Monteverde’s popularity for extreme ziplining means that it’s one of the must-do’s in Costa Rica. There are several canopy tours in Monteverde and one of the most popular adventure parks is Selvatura Park. Selvatura is one of two parks that actually has the zipline through the cloud forest!
This park has several activities you can do all in one day so it’s an excellent activity to experience the best of Monteverde.
Selvatura Park in Monteverde
We went to the Selvatura Park to enjoy a full day of ziplining, hanging bridges, lunch, butterfly and hummingbird garden and the insect, snake and frog exhibition.
Location
Selvatura Park map
Selvatura Park is 6.7 kilometers from Santa Elena town.
Hours and Prices
Selvatura Park has several different packages and activities. The full day package cost $121 per adult. They have other packages just for the ziplining or just for the hanging bridges and gardens.
Selvatura Park is open everyday from 7 AM to 4 PM.
Ziplining
The ziplining was obviously the highlight of the day and it was like no zipline I’ve ever done before. You can’t go upside down or do any tricks on these ziplines. I was disappointed at first but I soon realized why.
You are so high up in the trees that it would be much safer to zip line normal and you don’t want to miss the view. There are 15 cables and 18 platforms that give you one of the most spectacular views of the cloud forest.
Selvatura Park has one of the longest ziplines in Costa Rica and it is the only one that is located within the Monteverde Cloud Forest. You fly through the forest and each cable goes higher and longer.
They use Deltex wired carbon fiber technology which makes the cables quieter, more resistant and environmentally friendly. Selvatura is the only place in Monteverde to use this material!
Right before you do the last cable, they redirect you to a platform where you can tarzan swing (optional). I had watched a video of this on Youtube from 2010 but they changed it to make it safer. It was still exhilarating and not as scary as it looked in the video.
The last zip line is 1000 meters! (1 kilometer or .6 of a mile). That is LONG! And this one took you right above the forest. It’s so long that they make you go in pairs or else there isn’t enough weight and you would most likely get stuck in the middle.
This view was absolutely breathtaking, you could see all around you for miles and miles.
Superman
They have now put in a new optional superman zipline. It costs $10 extra to do it but you get to fly through the cloud forest superman style! It’s a crazy sensation, you really do feel like you’re flying!
Hanging Bridges
After the zip line, we walked to the hanging bridges. There are 8 of them total that go around the park and you can watch people ziplining. It’s a good walk, around 3 kilometers with lots of animal viewing opportunities.
The bridges range from an altitude of 36 feet to 180 feet and they are very strong. It can hold up to 80 people on one bridge, spanning 5 feet wide.
Hummingbird Garden
There is a little garden where you can go and visit hummingbirds. There are 4 feeders and tons of these little beautiful birds humming around. I think there are at least 6 or 7 different species of hummingbirds present and there was one big purple one that was my favorite, but way too fast for me to get a picture.
Lunch
Lunch was included in our ticket price at the park’s restaurant. They offer you an appetizer of soup or salad and a main entree, a casado with sirloin steak, fish, or rice with chicken.
Butterfly Garden and Reptile Exhibition
For animal lovers, this is the place to be if you’re in Monteverde. Selvatura Park has a huge butterfly garden with over 50 different species. This tour comes with a guide and he showed us caterpillars, different cocoons for different butterflies and gave us general information about the main species in Costa Rica.
Next they took us to the snakes, frogs and insect exhibition. This part also included a guided tour in both Spanish and English.
Insect Collection
The insect collection is pretty amazing – it’s the world’s third largest private collection. There are no live animals, just the collection by Dr. Richard Whitten a world renowned etymologist. Instead of freaking me out, I was completely in awe seeing all the different sizes and species of insects.
There are huge scorpions, spiders, butterflies the size of your head and cockroaches the size of your hand. I knew Costa Rica has big bugs but these are on a whole different level!
Overall
Selvatura Park in Monteverde has one of the best ziplines in the area and also showcases the wildlife and nature in Costa Rica extremely well. For the 2 short days we spent in Monteverde, we got a great value for our money.
My brother and our friends had an amazing time and I would go back in a heartbeat. What better way to enjoy the beauty of the Costa Rican cloud forest than soaring over the top of it?
Our video of ziplining at Selvatura Park
Tips for Visiting Selvatura Park in Monteverde
- Wear closed toe shoes or closed toed hiking sandals like KEENs. No flip flops!
- It is colder and windier since you are very high in elevation at Selvatura Park so bring a jacket. Make sure to bring a rain jacket in rainy season since it’s likely it’ll rain or sprinkling. They have sweaters, jackets and ponchos for sale in their gift shop in case you didn’t bring one.
- There are lockers to put your backpacks while you zipline.
- Tarzan swing is optional and has a weight limit. The Selvatura Park zipline weight limit is 220 pounds.
- You can go on your own if you have your own car, you don’t have to book with a tour company. I do recommend reserving your spots in advance since this park is extremely popular.
