Although Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve is the most popular cloud forest reserve in Monteverde, there is another fantastic option: the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve (La Reserva Bosque Nuboso Santa Elena).
The Santa Elena Cloud Forest is higher in elevation at 1600 meters (5250 feet) and has 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) of well maintained trails with beautiful view points and scenery.
It is privately run by the Santa Elena Technical Professional High School and protects over 300 hectares (741 acres) of land.
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How to Get to the La Reserva Bosque Nuboso Santa Elena
Driving: The reserve has free on-site parking. We highly recommend a high clearance car in the dry season and a 4×4 in the rainy season.
You can find the reserve on Google Maps and Waze, look for La Reserva Bosque Nuboso Santa Elena.
We highly highly recommend to rent a high car (dry season) or a 4wd (rainy season) when visiting Monteverde due to the road conditions outside the town center. You can read more about Monteverde road conditions here.
Get our Costa Rica car rental discount here!
You will reach a parking lot (free) and you can purchase tickets at the entrance office. There are bathrooms and a souvenir store.
Location
The Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve is 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) from Santa Elena town and is on the Caribbean side of the Continental Division.
Entrance Fee and Hours
The Santa Elena Cloud Forest entrance fee is $21 USD for foreigners adults, $18 USD for seniors 65+, $15 USD for students with ID and $11.50 USD for children ages 8-12. Children 7 and under are free.
These are for self guided walks, not tours.
Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve is open every day from 7 AM to 3 PM.
Map
You can get one of these maps at the entrance office for free. On the map, you can see all the trails, the lengths and different view points.
Something else really nice about Santa Elena Reserve is that they have a universal access trail.
Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve Hiking Trails
As you can see, the reserve has 5 trails of various lengths with the shortest at half a kilometer and longest at 5 (.3 miles to 3.2 miles).
We recommend doing the Encantado or Cano Negro trails if the weather is good, as they have a great view of Arenal Volcano.
Trail Conditions
The trails are all in well maintained conditions. The first entrance is on a concrete path (for the handicap friendly) and it ends when you get deeper into the forest.
Encantado Trail
The Encantado Trail didn’t have that many view points but the scenery was gorgeous.
The trail led us through the cloud forest surrounded by moss covered branches and a beautiful array of towering trees.
The intensely thick vegetation made it hard to see the ground as there were layers upon layers of plants, moss and epiphytes sprawled on the ground floor.
Even though it rained, it made the forest feel more magical. The abundant vegetation never ceased to astound us and it felt like we were walking in a fairy tale.
Raindrops glistened from every leaf and branch, shining brightly all around us.
We loved our hike in Santa Elena. With such fresh air, incredible greenery and empty trails, it made me feel like I was walking in a tropical dream.
The community who put together the reserve did an excellent job. The signage on the trails is great and the paths were easy to walk on.
There are also benches on the trails making it extremely friendly for visitors of all ages.
Santa Elena Cloud Forest Animals
We didn’t see any animals when we were there but we heard lots of birds. However, the forest canopy is so dense and thick that it was impossible to pinpoint where they were.
Some of the animals you may see are coatis, agoutis and monkeys.
If you’re very lucky, you can see the Resplendant Quetzal which are abundant in Monteverde the months of February – July.
We met one couple who went on a guided hike in Santa Elena and saw 2 Quetzals and monkeys.
When it comes to seeing wildlife in the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve, it’s not quite as easy as Curi Cancha Reserve.
Curi Cancha is much more open so it’s easier to see birds. We highly recommend a guided day tour at Curi Cancha if you are a birder.
Santa Elena, in our opinion, is best for hiking and enjoying the incredible cloud forest views.
Guided vs Self Guided Tour
We visited Santa Elena Reserve on our own, but a Santa Elena Cloud Forest tour would offer a much more enriching experience, especially for those who have never been to a cloud forest before.
The guide will share interesting facts about the tropical cloud forests, and point out any flora and fauna of interest.
But if you just want to walk and enjoy the views, a self guided walk is perfect. The trails were easy to walk on and we loved taking our time on the trails.
Differences Between Monteverde and Santa Elena Cloud Forest
We wrote an in-depth post comparing the differences between Monteverde and Santa Elena you can read here. Below is a quick guide to both.
Trails
Santa Elena has a couple longer trails but both are well maintained and easy to walk. They lead to beautiful viewpoints, but this area can be more foggy and rainy. The reserves offer the day pass which allows access to all the trails.
The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve has 3 trail circuits, and do not offer a day pass. You must purchase a ticket which costs $29 USD per adult for each trail circuit you’d like to do, which range from 1.5 kms to 5 kms (.93 miles to 2.79 miles).
