora and fauna. We learned a lot. We tried so hard to spot a quetzal, but they were just not making themselves visible. He did spot a hawk, a snake, a tarantulas, and several other bird species.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thanks a lot for your Review. Our guides always try to do the Best job. Our Beautiful quetzal is soo Unpredictable some times you see this other times for more thant our guides try is imposible is nature. But happy you He saw some other good staff.
Thanks a lot and pura vida
Mitu_P, Jan 2026
Easy to find out guide Daver. Who was friendly and knowledgable.
It’s not the length of the trail but the guide and being lucky to see the animals.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thanks a lot our guides are always making the Best job to find some staff for you. We are soo happy you enjoy our tour. Pura vida
Sebastian_I, Jan 2026
The tour guide was nice, we saw some wild life and the Quetzal, which made this activity worth it. For the rest, the wild life was pretty normal and also it gets a bit uncomfortable with the amount of groups that are in the trail at the same time, you don’t really get to enjoy the nature with the noise and crowds.
Also the price of the guide we consider it a bit expensive for only 1 hour of tour, but at the same time is needed since you need their experience and good binoculars, so it’s 50-50. If you want to be sneaky you could take your binoculars (only if they are really good) and be next to the crowds to help you spot the wild life.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
thank a lot for your revew . quetzal is the best ting wi have on the cloud forest wi are soo happy you saw our best ting to see.
about the time this is a lie . our tours dont go less thant 2. 1/2 hours .
also you can try to find your staff . but geeting near to other guide maybe is not a good idea, any guide will and respect hes group and leet you see or start giving you info . if you are not part of the group .. many people is becouse wi are on high season soo is normal to see some people . any ways thanks a lot for your review . make us keep growing as a company ...
pura vida
Yumna_Z, Jan 2026
Beautiful way to start the day and get acquainted with the cloud forest. We enjoyed learning about the plants and saw many different species! Super happy to have seen bats, tarantula, toucan and even a monkey in the beginning! Shoutout to our wonderful guide (Deyber Gonzalez) who answered all of our questions and brought a passionate lens to our experience!
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you soo much for shering your Experience. I was a Truly a pleasure to have you on our tour. Deyber is a very Charismatic and passionate about nature and he try to show you as much as he can our Beautiful Cloud forest.
Pura vida
Jianong_S, Jan 2026
Deyber is a very nice and knowledgeable person. Such an amazing experience. I will definitely recommend it to my friends.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thanks a lot Deyber is one of the Best guides we have. As a company We appreciate your Review soo we know wi have a good staff whit us.
Pura vida
Sridhar_N, Jan 2026
We did the trip as a self guided trip as our guide left without us as we were a little late though the staff tried to reach out to the guide who didn't make any attempt to get in contact with us even while we were going past all the guided groups. The park is beautiful, felt serene with the fog and low hanging clouds touching the tops of the mountains.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
thanks a lot for your review , this is soo important for us .
unfortunately our guide was not able to wait for you and your familiy becouse wi have more people on the group . the biggest reazon way the guide left is becouse you was more thant 1 hour late the tour was orgnize by 1 pm and you arrived 2:10 pm to reception .
about the cloud foerest is beutiful is magic the view of the plants and trees is goin to free people of stress and enjoy this expiriance . pura vida
Steve_S, Dec 2025
Nature hikes are hit or miss with what you seen and we unfortunately did not see a lot that day. We heard of a quetzal sighting by another party. Our guide Deybar still made it an interesting trip with his great naturalist knowledge and he found things we would never have seen without a guide including a sloth . Since the park limits entry and trail access it was mostly a beautiful and peaceful hike without the large groups we encountered othe places. Quite a different environment and ecosystem than fortuna or manuel antonio.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Thank you soo much for shering your expirince. Deyber is one of our Best local guides. Wi have. And as you Said some. Times you see a lot some times not soo much. Is a open área and wi work Different thant this other places. Manuel Antonio and la fortuna are raing forest. No Comparison. As there is no comparision the view of the forest wi have.
