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Are you visiting Costa Rica and stopping in Monteverde? Then this 1-day Monteverde itinerary will be perfect for you.
While you can easily spend a few days in this area, sometimes you have to make choices and may only have a day or two to visit Monteverde.
This is where this article comes in handy. Here, I tell you everything you need to know to plan the best day in Monteverde and get the most of it.
Monteverde is famous for its greenery, rainforest, canopy adventures and coffee plantations. The good news is, you can do a lot with just 24 hours and here is how.
How to get to Monteverde
Monteverde is located in the province of Puntarenas. It’s about 3 hours from San José and La Fortuna.
The best way to get there is by car. You can easily rent a car on Discover Cars and drive from either San José, La Fortuna or wherever you may be at the time.
From San José, the road is very good and you can drive the 150 km in 3 hours.
From La Fortuna, the road goes around the lake and is very bendy so although it is only 115 km, it will take you about 3 hours as well.
Another alternative is to take the bus from San José. This will be cheaper but also less comfortable.
You can also hire a private shuttle but this will be more expensive.
Driving in Costa Rica is pretty easy and straight forward (though it can be a bit sporty in San José) so if you can hire a car, that will be your best option.
Where to stay in Monteverde
There are two towns in the area where you can stay: Monteverde and Santa Elena. They are both as good so you can’t get it wrong.
Santa Elena is a bit bigger so you have more options for food.
Here are some recommendations for places to stay in Monteverde.
💰💰💰 Luxury: Koora Monteverde. This cloud forest hotel is perfect for travellers who want some luxury, gorgeous mountain views and amazing amenities.
💰💰 Mid-range: Jungle Living Tree Houses. Located near the butterfly garden, these cute tree houses are perfect for romantic getaways.
💰💰Bed and Breakfast: Freddy’s Place B&B. This one is great value for money. The rooms are simple but clean and comfortable and you get breakfast included.
💰Budget: Cowboy Hostel. This is one of the best hostels in the area. The rooms feature the traditional wooden walls and there are private bathrooms.
The perfect itinerary for 1 day in Monteverde
Monteverde Itinerary for 1 day
Now that you know everything to plan your trip to Monteverde, it’s time to talk about the cool stuff, which is what to do!
You will find below an example of an itinerary which in my opinion allows you to experience Monteverde in the best way.
Morning: 100% Aventura Canopy Zip Line Tour
Costa Rica is famous for its amazing zipline and canopy tours and one of the best places to experience it is Monteverde.
There are several places who offer that kind of experience and to be honest, most of them are amazing but I particularly recommend 100% Aventura.
They have the longest zip line in Costa Rica, with a cable of 1590 metres that will make you fly over the rainforest at high speed. The views are just breathtaking and it’s an adrenaline rush like no other.
But that’s not all, there are also 8 other regular zip lines, 2 Superman’s and a Tarzan swing.
I recommend booking the first slot (at 8AM) so you can beat the crowds and enjoy the rest of your day after.
You will need to drive to the entrance of 100% Aventura but if you don’t have a vehicle you can arrange for a taxi or contact them to ask for a pickup service.
Once you get there, the instructors will put the equipment on you and explain everything you need to know.
The staff is absolutely incredible. They are so kind and fun! Best of all, they actually do everything for you so you don’t have to worry about a thing.
You don’t even have to set up the pulleys on the cables, there is an instructor on each platform that does everything for you.
To give you an idea of what to expect, you will start with the smaller zip lines in the trees (about 6 of them), then do a rappel, then the longest zip line, the 2 superman and will finish with the swing.
You don’t have to do the Supermans or the swing if you don’t want to though. It’s entirely up to you.
The tour lasts 2 to 3 hours so you should be done around 10:30AM – 11AM.
It’s also important to note that there are photographers who will take photos of you during the tour and you can buy the photos at the end for $10 each.
Lunch
After the zip-line, you will head back to go to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve so you can stop in either Santa Elena or Monteverde for lunch.
There are loads of options in both towns.
If you are looking for something traditional, you can head to the Soda La Amistad in Monteverde.
Afternoon: Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
Once you’ve had lunch, head to Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. This is one of the best places in Costa Rica for bird watching!
The entrance of the reserve is located about 5 – 10 minutes from Monteverde and Santa Elena.
Once you get there, you will need to pay the entrance fee (which is $26). You can also buy your ticket online on the official website.
There are a lot of hiking opportunities in the cloud forest. You will find a map at the entrance and can choose your preferred path.
Make sure to take your binoculars so you can see all the animals.
Another thing you can do is to book a guided tour of the cloud forest with a local guide. This is ideal if you want to see a lot of birds.
Option 2: Coffee, Chocolate and Sugar Cane Tour
Monteverde is famous for its coffee production. That’s where a lot of it is made and they also have some of the more expensive beans.
If that’s something you’d like to learn more about, you can opt for a coffee, chocolate and sugar cane tour.
It’s quite interesting because you learn how all these products are made but also how to consume them in the best way.
Evening: Night Walk
In the evening, it’s time to do what Monteverde is most famous for: night walks.
Costa Rica is a paradise for animal lovers. There are so many beautiful creatures you can see and if you’ve been to Manuel Antonio or Cahuita, chances are that you already saw quite a few animals.
The thing is though, some of them are only visible at night. Either because they only come out at night or because they sleep and that’s the only time that we can actually spot them.
Monteverde Cloud Forest is the best place to see all these animals.
INTERESTING FACT: A Cloud Forest is a rainforest located at a higher altitude.
To do the night walk, you need to book it online here.
You will then meet your guide at the Wildlife Refuge Monteverde late afternoon or in the evening.
The guide will give you small torches and then take you around the Cloud Forest to look for animals.
I thought it was a lot of fun to run around the cloud forest in the dark. It’s very different to the other wildlife tours you might do in Costa Rica which is very good.
We got to see loads of animals such as sloths (with a baby), tarantulas, scorpions, toucans, stick insects and more.
As you can imagine, it’s impossible to predict what you will be seeing but kinkajous are also common.
📷 It can be quite hard to take photos in the dark but the guide helps you by putting light in the direction of the animal.
I hope this Monteverde itinerary has helped you plan your trip and that you have a better idea of what to do in Monteverde, Costa Rica.
If you need more help to plan your trip, don’t hesitate to leave a comment.
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