2 1/2 days Monteverde; bird and nature hikes?
 

My husband and I will be in Monteverde in mid March for 2 1/2 days. We'd love to be in the forest with attention to birds, wildlife and nature. We'd rather walk than do zip lines.

Our B&B has suggested Selvatura for a bridge canopy tour. We were thinking of a night walk the first evening we arrive (we'll get in probably early afternoon). Our B&B has recommended the Santamaria night tour.

We are also interested in an early morning birding tour.

We were thinking of seeing the Monteverde Reserve one day and the Santa Elena Reserve another, but this is fluid, given all the other options!

My sense is that Santa Elena is less crowded than Monteverde. Otherwise, I'm a bit confused, as there is also the Curi- Cancha wildlife refuge, Selvatura, Children's Eternal Rainforest etc.

It also seems that a good guide can make a big difference in some places.

I'd appreciate any suggestions or thoughts about how to proceed!

You might find the similarity of the various walks through the cloud forest repetitious, given the scenery (and the same brick pavers). The park hike (Monteverde National Park proper) has a beautiful view of the oceans, if you don't have clouds.
I found the Selvatura hike distracting at times, given the high-pitched whine of the zipliners overhead, and their screeching and whooping.

We really loved doing the night hike at Hidden Valley. I had read a lot of good reviews, so that's the one that we picked. Saw some neat things including a porcupine and a fox - as well as sloths, birds, a tarantula, a tiny snake, and some interesting insects. We had a really fun group when we did it. Lots of Brits who got the biggest thrill out of seeing a raccoon! We did an early morning hike at the Monteverde Reserve and our guide spotted a quetzal before we even went in. He was a great guide and spotted a lot that we would have walked right by; we got the recommendation from our hotel, Fonda Vela. Saw quite a few howlers which was nice.

Thanks so much; that's really useful.

Happy to help, durham. Hope you have a great trip.