La Reserva Bosque Nuboso Santa Elena — Attraction in Tronadora

Definitely out favorite activity during our stay in Monteverde!! I brought my family up to the mountains to avoid the busy Semana Santa festivities where we live in Tamarindo.. We usually avoid the go-to activities like zip lining and guided tours, and we heard great things about the self guided hike at this beautiful Forest Reserve.. Easy to find using Google Maps, the reserve is about 20 minutes outside of town and the road to get there is honestly not bad at all (especially compared to roads that we traversed just to get up here to the mountains!).. The entrance to the park was easy to find and the parking attendant was helpful and polite.. The fees to enter the park are reasonably cheap compared to the other attractions around town, and their mission of preserving the natural forest is one worthy of supporting.. Once inside the park we were treated to a huge array of beautiful flora and each twist and turn in the trail presented something new and exciting to check out!! We chose an intermediate route because we had our children with us, but they held up just fine for the 2 and a half hours it took. There are some ups and downs along the way but nothing too extreme.. We didn’t see too many creatures that we hadn’t already seen around Costa Rica but there were quite a few beautiful birds that we noticed once we were deep enough into the trail.. Halfway through the walk we followed signs to “the tower” which brought us to a large metal structure that offered an amazing view of the cloud forest from high above the canopies!! All in all we enjoyed this Santa Elena Reserve very much and would totally recommend it to anyone who wants to really immerse themselves in the beauty of the local indigenous nature.. We chose not to eat at the restaurant when we returned to the entrance because honestly the food just wasn’t appealing to us after eating at so many amazing local restaurants!! But if you’re taking the hike here I would suggest that you definitely bring some snacks and enough water to last the...

Santa Elena Rain Forest was at the end of a long gravel road. I think it could be reached without a 4x4. It costs roughly $18 per adult and $12 per child/student for entry. It was cloudy, windy, and rainy the day we went. The front office has information about the park and maps you can take pictures of. Restrooms are at the restaurant right up the hill from the entrance. Just beyond is where the trails start. If you are short on time, the Youth Challenge is a good option. It’s about 45 minutes around the loop and has a nice observation tower. We went when it was cloudy and saw nothing in the distance from the tower, but viewing the forest top was still worth the climb. We did a few of the loop trails. The red loop and outer part (before the shortcut) of the blue loop is muddy. None of the trails are super steep climbs or descents. The trails are well marked and maintained. We saw lots of birds, but no larger animals. One caution: many did the trails are marked one way. Since we did parts of different trails, we didn’t know that and ended up going the wrong on some of them. It wasn’t particularly busy, so it wasn’t a big deal. I agree with the other reviews from this site. I’m glad we made the stop here. We enjoyed the hike and seeing all the vegetation in this...

This part of the cloud forest is beautiful. There are amazing views and a great diversity of flora and fauna, although there's a good chance you won't see a lot of it. If you have the day to spend here I'd recommend going out on one of the guided tours to get an idea for the forest and then taking some time to explore on your own. If you have limited time I'd maybe advise against the tour. The tour will take over 2 hours and you don't want to miss out on the chance to explore the closest I've seen to an enchanted forest. Obviously, don't stray off the paths don't mess with the trees, and don't stick your fingers in any holes or you may end up getting bitten by something. The only spiders you'll see will be tiny so it's not too scary for the arachnophobes out there. You will get a chance to meet tarantulas on the guided tour but you can always look or step away when the guide is coaxing them out of their burrows. If you are looking to see sloths and other animals this is probably not the best stop as they're very well hidden because of the density of the forest. There are other locations where you'll be able to see them...