A night walk is one of the “must do’s” in Costa Rica and lots of people ask us if a Monteverde night walk is worth it. In this post, you’ll see why we absolutely think yes, a night walk in Monteverde is worth it!
There are several private reserves to do a night walk and every place and every night is different. Something that I especially liked about our night walk is that it was incredibly informative. Since the tropical cloud forest is very unique, it was highly interesting to learn more about the night life of the cloud forests.
Below are photos and a video of our night walk. We’ve done two and enjoyed each walk.
Animals Seen on the Monteverde Night Walk: Finca Santa Maria
Did you know that only 2 toed sloths live in Monteverde? 3 toed sloths don’t live up in the cloud forests since they don’t have enough fur to stay warm.
Read more about where to see sloths in Costa Rica here.
We also saw Click bugs, several different types of Katydids and other sleeping birds.
Video
Here is our video on the Monteverde night walk. Taken January 2021.
Thoughts About the Monteverde Night Walk
My group was small (5 people) so it felt very personal and we got excellent attention from Elberth. Though the reserve is quite closed (it’s on 10 hectares but we only walked maybe 2 kilometers), we still saw a handful of wildlife.
As for our guide, Elberth was awesome (and I’ve been on many guided nature walks). He was very good at instructing us where to walk and stand to see the animals and helped us take pictures. He even took pictures for one girl who was too scared to get close to the tarantula.
Something to know about the Monteverde night walk is that every night is different. And it’s not a zoo! Thanks to Monteverde’s vast protected forests, the wildlife have a ton of land to roam! Don’t expect to see jungle cats around every corner.
But you will see wildlife and you’ll learn about these critters who live their life during the darkness of the cloud forests.
Information and Tips for Going on a Night Tour in Monteverde
- About 2 hour walk.
- Wear closed toed shoes and long pants.
- Wear a jacket. It gets quite cool in Monteverde and it can be windy or rain.
- Since you do walk for 2 hours, it’s not recommended for those who have issues walking for long periods of time.
- Bug repellent isn’t necessary if you’re going to wear long pants and a jacket. If you have shorts or a t shirt, I do recommend putting some on.
- The guides have flashlights for everyone but you can bring your own if you like as the ones provided are not the strongest. Someone in my group had a headlamp which I thought was really useful.
- Always follow your guide’s instructions. Don’t walk off the trail or touch the trees or bushes. You never know what could be hiding in there!
- Do not use flash on your camera.
- A telephoto lens is best for photos. I used my 100-400 mm lens
Read about other things to do in Monteverde!
Sky Adventures (zipline, hanging bridges, aerial tram)
Selvatura Park (Zipline, hanging bridges, insect and hummingbird garden)
Hiking Children’s Eternal Rain Forest
Children’s Eternal Rain Forest, Monteverde and Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve
Hayley says
Hey guys, thanks so much for all of your helpful guides! I wanted to ask, what were the trails like? I’m bit scared of bugs, im fine from a distance but wondered if it was quite intense and if you have a cleared path to walk on or if its undergrowth?
Any tips and guidance would be helpful! Thanks so much!
Sammi says
HI Hayley, you can watch our video of it here to see what the trails are like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPRmycriW5c
This one was at Finca Santa Maria. All trails are cleaned and maintained so other night walk places are similar. They won’t allow you to walk on undergrowth or off the path, as that can be risky.
Ethan Fahey says
Hello!
Love the blog. I find it so helpful.
I was wondering if you could tell me about arriving for the tour. I booked the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve Night Tour for next month but they haven’t really provided any info on arriving except for that it’s at 6pm. Do I park in their parking lot and take a shuttle into the park? Will it still be running at that time? Should I plan to arrive and park closer to 5:30 to be into the park in time? Would love to hear about your experience! Thanks!
Sammi says
Hi Ethan, unfortunately we haven’t done the night walk at the Monteverde cloud Forest reserve directly with them so we’re not sure how they organize it, you’ll need to contact them. If you booked it already, their confirmation should give you details on where to meet, time to meet, etc. We did the night walk at other private reserves.
Lori says
Do you have a recommendation for which night tour is better for viewing wildlife– Monteverde or Manual Antonio? Thank you!
Sammi says
They’re both good but Manuel Antonio has more reptiles and amphibians
Angela Payne says
Hello
I will be in Monteverde in about a month and am looking for a good night tour. Can you share which compnay you used?
Thank you!
Sammi says
Hi Angela, sure you can check it out and book it here on our Monteverde tours booking page
Divya somara says
Amazing information as always!
