
Guided Tour Santa Elena Reserve
Take a guided tour of the misty Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve, a lesser known cloud forest in the Monteverde area. You will walk along different trails in search of birds and mammals, discussing the amazing diversity of plants and learning all about this bio-diverse paradise.






- Duration:
- 3 hrs
- Available Days:
- Every day
- Schedule:
- 7:30 AM, 1:00 PM
- Hotel Transport Included
- Mobile Ticket Included
- Offered in English, Spanish
About the Santa Elena Reserve
The community of Santa Elena borders the Monteverde Conservation area in the Tilaran Mountain Range. Within this region of pristine cloud forest, 310 hectares (765 acres) have been permanently leased by the administration of the Santa Elena community High School.
The original vision was to use this land for agricultural research and education in Monteverde. For a variety of reasons, however, the farming proved to be unsuccessful. In 1989, it was decided to convert the land into a cloud forest reserve. Together with Youth Challenge International, a Canadian based non-profit organization, the community established an eco-tourism reserve, which officially opened on March 1, 1992. The reserve was created out of a community's determination to help preserve the unique cloud forest surrounding them and to use tourism as a tool to benefit community development in Monteverde.
Entrance fees are used for the protection and management of the reserve as well as to provide higher quality education for the schools in Monteverde. The Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve is one of the first community administered reserves in the country (not a national park, but is under the protection of the Arenal Conservation Area). It is an excellent example of what people can do to preserve and learn from their local environment.
The tour is essentially a natural history walk in which you will learn about the incredible diverse flora and fauna and many of the unique relationships many cloud forest species have with each other. This walk normally takes about 3 hours. The tour starts at the entrance of the park.
Guides are equipped with a spotting telescope as well as binoculars and informational guidebooks. Be sure to bring your camera because you can take pictures through the scope.
Attraction Visited
The Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve (Reserva Bosque Nuboso Santa Elena) is the less visited sister reserve of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. Just 4 miles (7 km) from the town center of Santa Elena are the less crowded, lush green forests full of flora and fauna. This reserve boasts one of the best places to hear and see howler monkeys in all of Costa Rica!
Read more:Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve
What to Bring
Comfortable clothing, hiking shoes, insect repellent, camera, water, raincoat
What's included
Naturalist guide, entrance fees, transportation (if requested when booking).
Transportation
Many of our tours and activities offer transportation pick up & drop off options from several locations and destinations. Options vary by tour, see “BOOKING REQUEST” for full details.
Traveler Comments
Santos was our tour guide. He is timely and efficient and even called us a day before to confirm and change to a convenient time for us. Unfortunately we were not able to spot many animals but he educated us on the flora, eco conscious measures CR culture/ living
Our private guide, Nestor, was great. He was very knowledgeable about the flora and fauna in the forest as well as the birds and animals. He even took took us to a local place for authentic Costa Rican food.
Beautiful! I highly recommend this guided hike.
Similar things to do
Explore the enchanted Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve with a set of expert eyes on a guided hike. You will explore several trails in search of birds and mammals and discuss the amazing diversity of plants.
Enjoy a guided tour of the beautiful Curi-Cancha Reserve. Led by a naturalist guide, you’ll explore the reserve’s trails and search for birds, mammals, insects and more.
From start to finish, the goal of this tour is to identify as many birds as possible. Monteverde is home to some 400 species of birds, which are scattered among the forests and mountains of the region.