So, you’ve made it up the mountain to Monteverde and visited a cloud forest reserve or two, but now you’re ready for something different. How about swimming in warm thermal pools, visiting an artist’s workshop en route to fabulous views of the Gulf of Nicoya, basking in a butterfly garden, or venturing out on a more ambitious hike, to be rewarded with views of Arenal Volcano? Below are a few of our favorite outings in the Monteverde region, all of them beyond the reserves.
A short taxi ride outside of Monteverde, Finca Lindora is a family-owned farm with warm thermal pools set next to a bubbling river. You’ll start at the farmhouse and then amble, for about half an hour on horseback or foot, down a verdant valley, with sweeping views, to a wooded riverbank where the family has built rock-walled pools. The water is not hot, but we find it perfectly comfortable to pass an hour or more, and also love the walk coming and going. In our minds, this is one of Monteverde’s best-kept secrets. Call for reservations and more details.
Within walking distance of both Santa Elena and Monteverde, the Monteverde Butterfly Gardens is another place our family loves to visit. Included in the price of admission is a very professional, hour-long tour. In the four tented gardens you’ll meet all sorts of bugs and arachnids, including a tarantula, scorpions, leaf cutter ants (with a peek inside their colony) and, of course, all sorts of butterflies. The guides here are pros. After our visit, we found ourselves identifying all sorts of butterflies around Monteverde.
One of the limitations of the cloud forest is that with all of the dense vegetation, it’s hard to get up out of the green to get a good mountaintop view. Though I said this post would cover options beyond Monteverde reserves, Valle Escondido or Hidden Valley, located just next to the Monteverde Butterfly Garden, is technically a reserve, but feels like much more. With a very manageable 1.8 kilometer trail loop, dotted with one spectacular view after another, Valle Escondido offers something unique. You’ll see a waterfall, my favorite hollow ficus tree in Monteverde, and several breathtaking views of the Gulf of Nicoyo. If you’re lucky to visit on a misty day (often the case in Monteverde), your views will be topped with rainbows. The generous owners of Valle Escondido allow public access to the trails, but I recommend supporting their efforts by combining your visit with lunch in their café, or possibly even a stay at the Monteverde Inn, located in the reserve.

Roberto Wesson’s Studio and the San Luis Valley
For those looking to combine art with outdoor adventure, this is the perfect outing. Have the Santa Elena-Monteverde bus drop you off near the Villa Verde Hotel; start walking southwest on the road that splits off to the right, heading toward the San Luis Trocha. You’ll wander along the road cut through pasture (and possibly get to say “Hello!” to the horse featured at the head of this post). After about a half mile, you’ll see a gate and sign reading Arte Jaguar. If the gate is open, it means Roberto Wesson is home and at work in his gallery. Roberto is extremely gracious about welcoming guests. When we stopped in, unannounced, he showed us his koi pond, his collection of hundreds of orchids (Roberto is also a naturalist guide), and his stunning studio and paintings. Consider buying one of Roberto’s very reasonably priced prints after your visit. (We hope to bring several of them home to the U.S. with us when we return next summer.) If you continue down the road from the gallery, the dirt surface will turn to concrete, signaling that things are about to get steep, but also that the views of the San Luis Valley and the Gulf of Nicoya beyond are about to get spectacular. Halfway down the paved section you will see two wooden benches and the mirador, or lookout. Enjoy the view!
From here, you have several options: hike back up (the high-intensity workout option), call a taxi for a ride back to Monteverde (Taxi Central number: 2645-7171), or for big adventurers, continue walking down into the San Luis Valley. If you call ahead for a reservation, you can even end your walk at the stunning Ecolodge San Luis, for an overnight stay which includes meals and a suite of guided activities on this satellite campus of the University of Georgia.
Another great option for a lengthy hike and an overnight stay with all meals included (or simply a day hike, if a stay is not in your budget) is the San Gerardo Research Station. Start your hike from the parking lot of the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve and follow the road (three and a half kilometers and no more than two hours, one way). Be ready for a climb—downhill going, and uphill on the return—but also a spectacular endpoint with orchid-laced trees, premontane rainforest, and beautiful views of both Arenal Volcano and Lake. My husband and I did this hike last January and were warmly welcomed by the resident hosts, one of whom grew up on his family’s farm, previously located right here where the current research station is, before it was incorporated into the extensive Children’s Eternal Rainforest. Though our first visit to San Gerardo was a day trip, we can’t wait to do an overnight-stay in the research station’s bunk house. We hear that the food, included in the stay, is just as terrific as the company, the views, and the extensive trail system. Reservations can be made online or by phone through the Monteverde Conservation League.