Can you please suggest from which tour operator should we book night tour at monteverde.
Thank you
Sammi says
Hi Divya, sure, we have sent you an email with more information
Akhil says
Hello Sammi,
Thanks for the great blog. Can you email me the tour operator that you used for this night walk and do they provide transportation from hotel?
Sammi says
Hello Akhil, sure thing! We have sent you an email with the information for the night walk with our partners. They do provide transportation from hotels in Santa Elena (no Airbnbs).
Murali Bala says
Firstly, let me express my admiration for your highly informative blog which greatly inspired my itinerary.
We are a self-exploring family of 3 adults visiting La Fortuna and Monteverde mid December 2023. At La Fortuna we are staying for 2 full days and 3 nights and Monte Verde for 1 day and 2 nights. I would really appreciate your feedback on the following:
1. At La Fortuna, we have already booked tkts for Mistico Hanging bridge and La Fortuna waterfall for the first day. For the second day, we have booked tkts to Rio Celeste park for the morning 9-9.40 group.
We are trying to fit in Arenal Volcano park and hike. What would be your suggestion – 1st day or 2nd day?
On the third day we are driving to Monteverde.
2. At Monteverde, on the first day we will be booking Monteverde Cloud forest visit and your blog on comparing the three cloud forests was simply superb.
We are trying to fit in a night walk into the forest. Please let us know which night walk is better, why and any recommendation for the tour operators? Thanks
Sammi says
You would only be able to do the Arenal Volcano park hike on the first day (hanging bridges + Fortuna waterfall + Volcano HIke). This is a very normal tour schedule run by operators
DAWN RENEE CHRISTY says
Would you recommend Monteverde or La Fortuna for a night walk?
Sammi says
Both are great! But I personally like La Fortuna night walk to see a bit more frogs and snakes
Lisa Bichel says
Is there transportation from the town of Santa Elena/Monte Verde to the Nature Reserve for the night tours available? I am concerned about driving on the steep roads in the dark to get back to our accommodation.
Sammi says
I’ve seen taxis and you can ask the reserve if they can arrange transportation for you
yeison says
Hello Lisa,
Most tour companies offer transportation, they pick up and drop off people on all hotels in towns and some Airbnb in the area, you just have to let them know the address and they will let you know if they can pick you up.
Unfortunately we haven’t seen public transportation at night.
Linda says
where do you reserve the night tour?
Sammi says
You can do it through your hotel, the info center downtown or directly at the reserve
Neelia says
Hi, I’m trying to decide if I need to pack proper hiking boots when coming to Costa Rica in February. Will be around Monteverde/Santa Elena Cloud Forests. Also planning to stop at Manuel Antonio and La Fortunan/Arenal. It seems like most people recommend just sneakers but some trails look like some proper footwear could be helpful. Would love to hear your thoughts on this.
Sammi says
You can wear normal sneakers but I personally prefer trail running shoes for more protection for Monteverde and Fortuna if you’re going to do the volcano hike. Also Monteverde and La Fortuna can rain in February even though its dry season so it’s nice to have something more durable than sneakers.
Katherine says
Staying in Samara in February. Do you know of any good night and/or day walks near there?
Sammi says
You can visit Camaronal Wildlife Refuge!
Alisa Harris says
Hi! We’re coming in Feb, do you recommend any vendor for the Monteverde night tour? Is it something we can book thru you or on our own? Lastly, can we reserve it when we get there or should we do it ahead of time? Thanks for your great advice! Alisa
Sammi says
Most places you can book directly with them but definitely make reservations, for February I’d make reservations before hand just in case because it’s a busy time of year. The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve and Curi Cancha reserve both offer night tours with their own guides then there are other private ones around like Finca Santamaria, Kinkajou.
Laird Markland says
First, I agree with your comment policy!
Second, we are an American couple living in Grecia! We have been here a year, with one more year to go before we go back to
the States!
I would really enjoy getting to know you both!
Costa Rica will always be a second home for us!
My wife is Hispanic and fluent in Spanish y English.
moe says
What tour guide did you end up using? and do you have a link to reserve ?
Sammi says
We went with Three Brothers and we booked with them in person since we were staying at their Airbnb but you can also call or email them via their website or Facebook.
XcheapLondonFun says
Amazing night photos you made in Monteverde, I like that tarantula and the green furry ball sleeping on that tree 🙂 (the Emerald Toucanet).
Sammi says
Thanks!