Monteverde

Trip Date: Feb 2026. £1= 623 Costa Rica Colon (₡) & $1.33 USD June 2026

Like most places in Costa Rica, Monteverde wasn't exactly a convenient spot to travel to. Rather than submit ourselves to another long and arduous travel day with bus multiple changes, we did what we almost never do, we got a tourist shuttle. Now in its defence this shuttle wasn't only more adventurous, combining the usual minivans with a boat traveling across Arenal Lake, but it was also 4 hours quicker than using local buses. Not bad for $33 per person.

We were picked up from our Airbnb around 8am, and once we'd done the rounds picking up the rest of the passengers, we were whisked away to the lake. There it was clear to see that this route was a very popular option as minivan after minivan pulled up, dropping passengers off to wait for their boats. Eventually, we were organised into groups and led onto the waiting boats. As it was drizzling, plastic covers were rolled down over the open sides, protecting us from the rain but somewhat ruining the view.

As the journey got underway, we were allowed out of our seats to enjoy the unfettered vistas from the prow. The scenery was moody, with the mist still shrouding the top of Arenal Volcano denying us one last glimpse of it. We tried to spot wildlife in the dense foliage bordering the lake's edge, but it was honestly hard to see much of anything in the dull light struggling through the clouds above. Never-the-less the journey went smoothly, within a hour we had crossed the lake and were ready to hop into another minivan.

Before the journey restarted we first needed to collect our luggage, walk past the lines of cars and wait for our names to be called. Maybe not the most sophisticated method of organisation, but it worked. The rest of the journey was equally as stunning, the lake gave way to rolling hills of meadows and copses of trees. Although it was technically "summer" in Costa Rica, some trees were showing the bright red leaves of autumn, a pop of colour against the oppressive overcast sky. Strangely, despite our journey only taking a few hours, we stopped along the way at a cafe. I guess it gave us a chance to pop to the loos, grab a coffee and admire the views... when we got out the van we were glad we'd grabbed our coats, the wind was cutting high up on the hillside, freezing us instantly.

Monteverde wasn't at all what I imagined, the town seemed to snake off in all directions down different long roads. The central "hub" was just a few shops, restaurants and the bus stop. Most of the other shops and cafes were dotted around in the more residential areas. We had opted for an Airbnb, and although it wasn't the most central, we did have nice views out over the town. Our hosts also offered a few activities, we opted to join the night walk for $30 per person - which seemed to be the average rate in the area.

We met up at 5.50pm at the entrance of a nearby nature reserve. Once our full group of 8 people were assembled, we had to sign in to the reserve, before our guide handed out flashlights and led us into the dark. We slowly made our way along well trodden routes through the trees, stopping to admire the animals our guide found along the way. Some animals we could see with our naked eyes, and others he set up through the scope for us to get a better view. My favourite was the sleeping toucans, although the glass frogs, tarantulas and stick insects were also cool. The most fascinating were the scorpions, under normal light they appeared brown but would glow bright blue with UV light. In areas where the animals were more elusive, he would explain the flora instead, telling us the myths associated with the ficus tree and about the local flowers.

To balance things out, the next morning we headed to the Monteverde Institute where entrance to their walk was free. The walk was fine enough, 45 minutes of following narrow trails around the woodland. The only issue was that we didn't see a single animal. I know, I know, animals are never a guarantee... but nothing at all! Not even a single bird! Shocking.

Feeling unfulfilled we continued our way to the "Bajo del Tigre" reserve. It was $18 each for entry, which in my opinion is quite a lot for a self guided walk, but it had miles more of tracks so we would hopefully spot some critters. Our luck was in, we saw capuchin monkeys, agouti (they look like miniature capybara), hummingbirds and even a turquoise browed mot mot in the car park on our way out! So the animals were a win, and luckily for us, the walk was great too. Good routes, great views and it was enough of a challenge to keep us interested. The best (and hardest) part was definitely the route of the Jaguar, the views from certain stops were vast, seemingly looking out over a never-ending forest, it was also where we encountered the most monkeys playing in the canopy too.

So did we enjoy Monteverde? Yes and no. The nature was amazing, as was the landscape but we weren't mentally prepared for the weather. While we visited we saw blue skies for maybe an hour or two at most, the rest of the time it was wind, rain and even more wind. It was so blustery that we lost power to our apartment on our leaving day, luckily our lovely hosts were happy to send up a flask of hot water for tea and some granola and milk for our brekkie.

I think if I were to visit Monteverde again it would only be with my own wheels. Transport to and from the town was passable, but once we'd arrived we were pretty much reliant on our own two feet... which limited our choices somewhat especially given the steep green hills Monteverde gets it's name from. There was so much to see and do, but with the entry fees being expensive to begin with, we couldn't justify a taxi to get there too. It would have also broadened our choices when it came to food. The food we did have was yummy enough, but with our options being only places near enough to our accommodation, most restaurants were tourist focused with the prices to go with it... it wasn't quite as expensive as eating out at home but it wasn't far off.

Ready to head on our way we packed our bags and headed to the bus stop (that was thankfully downhill). We wasn't sure what to expect from the rest of Costa Rica, but we knew we were hoping for some better weather.