Again Thank you soo much and pura vida
Jennifer_J, Dec 2025
Our guide, Juan Carlos was wonderful. We saw numerous other amazing plants and birds. We even saw a quetzal! He was very excited to find this bird for us and went to numerous spots to get the best vantage point. We wouldn’t have seen any of these things without our fabulous guide.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Thanks a lot Juan Carlos do the Best for you.. Wi are soo happy you was Able to see the moust Beautiful bird in the Cloud forest pura vida
Hau_L, Oct 2025
Mauricio was a a great guide. He was knowledgeable about the cloud forest and was patient with all of our questions. We weee able to see a pit viper, a tarantula, and quetzal bird during the visit.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
thanks a lot mauricio is really professional about what hi do .. is really nice to see that you and your group have enjoy soo much our expirence ..
pura vida
Stephen_L, Aug 2025
good hike, saw lots of creatures.
communication for logsitics poor. did not get information that we needed to be there earlier than the noted time on the booking until <1 hour before start time. and we were 25 minutes away. we rushed to get there, but guide did not wait and left without us. also did not provide any info about tickets and parking. fortunately we found him on the trail (which he changed). but still made for a stressful start to the day.
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Hello! Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. Your insights are invaluable and play a crucial role in enhancing the experience we offer our visitors each day. We were eagerly waiting for you at the start time of the expedition, but, unfortunately, we couldn't locate you. In light of this, we informed the entrance managers of our whereabouts. Fortunately, everything fell into place, and we crossed paths just as we were marveling at the Resplendent Quetzal, a stunning avian jewel of our region. But that wasn't the only memorable moment of the day! I must say, you brought a wonderful stroke of luck to our group. The excitement in the air was palpable, and the entire experience went exceptionally well. I truly understand your concerns, and I sincerely hope I didn't dampen your spirits. Thank you for your thoughtful advice; rest assured, we will take it to heart.
Race_C, Jul 2025
Our guide Davird was awesome! He was super knowledgeable and taught us so many facts as we walked through the forest.
Overall, however, I felt that Monte Verde Cloud Forest was overpriced. It's $100 to get our family of 6 in and another $180 for the tour. We saw some wildlife here but not nearly as much as Manuel Antonio or Corcovado.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thanks a lot for your review. Is very helpful for as to know that wi are doing a good job..
Manuel Antonio and corcobado It does not have Comparison whit monteverde becouse this is completely different nature.. And is way easier to Se animals ther. Monteverde is Famous Becosue the cloud forest is unique. Not for having the chance to see many animals. But thanks make us get better.
Pura Vida
Britny_R, Jul 2025
Mauricio was our guide. He told us a lot about flora in the forest; he was very knowledgeable and a nice guy. We saw an Agouti, small lizard, white faced monkey (for a split second) and a sloth. To be honest I think we could have gotten binoculars and done the tour on our own and seen just as much just by being observant and aware of what others were spotting. Walk was mostly damp, some areas that were muddy; lastly, definitely not worth the cost of this tour. We went at 7:30 am.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Hi thanks a lot for your review. Mauricio is a really good guide but is not a Magician for make all the animals appear.. Many people try but Some time you are not soo lucky.
Is logical to be muddy and wet. Becouse is a cloud forest lake shut be. Any ways thanks a lot
Ayesha_M, Jul 2025
Fantastic tour with Mauricio today. The animals were hiding but we saw some beautiful birds, bats and even a tarantula! His knowledge of the cloud forest ecosystem was exceptional and the hummingbirds at the end were amazing.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thanks a lot for your review. Mauricio is a really good guide..
Pura vida
Nichole_F, Jul 2025
Roy was a wonderful guide. Without him, we would not have seen most of what he showed us. He was incredibly knowledgeable and personable. We highly recommend this tour.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thanks a lot. Roy is part of our team. Is nice to know you have a nice experience whit us. Pura vida
laurie_b, Mar 2025
Fernando was our guide and was very well informed and seemed as delighted as we were to see a resplendent quetzal. Appreciate the small group that Viator does. Polite professional and very patient in helping us get the best shots.
Alan_M, Mar 2025
If you just want to walk in the park, no need for a guide. But I doubt you’ll spot any animals especially small birds that are high up and 100 feet from the trail. Taking a tour is a must to spot hummingbirds, snakes and others (depending on the time of day). Our guide, Roy, was an expert. We even found a bird that’s normally difficult to be spotted (Resplendent Quetzal). Highly recommended.
cmoonlittle, Mar 2025
Agency fobbed us off to another guide and neither gave us sufficient information on the meet up or matching information to the guides' instructions. The start of the experience was confusing and frustrating amd we found the guide 25 mins after the tour was meant to start due to the help of various people in the area who happened to have spoken to him.
The guide himself was excellent. But avoid this company. Really frustrating and unprofessional compared to everyone else we have dealt with in Costa Rica
Response from Host, Mar 2025
Thanks soo much for your review. Wi have contact the guide and you arrive late to the reception and any ways he waited for you 20 minuts Very kind from the guide. Wi have no problems whit the other costumers and as you can see our reviews are very positive.
