The Very Best Things To Do in Monteverde, Costa Rica

It took us two trips to Costa Rica before we made it to Monteverde.

On the first, we were travelling Latin America for two years on a super-tight budget, and simply couldn't afford to spend the necessary on the experiences for which this place in the clouds is famous.

Fast forward several years, and a shorter Central American adventure with more cash in our pockets meant that heading to this lush ‘mountain of green’ – a feature on nearly every single first-timer Costa Rica itinerary – was a no-brainer.

It proved memorable for reasons both good and bad.

First, the good: an exhilarating day of Andrew (almost) getting over his fear of heights and zip-lining together at quite ridiculous heights and distances above the treetops; for the families nearby, we continue to apologise for screaming bloody murder throughout and teaching your kids (and yourselves) several new British swear words.

The bad – or perhaps more accurately, the underwhelming – was the highly anticipated morning visit to the eponymous cloud forest for which Monteverde is most renowned.

For any budget or long-term traveller in Central America, it's super important to realise that if you do every outdoors activity available in Monteverde, you'll spend a small fortune. With Costa Rica already firmly established as the most expensive destination in Central America, and with Monteverde one of the most popular places for visitors doing a range of paid experiences in nature, prices are very toppy. Indeed, although there are several activities we think are unmissable here, there are others we recommend you do elsewhere (or perhaps even not at all).

So, whether you're an adventure-seeker, twitcher, coffee connoisseur, or nature-bather, we highly recommend curating your time to doing only a selection of the best things to do in Monteverde and judging your time + budget for up here in the lush, green mountains accordingly.

To help you out, in this guide for travellers we've shared the key details on the best things to do in Monteverde, plus practical tips on transport, tours, key costs, accommodation picks, and how long you really need here.

This is our guide to Monteverde, Costa Rica.