People
Santa Elena doesn’t nearly receive as many visitors as Monteverde.
When we visited, the parking lot at Santa Elena was half full and it was all rental cars, no large tour shuttles and vans.
Monteverde was a different story. The parking lot full with large tour shuttles and rental cars. We always saw people on the trails, mostly tour groups.
Do You Need a 4×4 to Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve?
Both reserves are easily accessible by car. There is free on-site parking.
We recommend a high clearance car for Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve, in the dry season. In the rainy season, a 4×4 is definitely best.
Best Time to Visit
The best time to visit would be in dry season, December through April. However, keep in mind, being the high elevation mountain area, it can still rain in the dry season.
Even in March, one of the hottest and driest months of the year and it rained on us. We also visited once in May and it sprinkled lightly the whole time, but we absolutely loved it.
If you visit in rainy season, you must be prepared for rain any time of day. Since the cloud forests are so high up in elevation, it can rain more frequently.
You can read more about Costa Rica weather in this post.
What to Wear
We recommend wearing long hiking pants, closed toed hiking shoes and a comfortable shirt that wicks away moisture.
In rainy season, make sure to bring your rain jacket and a waterproof backpack or a rain cover.
You don’t need mosquito repellent since there are not really any mosquitoes that high in elevation. There may be some gnats though.
Read our Costa Rica packing list article for more tips.
Read About Other Great Places to Hike in Costa Rica
Rincon de la Vieja National Park: A national park in Guanacaste with hiking trails to viewpoints, waterfalls and boiling mud pots
Rio Celeste: The sky blue river inside Tenorio Volcano National Park
Cahuita National Park: A national park on the Caribbean coast with beach and jungle trails
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Len says
Sammi,
Is it safe for a solo female traveler to hike the Santa Elena cloud forest?
Sammi says
Hi Len, I would say so, the trails are well laid out, there are maps and signs, an office with a bathroom and small cafeteria and other tourists and tour groups. Just stay on the trail and get a map. It’s not quite as popular as Monteverde Reserve but you won’t be isolated, we passed by a few groups of people in March. I can’t remember if there is cell phone signal in the reserve though.
Bert Sirkin says
We’re staying in LA Fortuna for 4 nights, and have a rental car for one day there. Would it make sense to drive from La Fortuna for the day, or are there any tours we could take?
Sammi says
Hi Bert, all tours include transportation so unless you want to have the car to explore on your own, it’s not super necessary.
Dianna says
Hi,
First, thank you so much for your amazing info on everything Costa Rica! The most in-depth and detailed info I have found.
Couple of questions: We are planning a visit in May; Will Monteverde still be crowded, or would Santa Elena still be better? Is the fauna very different? I’m especially hoping to see wild orchids and other plants growing on the trees.
Whichever one we do, is there any difference between that and the Skywalk? We’re not super interested in zip lines, mainly walking.
Thank you
Sammi says
May is a great time to visit, shouldn’t be too crowded at that time. Either one will be very nice.
Skywalk is just a hanging bridges in the Sky Adventures park. The cloud forest reserves have hiking trails so if you want to just walk, then you can go to the reserve but if you want to experience hanging bridges, then do Skywalk because the cloud forest reserve doesn’t have hanging bridges like Skywalk.
George Walker says
Thanks so much for your excellent posts. You have made our trip planning more fun.
Sammi says
You’re very welcome! Glad to hear.
Susan says
We were in Santa Elena last week and want to let people know that the observation tower was closed. The forest is amazing! Thank you for all the planning tips – my husband and I are calling you the “Rick Steves” of Costa Rica lol
Burmisoutdoor says
This is just STUNNING. The air looks fresh there. Nature is truly priceless so we must treasure it.
Sammi says
Hi Shannon, we don’t operate tours. If you’re looking for guided walks to Santa Elena, you can check their website https://www.reservasantaelena.org/
Destination M says
Amazing post. The Cloud Forest in Santa Elena is incredibly breathtaking. This is nature at its finest. I would love to go there.
shannon says
Hello, do you have price list of your tours. thank you
Tom Griffiths says
Hey guys… Just wondering if you are aware of the small preserve attached to the Monteverde Inn. We are staying there in December and of course…. I’d love to hear your opinion.
2nd question. We love the Zip line at Sky Trek Arenal. We don’t have a lot of time at either Monteverde or Arenal so I’m wonering which sky trek you prefer.
Thanks yet again.
Sammi says
Hi Tom, sorry we have never been there so can’t give any personal experience. But for Sky Trek, I personally liked Arenal better. You get an awesome view of Arenal Volcano and the lake. The cloud forest is cool but the volcano and lake view is unbeatable.