Any ways thanks a lot for your review.
Pura vida
Sandy_M, Feb 2025
This tour provides the traveler an excellent opportunity to learn about the Monteverde Cloud Forest and have an chance to see wildlife you would most likely miss without the assistance of a guide finding and pointing them out if you were exploring on your own.
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Thanks a lot for your review. Wi try to do our best.
Pura vida
Chun_W, Feb 2025
Our guide was so focused on finding a queztal that when he couldn't, there was nothing else to see. He talked more than we walked and so we never strayed far from the entrance. Since we already experienced a great guide at Mistico Park in La Fortuna, this guide at Monteverde felt disappointing. Maybe if we didn't have another guide to compare, this would have been fine.
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Thanks a lot for your review. Wi try to find the must beautiful thing wi have. For every body. Also to see animals is depending how Lucky you are. Wi try to have really good guides...
About the distance. Is 3 km of walking.
But wi are getting better whit this review.
Nick_N, Feb 2025
Easy-pace tour of the cloud forest. Our guide was knowledgeable and knew where to look for insects, birds, and mammals. When there wasn’t obvious things to look at, the guide uses the time to teach about plants, trees, and the history of the forest.
Arrive early to get parking and get through the line for admission to the park. More waiting for the bus to the forest entrance. It was crowded even at the 7:30a time slots. You definitely see other groups throughout the tour. They work together to see things.
Carole_T, Feb 2025
Wonderful experience, our guide was great to listen to and talk to, he was bilingual in Spanish and English, had a huge amount of knowledge about the wildlife, the ecosystems, the Monteverde Cloud Forest and many other things. Our experience was very interactive too and our guide was flexible and could answer all our questions in addition to giving us a wonderful tour. We saw the quetzal, monkeys, tarantula, and many other species, including plants and trees. Would 100% recommend to all including families, and adults, but also for younger people. Definitely a must do!
Lucas_S, Jan 2025
Having a guide in Monteverde Cloud Forest allows you to appreciate all the animals and plants that the average visitor would miss without an experienced and eagle-eyed guide. We saw the Quetzal, some monkeys, hummingbirds, bats, an Anole, and many orchids along the way. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the history of the cloud forest, its preservation/research in the area, and the animals and plants that create its biodiversity.
I will note that there were many guides doing tours when we were there in the afternoon so it was pretty busy. I suggest doing a morning tour if possible as the animals will likely be more mobile and thus visible in the morning. Additionally, please budget 20-30 minutes to get there early if you are driving, as you will have to park down below and take a bus shuttle that only runs every 20 minutes or so. It is a rain forest, so bring waterproof boots.
Yang_Q, Jan 2025
We had a wonderful time with our guide, D Gonzalez. He is very knowledgeable. He told us about the history of the Mounteverde Cloud National Park. He tried his best to look for the animals that live in the nature. We are luck to see the resplendent quetzal, howler monkeys and more other animals. He is also very kind and helpful. When I had trouble to take a good pictures, he helped me so I have those valuable memories. We are happy to have him as our guide. Thank you very much, Mr D, Gonzalez.
Valerie_G, Jan 2025
Caesar was absolutely great! Informative, kind, engaging. Though we didnt find many animals, it was 1000 times more interesting than hiking through the forresr without him
Annika_L, Dec 2024
Had an excellent guide, Deybar, who had great knowledge of the eco system of the Cloud Forest. We learnt a lot, saw lots of animals and birds including the quetzal, tarantula and sloth. Even our teenagers loved it.
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Thanks for your comment is very nice.
I try to do my best. Soo you can see some animals. Some times is imposible and some time wi see them.
This is my office soo I do my best.
Pura Vida
Michael_D, Dec 2024
My wife and I had an amazing tour with Loandry, we cannot say enough good things about him! We had a small group (just us and another couple), which was perfect. Loandry had immense knowledge of the wildlife and also the history of the park and town. He was usually just as excited as us whenever spotting an animal. 10/10 recommend doing this tour; it has been our favorite “activity” so far in Costa Rica! We saw many of the animals we wanted to see, and also learned a lot about the plants.
Michelle_W, Dec 2024
This was a super cool tour. Roy was very knowledgeable and helped us see things we’ve never would’ve seen on our own. Even our teenagers enjoyed the tour bring your raincoat!
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Monteverde Cloud Forest Guided Nature Walk with Local Naturalist
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