For those looking to climb to the highest point in the Monteverde region, the Cerro Amigos, or Friends Trail, starts near the Belmar Hotel and climbs to over 1800m (5900 ft). This steep ascent, along a service road to the ridge—three kilometers and no more than two hours, one way—is not for the faint of heart, but access is free. Along the way, you will encounter an area with ground-dwelling bees. They are big, but our experience, and that of friends, has been that if you keep moving along the road, they may buzz, but they won’t sting. The ridge at the top is covered in cloud forest, but on a clear day you will be rewarded with expansive views, including one of Arenal Volcano. From here you have two options: head right toward the many towers lining the ridge and, if the caretaker is home, he’ll likely invite you to climb right up into the tower (one of the joys of being away from the litigious U.S.!). Alternatively, head left along the ridge, past a small house, and onto a heavily-forested trail. We haven’t followed this trail to its end, but apparently it continues all the way down into the beautiful Santa Elena Reserve.
Leave a comment if you decide to visit one of these or the many other wonderful corners of Monteverde, and enjoy!
January 10, 2017 at 9:23 pm
Katie. This is going straight into NYTimes Travel, right. Well done.
LikeLike
January 11, 2017 at 9:54 am
Thanks so much for your encouragement, Mary. The LA Times is printing my travel feature about Spanish Language School in Guatemala this week–January 15. High on my list of things to do is to submit a travel feature about Monteverde. So–fingers crossed–yes!
LikeLike
April 23, 2017 at 2:01 pm
Great blog! We are headed to Costa Rica in June, I love your recommendations.
LikeLike
April 23, 2017 at 2:04 pm
I’m so glad the recommendations are helpful, Amy. June will be lovely–lush and green. Enjoy your trip!
LikeLike
July 2, 2017 at 1:02 pm
Wonderful article! We hope to make a return trip to Monteverde after 25 years this coming January, hope it hasn’t changed too much.
LikeLike
July 7, 2017 at 9:37 am
I can imagine Monteverde has changed quite a bit in the last 25 years, Sandy, but we still loved our year there. Enjoy your visit in January!
LikeLike
January 9, 2018 at 3:32 pm
Hi Katie,
Wow — this is the best find! I just printed it out — everyone in the family will be reading it later today 🙂 We are a family of 6 (mom, dad, sister (16), brother (13), sister (11), and sister (8) wanting to spend 1 month in Costa Rica this July 2018 — 2 weeks in Monteverde and then 2 weeks on the coast (probably Playa Flamingo). Our thought is to enroll our 16 year old and dad in Spanish classes in both locations. We would also love to participate in some community service as a family while we are in both locations. Do you have any ideas? Thank you 🙂
~Larissa (mom)
LikeLike
January 10, 2018 at 8:31 am
Sounds like a wonderful trip, Larissa. We did all of our intensive Spanish training in Guatemala, but I had friends who took lessons at the Monteverde Institute, as well as at CPI. My husband and I paid a friend for Spanish conversation (not formal lessons), but we enjoyed those sessions a lot. I could put you in touch with him, if that’s an option you want to explore. I wish I had more ideas for community service, but because Monteverde gets SO many visitors, my impression is that the service market is a bit saturated. You might contact the Monteverde or Santa Elena Reserves to see if you could help with trail work? In terms of beaches, our favorite was Montezuma. I have a post on that, which might be helpful. Enjoy!
LikeLike
January 11, 2018 at 10:31 am
Thank you Katie — I will be spending the next couple of weeks researching the best option for our family. In the meantime I plan to jot down questions for you if that is ok. Is it best to reach you through this forum? Questions at the moment are: have you heard good things about CPI? That was the school I had found on the Internet that I was looking into. Also, I have heard not so good things about renting a car in Costa Rica — what are your thoughts on that? Is it necessary to have a car if we plan to stay put in Monteverde for 2 weeks and then stay put in a beach town for 2 weeks? Thinking we could hire a shuttle to transport us from Monteverde to the beach at the transition and then once where we are we can walk and take public transportation. Any thoughts on this would be much appreciated. Sounds like you and your family are having a great year abroad! 🙂 ~Larissa
LikeLike
January 12, 2018 at 7:57 am
Hi Larissa,
I’m happy to answer any questions through this forum. Keep sending them my way.
I don’t know much about CPI. The few people I met who studied there spoke positively of the experience–in fact I met one woman on a bus who visits there every year for lessons. My family has now returned to the U.S. after our gap year, otherwise I’d visit CPI to learn more.
The expats I knew living in Monteverde who were studying Spanish typically went to the Monteverde Institute–I believe because it was more affordable and because they could just do an hour or two a day. As I mentioned, my husband and I had a great Spanish conversation partner, Allan Vargas. If you email me at my gmail address–katiequirkauthor–then I can put you and Allan in touch over email.
Car rentals–we did them a few times and found it really easy. Monteverde roads can be rough, but you won’t need 4 wheel drive. In some beach communities you will need it. Having said that, we did not own a car over the course of our year and rented very infrequently. We walked a lot and took buses locally and all around the country. It can be hard to find bus schedules, but they are quite reliable–on time, provide change, etc.
