Santa Elena, the capital of the Monteverde canton, lies 1,400 meters above sea level in the heart of the cloud forest. Here’s what to see and do there, with photos from our Offroad Tour that passes through.
Key points
- Santa Elena, the capital of the Monteverde canton, sits 1,400 meters above sea level in the cloud forest.
- Around Cerro Amigos (1,840 m), private and state-owned reserves offer trails, canopy tours, suspension bridges and waterfalls.
- Worth a visit: Curi-Cancha, the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Selvatura, El Trapiche for coffee and Finca Lindora.
- Free activity: climbing Cerro Amigos, for a view over the whole area and the forest.
- Our 7-day Offroad Tour reaches Monteverde on dirt tracks rather than paved roads.
Perched 1,400 meters above sea level and nestled in the heart of Costa Rica’s cloud forest lies the town of Santa Elena.
If this name doesn’t ring a bell yet, suffice it to say that it is the capital of the Monteverde canton. Indeed, if you’ve done any research on Costa Rica’s most popular tourist destinations, you’ve likely heard this name.
We’re going to share some facts about this canton along with some photos we took on a recent tour.
What to do in Monteverde
The town of Santa Elena is overlooked by the 1,840-meter-high Cerro Amigos. This mountain and its foothills are home to numerous wildlife refuges and biological reserves. Some are privately owned, while a few are state-owned.
The abundance of protected areas, combined with responsible environmental development, has boosted tourism potential over the past few decades.
Hiking trails, canopy tours, guided tours, waterfalls, suspension bridges, and more are just some of the attractions you can find in the area. There are also tours of coffee plantations, as agriculture remains a significant activity in the area.
Most popular spots in Monteverde
As for nature reserves with trails, there is the Vida Silvestre Curi-Cancha Nature Reserve, which features a lookout point overlooking the coast and the city of Santa Elena. The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve has trails that lead to small waterfalls along several streams.
Within the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve, Selvatura operates as a tour operator offering suspension bridges, canopy tours, and both daytime and nighttime tours. For coffee tours, there are several options, including El Trapiche, a family-run business that combines the day-to-day operations of a coffee farm with guided tours.
If you’re looking for a free activity and are up for the challenge, climbing Cerro Amigos offers a fantastic view of the area and the entire forest. Finca Lindora has natural hot springs, river pools for swimming, and horseback riding tours.
This list could go on for hours, so we’ll leave it here, but you can already get an idea that all the activities revolve around the area’s abundant nature.
Our Tour in Monteverde
Monteverde is always one of our destinations on the 7-day Offroad Tour. To get there, we don’t use the traditional paved roads. Instead, we take other routes, more typical of off-roading, which guarantee us the best views of the area: green mountains, rivers, waterfalls, and, with a little luck, some exotic animals.
The tour itinerary, stage by stage: Offroad Tour 7 days
Here are some photos from one of our most recent tours in the area.
