This forest is about 4 miles from Santa Elena and can be reached by taxi for about $5. The hours are from 7:00a-4:00p, although camping huts are available. If you stay overnight be advised you need to pay the entrance fee of $10 per day twice. Guided tours are available for $15 and last about 3 hours. They can be arranged via guide@monteverdeinfo.com.
There are 9 short trails from ¼ mile to nearly 2 miles in length with a maximum gain of 500 feet. Maps of trails are provided at the entrance.
The cloud forest doesn’t offer the variety of flowers seen in a rain forest. Instead you find fascinating strangler figs, oaks, bamboo, magnolia and even some evergreens. A couple of trails, Sendero Brillante and Sendero Pantanoso (meaning swamp trail), pass through the continental divide with great panoramic views. You can in fact, see the ocean.
The Sendero Rio is an easy mile hike to a waterfall while El Camino with its sunlight is trail for bird and butterfly enthusiasts.
Sendero Bosque Eterno and Sendero Bosque Nuboso have fantastic examples of the strangler figs. They are quite large in height and widths making one feel quite dwarfed.