We also hired taxis for things like grocery runs (the central taxi number for Monteverde is 2645-7171). We never used the tourist shuttle bus system because the cost could be quite high when we multiplied it by four people. If you can afford it, I might recommend renting a car, just because you will be able to see so much more (and save kid walking energy for the trails, rather than for getting to them). On the other hand, you’ll see a lot more of the local population if you use the buses.
I hope this helps!
Katie
LikeLike
January 12, 2018 at 4:10 pm
Thank you!!! Every bit of information is very helpful 🙂 I will email you at a later time to get in touch with Allan because I think that my husband would enjoy that option. I am a stay-at-home-mom now but was a (non-native speaker) adjunct Spanish teacher at a couple of local universities (USD and SDSU) and one community college (Cuyamaca College) here in San Diego for about 10 years (15 years ago) so one of our main purposes of going to Costa Rica, besides having family time (my mom also travels with us and it’s a lot of fun) is for our 16 and 13-year-olds to take Spanish classes and live with a Costa Rican Family while enrolled in Spanish classes — CPI can place them with local families in Monteverde as well as in Flamingo Beach so we are thinking of spending 2 weeks in Monteverde and 2 weeks in Flamingo Beach. We would fly into the Liberia airport and thinking take a shuttle to Monteverde where we will hopefully find a house on VRBO to rent that is walking distance to the center of town then do the same in Flamingo Beach. A couple of questions are:
1. Do you think 2 weeks in Flamingo Beach is too much — it probably is not the beach I would have chosen based on what I have been reading about the other amazing beach communities in Costa Rica but that is where CPI has their beach campus so thinking it would be nice for continuity of study for the kids to keep them on a CPI campus. We would take day trips with our two younger kids and relax.
2. I am concerned about it being raining season (we plan to be there from approx July 15-August 15) I know weather is unpredictable but based on what you know and have experienced is going to the beach for two weeks a good idea? Here in San Diego we are advised to not go in the ocean after it rains for at least 72 hours — here is the information posted online “The Surfrider Foundation has always advised the public never to swim or surf after a rain. The coastal waters are polluted with urban runoff and sewage from leaking water logged sewer pipes. In most places, and especially in Southern California, ocean water quality after a rain is dangerous.” Do you happen to know if this is the case in Costa Rica too? Our kids like to surf…
3. What car company did you rent from — if you would recommend them — pls send info — thanks!
Anything else you can add would be great! I will be researching more very soon… Welcome back to the states! Is is strange to be back? The whole reverse culture shock is an interesting experience. I have lived abroad 3 years of my life (not consecutive years) and got hit hard each and every time I returned home to California… 1st year I lived in Bogota, Colombia as a high school foreign exchange student, then 2nd year in Madrid, Spain as a junior year abroad undergrad and then 3rd year in Madrid, Spain (I had to go back — loved the first year I spent there so much!) as a graduate student through Middlebury College. Anyway — welcome home!
~Larissa 🙂
LikeLike
January 16, 2018 at 11:49 am
Hi Larissa,
It’s nice to learn a bit about your family and your personal travel experience. How neat that you spent a year in Columbia and attended graduate school at Middlebury (I imagine your Spanish is amazing!). A friend of mine who is a non-native Spanish teacher here in the States just followed in our footsteps by spending 6 months in Monteverde with her family. They had a great time.
To answer your questions:
–I don’t know Playa Flamingo–sorry–and not super well versed on all of CR’s beaches, but it sounds like you have a cohesive plan for your visits, so I would move ahead with that. If language lessons are part of the day’s structure, then I think it would be hard to stay in any one place for too long.
–In terms of rains, we preferred the rainy season to the dry (and dusty) season in Monteverde. The pattern there typically including sunny, clear mornings and rain in the afternoon, so it didn’t feel oppressive (this was the pattern when we were in language school in Guatemala in July, too).
–I don’t know about ocean water quality post rains. We spent so little time at the beach over the course of our year that we swam every day we were at the ocean, all hours of the day, as did other visitors, and were never warned to do otherwise. (I realize this doesn’t mean it was smart, but it was at least common).
–Finally, we used Alamo, and they were fair in all dealing. We had them drop off a car for us twice in Monteverde–the drop fee was cheaper than paying for four shuttle tickets and afforded us a bit more flexibility.
I hope this helps!
Best,
Katie
LikeLike
January 21, 2018 at 12:36 am
Hi Katie,
Thank you so much for getting back to me I’ve been out of commission for a few days with a routine procedure sorry for the delayed reply. Yes, everything you have shared has been of great value to me as I try to map out our trip. So thank you! 🙂 As it turns out I think we are going to send our soon to be 16 year old daughter to Costa Rica on her own with a program called SPI for a month this summer. I was trying to replicate their program for our whole family to be able to go together but instead we’re most likely going to send just our daughter and then hope to pull together a family immersion trip in summer 2019! Best to you and your family and again thank you for all of the great information I appreciate you time.
Larissa
LikeLike
February 9, 2018 at 9:16 am
What a near experience for your daughter, Larissa. She can be your tour guide in 2019. All the best!
LikeLike