We are planning our second trip to Costa Rica in April 2009 and want to visit Monteverde Cloud Forest park. We have been advised that a 4 wheel drive vehicle will be essential to reach our hotel which is located just outside the park entrance. Is this correct? Also how miuch time should we allocate to this park?
Thanks for any assistance.

Bessbrook: We loved the Monteverde cloud forest park on our first visit to Costa Rica in June a couple years ago. Morning is the best time to visit the park, since it often starts raining in the afternoon. Plan to arrive at the park very early before the buses arrive with tour groups. Just a 10- or 15- minute head start can make a difference. We also started at the end of the trail, as the park attendant told us most tour groups would start at the beginning.

Allow about 4 hours for the Monteverde cloud forest park. of course you can turn around and end your walk earlier if you wish.

It's a magical place, in my experience...I loved when the misty clouds started coming in...you can see why they call it a cloud forest! The vegetation is very dense and green. It is mainly a place to enjoy a rich variety of flora. You won't see much wildlife because it is hidden in the dense cloud forest. but you'll hear birds and may spot a bit of wildlife if you go slowly and look carefully.

I recommend 3 nights in Monteverde. because of the bumpy ride up there, I don't think 2 nights is enough time.

You can also book a night-tour, which was fun for my family as they saw some interesting wildlife including bats.

Johnny's Pizzeria is a great place for dinner. they have pizza and other dishes. Enjoy!

We have a home in Monteverde. We are overdue for a visit, and can't get there until May. It's killing me! At least I can live vicariously through other travelers.

You absolutely want a 4WD vehicle for this trip. You want something with some ground clearance. The road is bumpy and full of potholes, but not impassable. You will find that the road is paved part of the way if you take the route that leads through Sardinal.

We usually recommend a minimum of three nights to our clients visiting Monteverde.

You want to get the to reserve early in the morning. If your budget allows, ask the front desk to arrange a private guide. You will be amazed at what you will see with a guide, that you might otherwise miss. If you can't afford a private guide, certainly sign up to join a group at the reserve.

One word of caution. The guides at the Monteverde Cloudforest reserve have to go through a rigorous training program. There are good guides in the area that have not completed this training. Since they can't guide there, tourists are sometimes told that the reserve is overcrowded and not worth doing. This is untrue.

The principal reserve is the star of the show, but not all there is to do there. There are other good reserves in the area, and good guides. Check out as much as you can. But don't miss the reserve.

You want to do a night tour too. There is a lot of wildlife active at night, that you will never see during the day. You can do this at the reserve, and there are some private reserves that offer this.

The Selvatura Park is an interesting place as well. This is home to my favorite canopy tour and some really good hanging bridges. They have a good restaurant and butterfly exhibit, along with other fun stuff.

Hope this helps! Let me know if I can offer any more advice. I am happy to help.

Warm Regards,
Pat Hewitt
Travel Professional

If you're driving, you definitely want a 4-wheel drive. The road is unpaved and pretty bumpy. If you don't feel like driving, we did the Jeep Boat Jeep with Desafio from Arenal. It takes you in a boat across the lake, and then they pick you up on the other side. It cuts about an hour off your travel time. About $25 per person when we did it. We really enjoyed the Cloud Forest. We hired a guide through our hotel Fonda Vela and within seconds he pointed us towards a quetzal. We also saw howler monkeys. For our night hike, we went to Hidden Valley and really enjoyed it - saw a sloth, pocurpine, fox, raccoon, coatis, and an agouti. Very cold and rainy when we were there, so we were glad we packed a sweatshirts and jackets. We did the Original Canopy Tour - fun and not scary if you're interested. Agree with eating at Pizzeria de Johnny - very good salad there and pretty good pizza in a nice atmosphere.

Actually did the road to Monteverde in a 2WD Sentra

in July had no problems better than I remember.

potholed rattly not bad going slow...

only about 10-15 miles total...otherwise

road around the lake was paved very nice.

www.tripadvisor.com/members/roadadvisor

Luis goes up all the time...

he can advise on current conditions...