Want to read more about Monteverde? Check these posts out!
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Arleen Torres says
Hello Sammi! Thank you again for all the great info on selvatura! Is there a fee to get into the hanging bridges? If so, how much is it? Also, do you have to book a reservation for the humming bird gardens or can you pay as you go?- Than you
Sammi says
Hi Arleen, I recommend checking their website so you can see the different packages and prices they have. We booked a full day with everything included but you don’t have to if you don’t want to and when you check in, you can add activities if they have spots available.
Amy says
How far in advance would you say I should book tickets for family of 8 to 10 people? We are planning a trip for January 2019 and would like to do the full day package.
Sammi says
Hi Amy, I would book at least a month before. January is the start of our high tourism season so it gets quite busy and you will want to reserve your spots as soon as possible.
Amy says
Awesome! Thank you so much! We will book in closer to November just to be safe.
Sammi says
You’re welcome!
Sammi says
Hi Elesia, I’m glad the blog has been helpful! Regarding your question, those two are very hard to compare because they’re both popular and offer different things. Selvatura and Monteverde Cloud Forest are both really touristy and popular, if you want to visit a lesser crowded cloud forest for hiking, then I recommend going to Santa Elena or Children’s Eternal Rainforest. I wrote a guide on Santa Elena here: Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve and then here is our post comparing all three: Monteverde and Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve
Elesia says
Hello and love this site! Thank you for this gift to the many overwhelmed travelers trying to create the perfect vacation. How would you compare the zipline & bridges Selvatura Park tour versus self-guided trails in the Monteverde Forest Reserve? We want an authentic experience and not a touristy one. Are they equally good, but different? How crowded is it the second week of July?
Thank you!
Grace says
Hi, would you know if they would let my 5-year-old (turning 6 a week after our Costa Rica trip) do this zipline activity? Thanks!
Sammi says
Hi Grace, I think so. Their website says children are considered 4-12 years old.
CW says
We’ve booked the extreme package directly through Selvatura’s website. We got a confirmation number but no indication what time our tour starts? Do you know if there are different tour times? If so, what is the best time to go? Should we go directly to the park and just wait for the next available slot? I’ve send them an email and called them but haven’t gotten a response. So I’m hoping you can shed some light about the Selvatura logistics since you’ve done a tour with them and have recommended them. Do you also recommend wearing pants instead of shorts if the tour is in February? Thanks!!
Sammi says
Hi, I don’t remember exactly what time we went (we went in 2013) but it was early in the morning. Have you tried to contact them on Facebook? Companies in CR usually respond pretty fast on there. The cloud forest is quite cool so long pants is nice but it’s not absolutely necessary since you’ll be walking a lot.
Alison Budau says
Hi, thank you for your website, so much useful information for my upcoming trip to Costa Rica. We are going to Monteverde for 2 days (November 29 and 30) then going to La Fortuna/Arenal area for 5 days, followed by Manuel Antonio area for 5 days. What else do you recommend we do in Monteverde? Are we better to do ziplining in Monteverde or La Fortuna since we have more time there? Thanks!
Sammi says
Hi Alison! If you go ziplining, either MOnteverde or Fortuna are great places for it. We did Sky Trek in Arenal and Selvatura in Monteverde and both are super fun! Sky Trek also has one in Monteverde. I actually liked the Sky Trek zipline in Arenal better because you get incredible views of the rain forest, Arenal Lake and Arenal Volcano. I think the Monteverde cable is a bit longer, but either one is amazing. If you want a bit more adventure, you can also go bungee jumping in Monteverde. If you want to see more wildlife, take a night tour in Monteverde, you can see tons of wildlife that only come out at night and it’s easier to see the 2 toed sloths since they are more active at night. Or if you really like birds, take a bird watching tour as Monteverde is one of the best places to see the stunning Resplendent Quetzal and other birds that are only found at high elevations in the cloud forest. Have fun!
John Watson says
Hi there! My family and I are coming to Costa Rica right around New Year’s, and ziplining in Selvatura sounds like a blast. Would you recommend making reservations in advance? Does it fill up? Or can you just show up? Love your blog… thank you so much for all your help!
Sammi says
Hi John! I would definitely make reservations before hand, it is very busy during New Years as its peak season so you’ll want to reserve your spots! Have fun! Selvatura Park is awesome!
Tiffany says
Who do you recommend booking this adventure from?
Sammi says
Hi Tiffany you can book it from their website. Or, depending on where you will be in Costa Rica you can book it from the tour companies there. If you’re going to be in the Coco/Hermosa Guanacaste area, we have some recommendations for tour companies who do the Selvatura Park tour. Let us know!
Dusty says
That looks pretty cool
Patti says
That looks like so much fun – except for the those creepy crawly things!!
Sammi says
It was a ton of fun! I’m just glad that the insects were not alive and very much behind the glass. Some of them were mind-blowingly big!